ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis was a dominating force in the burger division at the World Food Championships, as two chefs finished in the top 10 – including the first-place burger from Mike Johnson of Hi-Pointe Drive In and Sugarfire Smokehouse.
The St. Louis-based restaurants celebrated the win on Tuesday night, saying "Best burger in the Lou? Naw. Best burger in the world!!!" Johnson took home the first-place prize of $7,500.
The burger is called the Hi-Pointe Cowboy Burger and is currently only the menu at the restaurant's locations in downtown, Kirkwood and Hi-Pointe neighborhoods.
Also finishing in ninth place was another Hi-Pointe chef, Adam Pritchett. The two have been collaborating at their local restaurants, with food trucks and on community events for years.
Both chefs also finished top-10 for their qualifying burgers at the competition:
The World Food Championships is the largest competition in Food Sport. Since its debut in 2012, WFC has given birth to 30+ TV food stars, awarded more than 2.5 million in prize money.
Johnson will be in KMOX's studio on Thursday to show off the world's best burger.
Continuing in St. Louis' food dominance, Chef Jack MacMurray of Old Hickroy Golf Club in St. Peters took home the top prize as the World Bacon Champion. He also received a check for $7,500:
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