Elk Grove Resident Organizing Charity Burger Battle

Combining his love for good food and a good cause, Elk Grove resident Rodney Blackwell is organizing a Burger Battle to raise money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America charity.

The Sacramento Burger Battle 2012 will feature 12 to 15 local restaurants throughout the Sacramento region to battle it out for the title of best burger. A panel of judges will decide which restaurant will win.

The 21 and over event will feature burgers and beer.

The event is still in its early planning stages, so the list of restaurants participating has not yet been released. Although things are not yet finalized, the goal is to hold the event at Raley Field.

“We're looking at Raley Field for the location and hopefully we'll be holding the event right on the field after the Rivercats’ season is over,” Blackwell said. “We'll be looking for sponsors to help cover the venue and event costs.”

Chefs will cook the burgers on-site during the event, so visitors can enjoy the freshest burgers. The cost to attend the event has not yet been finalized, but admission will include all-you-can-eat burgers and drinks.

“I’m hoping to make this a first-class event that the Sacramento area can look forward to each year,” Blackwell said. “People can visit the SacBurgerBattle.com website to be notified when the tickets will go on sale this summer.”

Blackwell, a burger blogger, came up for the idea of a Sacramento Burger Battle in 2010 after reading about a similar event in Denver, Colo.

“In January of 2011, I launched burgerjunkies.com and followed the Denver Burger Battle's progress on Facebook and Twitter,” Blackwell said. “When tickets went on sale that summer, I decided a true burger junkie would attend an event like that, so I booked a hotel and flight and attended the 2011 Denver Burger Battle.”

He described the event as an amazing night, and said the Denver event sold out to more than 800 people.

The Sacramento event will have photographers and videographers onsite to document the event, and Blackwell is even hoping to find a celebrity chef to be one of the official judges.

“The goal for the event is to showcase the great dining scene in the Sacramento region as well as to raise awareness and funds for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation,” Blackwell said. “We want to highlight local food for a great cause.”

Blackwell said he chose the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation because his oldest daughter was diagnosed with the disease when she was 5 years old.

“At the time, we had no idea what Crohn's was, we just knew that she experienced a lot of abdominal pain among her other symptoms,” he said. “Crohn's is an autoimmune disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract and makes it so that the body doesn't absorb the proper nutrients from the food you eat.”

His daughter is now a 9 years old and doing well. He said the Colitis Foundation was the first charity to come to mind because of his daughter, and because the disease does not get talked about enough because it deals with the intestines. He is hoping to raise awareness and funds towards research and patient programs.

“We want this to be a fun event for all involved, restaurants, diners,
sponsors and the charity,” Blackwell said. “Mark my words: burgers can change the world.”