Plymouth burger business Zephyr Burgers has reached the final of the prestigious National Burger Awards.
Oz Harborth of Zephyr Burgers in Drake Circus was named National Burger Chef of the Year in 2022 and now one of his burger creations has been named as one the 16 best in the UK.
Oz’s Ribwich Cheeseburger will compete against burgers from all over the country to be named as the best.
Now in its ninth year, the 2023 event will see chefs from across the hospitality sector – including restaurants, pubs and street food traders – face-off in a live cooking competition to see whose signature burger recipe will be named best in the UK.
The final will take place in London on February 22 and in addition to the signature round, chefs will take part in a technical show-down that will see them create a burger from a specific selection of ingredients supplied by event sponsors, in a bid to be crowned Burger Chef of the Year.
They will also participate in a meat-free burger round sponsored by The Vegetarian Butcher. Winners will be chosen by a hand-picked panel of esteemed industry judges, including former winners of the competition.
Zephyr Burgers was originally launched by Oz and his partner Sheena in London in 2017 and was the culmination of a lifelong obsession with food. Oz said:
”Hitting the street food scene in London we made a name for ourselves with the epic crust on our burger patties.
“Since then the crusty smash patty has taken Zephyr on a crazy journey from the streets of London, popping up at plenty of music festivals, corporate events, craft beer breweries and food markets to opening our own burger bars in Peckham and Lewisham.”
Then in 2020 under the guise of the pandemic the pair moved to Oz’s home town of Plymouth, sourced a food truck and started serving burgers from a back lane behind Bulletproof, the local craft beer bar.
In 2022 Zephyr Burgers opened their first sit down restaurant in Drake Circus with an idea of creating an inviting space for everyone and anyone and a place where they could finally bring the vision for Zephyr alive. Serving a simple menu of cheeseburgers, elevated side dishes and house made desserts with a selection of beers, cocktails and even their own Zephyr wine!
Oz added: It’s exactly what we wanted it to be: a burger restaurant like no other burger restaurant!
