SEYMOUR – Smile Charlie’s Burgeryou are on a new Discovery+ series, “Messy History of American Cooking”.
The city hosted a video team in 2021 burger party to give them a taste of how Charlie Nagreen created this beloved American food.
Seymour’s claim to be the birthplace of the burger came up during research for the show, said Chad Gajadhar, the co-executive producer. After visiting the Burger Fest website, he said, “We knew straight away we wanted to visit.”
“We wanted to capture America’s love of the burger and the nostalgia that comes with it,” Gajadhar said. “A small town festival celebrating the origins of the burger really encapsulates that Americana vibe. It was exactly what we were looking for.”
The local canon says Nagreen was selling meatballs at the 1885 Seymour Fair when he mashed the meat between two pieces of bread to make it easier for visitors to eat and called it a hamburger.
“We were excited for the Food Network to come out and learn more about Burger Fest and Hamburger Charlie,” Donnie Planert Jr., chairman of the Hamburger House Board, said in a press release. “It’s amazing that our story is featured on a national show.”
AFTER: Seymour’s Burger Fest offers a 200-pound cheeseburger
Home of the Hamburger is a non-profit organization that oversees the annual Burger Fest, which includes the making of a 200-pound cheeseburger (including bun and fixings), a ketchup slide and other entertainment focused on celebrating Seymour as the birthplace of the burger.
The ketchup slide surprised the “Messy History” team.
“The whole setup was so much fun, and we were especially amazed at the event’s record distance,” Gajadhar said.
This episode of “Messy History” traces the evolution of the burger from its origins to modern times, and Seymour plays a pivotal role in the first part of that story, Gajadhar said.
Bill Collar, president of the Seymour Historical Society, explained to the show crew the town’s role in this story and features the case of Seymour as the birthplace of the hamburger in the episode.
The hamburger episode airs Wednesday on the Discovery+ streaming service. Other episodes delving into the stories, conspiracies, and origins of other American staples.
This year’s Burger Fest activities take place on August 12 and 13.
Contact Daniel Higgins [email protected]. Follow @HigginsEats on Twitter and instagram and as on Facebook.
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