KARACHI: Some 22 burger varieties were in competition with each other at the International Burger Com­petition orga­n­i­sed by ‘Biz Today’ at the Arts Council of Pakis­tan Karachi’s Cafe D’ Art on Thursday.

There were student chefs from the College of Tourism and Hotel Manag­ement (COTHM) and some professional chefs, too, showcasing excellence in taste and creativity. They made chicken burgers and beef burgers with a range of buns such as the common white buns, soft milk buns, wholemeal or wheat buns, the buttery soft brioche buns and potato buns with or without toasted sesame seeds.

The patties, as shared by all the chefs, were quite easy to make as they only required salt and pepper seasoning. It was the sauce along with the toppings and what was being served on the side which made all the difference. The presentation counted, too.

Of course, what the burgers were named by their creators was an absolute masterstroke. Thus there was the ‘Le Smash Classique’, ‘the Honey Chipotle’, ‘Steak O’ Burger’ and the father of all burgers, the ‘Godfather Burger’.

‘Godfather Burger’ appears big enough to feed a family of six or eight; two others introduced as ‘Badmash Burger’ and ‘Le Smash Classique’

The student chefs had teamed up in pairs. Maha Ahmed and Natalia Nauman were busy preparing Korean style kimchi burgers, Maaz Iqbal and Kaif Ali Khan were making classic smash burgers, Abdullah Moha­mmad Anwer and Mikail Ahmed had mastered their own method of turning prime beef into soft and juicy patties.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Umar Sheikh and Salman Bayat had their own ideas about presentation. Instead of holding their burger together with a toothpick or two, they had driven into it a knife. “It’s called plating,” one of them explained sheepishly. Not that far away from them was Laiba Akhtar with her ‘Badmash burger’ also supporting a dagger (or was it the dagger supporting the burger?).

The pace and mood in the hall changed as the time for the judges to check out and taste the burgers drew near.

Someone overheated a burger to find the cheese inside had melted. It poured out like melted lava, some burgers could not stand being sliced into small portions for the taste test, some sauces were not mixed right and there was too much salt in one portion and none in the other.

And while all this was going on, arrived the biggest burger of all, the ‘Godfather Burger’ created by Cafe D’ Art’s chef Calvin John. His single burger was enough to feed a family of six or eight, depending on how hungry that family is. “The patty is in one piece as is the bun,” beamed the proud chef.

Shakil H. Jafri, Director, Foods and Beverages at the Arts Council Karachi, also said that the gigantic burger was making its debut at the International Burger Competition. “We are soon going to introduce it in our menu,” he shared.

Still, not impressed by the size of burgers, Chef Beenish, one of the judges, said that she was judging the burgers on presentation and plating, flavour, patty type and freshness of the meat.

Earlier, the main organiser, Exec­utive Editor of Biz Today, Rafiq Vay­ani, who has earlier also organised a Khao Suey, biryani, nihari, chocolate desserts and mango tango competition, told Dawn that since burgers are so popular all over the world, including Pakistan, they also deser­ved an international competition.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2026