Red Robin challenges youth to create the next gourmet burger

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has launched the second annual "The Next Gourmet Burger Kids' Recipe Contest."

With a growing interest from children in food-focused TV shows, cooking classes and celebrity chef cookbooks, Red Robin is following the success of the inaugural contest and is again asking kids ages 6- 12 to share their culinary skills by inventing winning recipes for America's next gourmet burger.

Through Sept. 16 youths are invited to visit Red Robin restaurants to submit an original gourmet burger recipe and a 100-word statement on why their burger deserves to be America's next gourmet burger.

The Amherst location is at 4080 Maple Road, near North Bailey.

The contest encourages contestants to play with their food and get creative in the kitchen with their family and friends to concoct their own gourmet burger recipe. The winning gourmet burger will be featured in every Red Robin restaurant next summer.

The 2006 winner was the Spicy Asian Burger, created by 10-year-old Adrianna Montgomery, from Raleigh, N.C., featuring a variety of 'foodie' ingredients like Napa cabbage, a ginger wasabi sauce and crispy wontons.

Tonawanda resident Brian Coppola's recipe, "Big B's Pollo Pesto Burger" was one of 50 chosen for the 2006 cookbook. He entered his burger at the Amherst location.

The cookbook is sold online at www.redrobin.com to benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

To select the grand prize winner, 10 semi-finalists will be invited to Denver, Colo. in November to compete in the "Next Gourmet Burger Kids' Recipe Contest" Championship where they will make their burger for a panel of Red Robin judges and local celebrities. During the competition, three runners-up and a grand prize winner will be selected.

For information visit the restaurant's Web site.