Boilermaker: The Burger

Seattle has coffee, Memphis has barbeque, Maine has lobsters and Utica... Has chicken Riggies...Eleven months of the year. The exception is of course the boilermaker burger. "Well we start with a 8 ounces fresh hamburger patty. And the fresh lettuce and tomato. Then we of couse put the swiss cheese on there. Peppered bacon which is an unusual bacon. We finish it off at the table with a little insignia of the Boilermaker from the server with a spicy barbeque sauce squirt bottle."

"There are many staples in Utica like the Boilermaker and Chicken Riggies and for one month a year this burger becomes just a popular." Owner of Babe's Macaroni Grill and Bar Sam Torntore says, "I think the significance of the Boilermaker burger goes in line with the excitement of the week and the community and the economic impact that the Boilermaker's had on local businesses including mine. So not only do we get the out of town customers coming in, we get the local customers coming in." Michael Ezzo Owner of Carmella's Caf says, "It's just so nice to be associated with such a, I wouldn't say prestigious but just a great community pleaser the Boilermaker is. It brings everybody together, puts a smile on everybody's face and for that brief event, there's no political sides. Everybody's on the same team."

            Even after all that the burger stands for, is it recommended to eat while training for the boilermaker? Executive Director of The Boilermaker Tim Reed says, "And I would say that if you're going to be eating consistently the Boilermaker burger, you probably would be better served training for the Boston Marathon...Ha Ha Ha."