Culinary Connections: Join LAist For An Old-School Hamburger Fry

This year, the cheeseburger turns 100 years old, so we decided to host a live event — an old-school hamburger fry — to help commemorate the occasion. Consider this your invite: It's happening at 6 p.m. on Jan. 25 at The Crawford in Pasadena. Tickets are going fast.

And yes, there will be plenty of burgers to eat — and plenty of burger talk with some of our favorite burger makers from across L.A.

The cheeseburger is homegrown in these parts, with its roots tied directly to Pasadena, or so the story goes. (As with all bits of history, and food history in particular, it's complicated.) Legend has it that in 1924, entrepreneur Lionel Sternberger was working the grill at the Rite Spot, the small roadside cafe on Colorado Boulevard, when, on one fateful day, he took it upon himself to experiment by adding a slice of American cheese to a burger patty. Thus, the cheeseburger was born.

And world domination has followed: 100 years later, we are still reaping the scrumptious benefits of Sternberger's creativity.

You won’t ever find us saying no when it comes to burger time, whether it's glorious smash burgers known for their lacey griddled edges served up on a soft and squishy potato bun, or the classic charbroiled burger topped with lettuce and tomato on a sesame seed bun... or any other sub-genre of burger there is.

Which brings us to our burger fry, part of our ongoing event series Culinary Connections: We've asked some of our favorite burger makers from across Los Angeles to fry up their best burgers for ticketholders, as well as share some of their life experiences within the burger-sphere:

Joining us that evening will be Jimmy Han of Love Hour, the Koreatown-based smashburger sensation. Han and his associates just concluded a successful run with Smorgasborg Los Angeles. However, they maintain a window walk up on Western Avenue where hungry patrons wait their turn for one of Han's tasty smashed patties.

Also in attendance will be Hangaburs, which Alicia Lopez and Cecilia Ledezma run. The El Sereno-based pop-up specializes in its take on the smash burger, illustrated by the Tepic burger, which is a smashburger topped with a grilled slice of ham and soft, crumbly panela cheese.

Lastly, Hamburgers Nice will be joining us: Owned and operated by Jairo Bogarin, who has built a name for himself in and around Long Beach with his signature breakfast burgers and, most recently, his version of fast food favorites. Crowds flock to his pop-ups for his take on such beloved classics as the In-N-Out Double-Double and Jack in the Box’s Sourdough Jack.

So, if you aren’t hungry yet, you should be. Tickets are nearly sold out; please see the event's website for availability.

To keep up on future events, check out LAist.com/Events and sign up for our monthly newsletter