why i created the sacramento burger battle.

filmed at bacon & butter in 2016 as part of a documentary by x7 productions.

8 years ago today, on national cheeseburger day, september 18, 2012, we launched the sacramento burger battle at raley field and i’ve been #sacramentoproud ever since.

but this event has always been about more than burgers for me.

this event was created from day one as a fundraiser for the crohn’s and colitis foundation.

my goal was to donate as much money to the crohn’s and colitis foundation so they could continue on their mission to find a cure for crohn’s disease.

i also wanted to showcase the amazing sacramento restaurants that put out amazing burgers all year long to finally answer that question, where’s the BEST burger in sacramento.

i have 3 daughters and the oldest has crohn’s disease. it’s difficult to feel helpless as a parent, and maybe this event was my way of coping with that uncertainty.

that’s where my energy has been since this event launched. i gave this event my all. every penny raised has been donated to the foundation.

on march 23, 2020, i sent an email to the foundation saying the burger battle didn’t look realistic this year. it was only week 2 of the state of california ordering shelter in place due to the growing worldwide pandemic, but with all the restaurants being forced to close it seemed clear to me that the situation was not under control.

my kids’ school district shut down the first week in march and my oldest daughter is part of that “vulnerable population” you keep hearing about. so we researched not only what was happening in the us, but also what was happening globally, including what worked and what was not working. since then, i feel like i’ve been in mourning for loss of an event that meant so much to me and my family. to many of you it was just burgers, but to me it always meant so much more.

i wish i had a better outlook on the situation, but there does not seem to be any coordinated effort by the federal government or banks to help workers, restaurants or most american citizens at this time, the future of the sacramento burger battle event is uncertain, but there will definitely be more to come from yours truly :)

thank you to my wife and family for your support.

thank you to my natalie, megan, lori, jeremy, jenna, susan, kristie, ann marie, corinne, daniel, and the whole burger battle planning committee. thank you to rachel, christina, greg, paul, jeremy, lisa, rick, jess, olga & danny, amber & billy, all the volunteers, the barsotti family, lagunitas, and every sacramento restaurant, chef, diner, sponsor, creative, blogger, journalist, and any other folx who supported this event over the years. we did a thing. cheers to whatever’s next. -rodney