Davis burger chefs duel in Food Network ‘Grudge Match’
Also, news on Parkside, Burger Patch, World Travelers Coffee, Amara, Eiar Studio, Goodwill, T-Kumi Ramen and The Davis Collection
G’day from Brisbane, Australia. I’m putting together a separate post with updated travel photos. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of business news coming out of Yolo County, gathered with a little help from my friends.
→ Burger crown? Two local burger kings will battle it out next week on The Food Network. Tom Jobst of Tommy J’s in Davis and Chris Lombardi of Outpost Burger in Davis and The Burger Saloon in Woodland will appear on an episode of “Chef Grudge Match” that will debut on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Viewers who subscribe to The Food Network may view the show, which also streams on other services, including Hulu and Prime Video. It’s scheduled to run on The Food Network at 9 p.m. on Sept. 9, midnight on Sept. 10, 1 p.m. on Sept. 13, noon on Sept. 16, 10 p.m. on Sept. 23 and 1 a.m. on Sept. 24.
Tommy J’s Grill & Catering runs the kitchen of Froggy’s Bar & Grill at 726 Second St. Outpost Burger is at 330 G St., Suite A, next to Parkside Sports Bar.
Here’s a description of the TV show: “Host Laila Ali challenges chefs to settle their disputes in a single round, head-to-head culinary battle. The food world is filled with bold chefs with egos as big as their resumés, employees who have been wronged by their boss, restaurateurs defending their livelihoods from copycats, and owners whose staff walked out during busy dinner shifts. They all come here to call each other out, put their favorite knives on the line, and bury the hatchet. The winners walk out with $10,000 cash, a prized knife from the losing chef's knife roll and bragging rights for life!”
The local story is in Episode 3 of Season 1 is titled “Tame the Troublemaker.”
It is described as follows: “Ali invites four chefs to resolve fiery recipe rivalries in explosive back-to-back battles.”
The Davis burger battle will be the second half of the show. “Witness an epic showdown between baller burger chefs Tommy Jobst and area newcomer Chris Lombardi to decide, once and for all, who builds the absolute best burgers in the college town of Davis, California.” The first half of the show includes a different rivalry, “longtime Cuban chef Mika Leon squares off against competing Miami influencer chef Brad Delgado, accusing him of stealing her recipes and copying her content to surpass her online superiority.”
It finishes by saying, “With $10,000 on the line and customer counts at stake, judges Jet Tila and Claudette Zepeda decide which chefs will walk away victorious.”
Jobst’s burgers have won the Downtown Davis Burger Battle four times. He’s the reigning champion. I’ve had a Tommy J’s burger, and it’s delicious. I haven’t tried an Outpost smash burger yet.
Chris Lombardi posted a video on Instagram to promote the rivalry. View it here.