Brendan Coulliette, an incoming seventh grader at Eagle View Christian School, is determined to further cement himself as the best youth burger chef in the Nisqually Valley during the Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally on Saturday, July 27.
The 12-year-old wowed the youth burger competition judges with his variety of spices and Parmesan crisp to win the title at last year’s event. He took home a $300 prize and a trophy that sits on his dresser in his bedroom, but he’s hungry to add another this year.
“I was surprised when I found out that I won. I entered again this year because there was nobody else who entered at the time, but I think there’s two now,” Coulliette said.
Last year, he cooked the meat at home and assembled the burger with vegetables and cheese at his station during the event.
While Coulliette has a plan in mind for how he will craft the perfect burger this year, he said he will keep it a secret but added it is “very interesting.”
Coulliette was 8 years old when he began learning how to cook from his father, and he enjoys making burgers, pancakes, cupcakes and eggs at home. Frankie Richardson, his aunt, said that she has him cook for her whenever she visits because “he’s better than I am.”
“I was blown away watching him cook last year. His creativity and attention to detail is really interesting to me,” she said. “When he won last year, I was screaming and so happy for him. I was going crazy and filming and making him embarrassed.”
Richardson said that she enjoys the fact that her nephew has a creative outlet to express himself through his cooking. Coulliette added that he has been practicing for months in order to maintain his title as the top young burger chef in the region.
The Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally staff are still accepting youth burger challenge applicants, who must be between the ages of 10 and 17. The first-place prize will take home $300, second place gets $150, and third place will receive $50.
To learn more about the event, visit https://bbqrally.com/.
