‘Youth Burger Challenge’ allows for youngest BBQ-enthusiasts to showcase skills

Nine of the area’s youngest burger enthusiasts gathered and displayed their skills behind the grill on Saturday, July 26, at Yelm City Park to compete in the annual Youth Burger Challenge as part of the Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally.

This year, Heidi Chenoweth placed first overall in the competition. She was followed by Andrew Sponton in second place and Jonathan Sponton in third place.

Longtime Yelm resident and current mayoral candidate JW Foster oversaw the competition during the sixth annual Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally and was pleased with the camaraderie and enthusiasm he saw from the young participants.

“The enthusiasm was great. The families came in, and one family had three children participating — three junior chefs. Another family had two junior chefs. They were able to coordinate their setup, their grills and timing to make sure they each had enough time to prepare their burger,” Foster said. “The kids were amazing. The parents could only set up grills to make sure everything was safe, and we also allowed them to check meat temperatures. From there, these junior chefs were right on it. They had secret sauces. They had special mixes of meats they were using. Everyone hit their time on the mark, and got their presentation burgers and sample burgers into the judges. It was awesome and went off without a hitch.”

Foster was thrilled to see the young participants’ creativity on display while preparing their burgers. He noted there was a wide variety of hamburger types and that the spread of burgers hit every tastebud, from sweet to savory.

“There was a huge variety of burgers. For example, there was a peanut butter and jelly burger. It was a regular burger with special seasonings and candy bacon, with peanut butter and jelly on the bun,” Foster said. “On the other end of the flavor scale, there was a bulgogi burger. Specially spiced beef with a special bulgogi sauce on top, kimchi, with a fried egg and toasted bun. The judges had a real wide variety of flavors to pick through.”

The sixth annual barbecue rally in Yelm marked Foster’s first time leading the Youth Burger Challenge. Based on the “delicious-looking hamburgers” Foster saw last Saturday, he jokingly said he’d like to inquire about becoming a burger contest judge next year.

If his wishes come true, it wouldn’t be Foster’s first time judging at the Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally, as he previously judged in the Amateur Andy competition, where the area’s best pitmasters compete for bragging rights and prizes. Due to the quality of food presented in the Youth Burger Challenge, Foster believes he oversaw some future Amateur Andy competitors.

“I absolutely see some future Amateur Andy competitors,” Foster said. “Like some of the families said, some of these kids have been cooking since they were 8 years old and just love doing it. That’s how a lot of these hobbyists get started.”

For Foster, he’s thrilled to see a local opportunity for young barbecue enthusiasts to get behind the grill and showcase their talents. He also believes that the Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally has quickly become one of the top events in the region.

“For an event to grow in six years to what you see today is phenomenal. This is a major event for Yelm,” Foster said. “It supports local businesses, gets families together in a way that’s hard to do otherwise. Between this, Prairie Days, Jazz in the Park — being able to do it in this city park with the amenities we’ve put in over the years, this is what makes Yelm, Yelm.”