Burger Bash 2014 Winners: Marc Murphy and Josh Capon

Marc Murphy

With views of the Hudson River to the west and the bright lights of the Big Apple to the east, dozens of A-list Food Network stars on hand, and the sweet summertime smell of grilled burgers wafting through the autumn air, the scene was set to kick off the New York City Wine & Food Festival's much-anticipated Burger Bash atop Pier 92 in Midtown Manhattan. This marks the seventh-annual celebration of all things between the bun, and in true Festival fashion, there was no shortage of eats, drinks or chefs as the walk-around tasting unfolded. Once again, Rachael Ray hosted the sold-out event as fellow Food Network favorites like Marc Murphy, Alex Guarnaschelli and Robert Irvine joined her to show off their signature offerings, and Anne Burrell and Andrew Zimmern, among others, judged the 30 burger offerings enticing the hundreds of fans.

After hours of deliciously meaty indulgence, guests' votes were tallied and Marc earned the judges' pick of the night with his Lamb-Marc burger (pictured above). The first-time winner wowed the panel with a tender lamb patty and a fresh mint chimichurri on top.

Josh Capon

Continuing his winning streak, Burger and Barrel's Josh Capon scored the coveted title of people's choice with his juicy, cheesy Bash Burger with onion-bacon jam, a now-infamous offering at the event. FN Dish caught up with Capon at the Festival, and he revealed his secret to success: "We have a good time. That's the secret because the Bash is all about having a good time. Well, the caramelized onion and bacon jammy jam doesn't hurt either."

Burger Bash 2014 Judges

FN Dish was there as the winners were announced, and we checked in with Anne to find out what it takes to deliver a winning burger. "A very well-seasoned burger, a very good bun-to-burger ratio ... and that the toppings, to cheese to burger, match" are just a few of the things she said she's looking for. "It all has to work together. It's a team effort," she added.

Robert Irvine

For Robert, ever the critical restaurant renovator, there are several makings of the ultimate burger: "It has to be moist. It has to be seasoned correctly. It has to be cooked perfectly. The roll has to be fresh and bouncy. There has to be some texture to it. And you have to be licking your lips when you finish that." The Bavarian Burger he offered at the Bash surely fit his must-have criteria, boasting over-the-top toppings like pork belly, onion-apple jam and pickled red cabbage, plus a bratwurst-studded potato salad on the side. "Everything you think about Oktoberfest we have in a burger," he said of his dish, which came in second place in the people's choice contest.

Burger Bash 2014

Most burgers at this year's Bash included a slice or smear of cheese atop the patty, like Shake Shack's MeisterShack (pictured above), a full-size offering with American and beer-scented fried shallots. But the Oozy, Juicy Lucy (pictured below) from Delicatessen's Chef Michael Ferraro featured a surprise wedged inside. Just one bite into this stuffed burger was enough to release the piping-hot cheese sauce and let the gooey goodness run into the meat's succulent juices. Burger Bash 2014

Burger Bash 2014

Keep coming back to FN Dish all weekend long for continued coverage of the 2014 New York City Wine & Food Festival.

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Marc Murphy Bio

Ask Chef Marc Murphy where he grew up and he'll fire off a list of cosmopolitan destinations — Milan, Paris, Villefranche, Washington, D.C., Rome and Genoa — "and that's before I turned 12," he’ll explain. This dizzying list of hometowns served as an excellent education in French and Italian cuisine, though as a teenager this was not his first passion. When the reality hit that he didn't have the funds to become a professional racecar driver, Marc followed his brother to the Institute of Culinary Education. After graduation he apprenticed at restaurants in France and Italy before returning to New York, where he landed a job as a line cook at Terrance Brennan's Prix Fixe. He stayed there for almost two years, working his way through every station in the kitchen and forging a professional bond with Brennan’s Sous Chefs Joseph Fortunato and David Pasternak. Eager to return to Europe, Marc flew to Paris and landed a position at the one-star Le Miraville, where he stayed for one-and-a-half years. Afterward, he staged at the famed Louis XV in Monte Carlo, where Executive Chef Alain Ducasse was so impressed with Marc's skills that he personally made arrangements for him to work with Sylvain Portay at Le Cirque once he returned to the States. Marc still considers Portay to be his greatest teacher. "Sylvain was above all concerned with coaxing out the most-vibrant, interesting flavors any ingredient had to offer, yet he insisted on minimal manipulation," he recalls. Following Le Cirque, Fortunato tapped him to work as a sous chef at Layla, Drew Nieporent's Middle Eastern fantasy in Tribeca, where he met consultant Georges Masraff. When Masraff joined forces to open Cellar in the Sky at Windows on the World, he recruited Marc to serve as executive chef. After receiving critical acclaim, including a two-star review from The New York Times, Marc headed uptown to serve as executive chef of La Fourchette, where NYT critic Ruth Reichl awarded him another glowing two-star review, citing his "open desire to transform food [so that] in his hands, even a simple green salad ... looks like a ruffled hat in a painting by Renoir." In March 2004 Marc opened his first solo enterprise with Landmarc [Tribeca], which won rave reviews both for its eclectic French and Italian menu as well as its highly untraditional wine list. Following its success, Marc opened Ditch Plains in the West Village in 2006 serving casual, beach-style cuisine such as lobster rolls, fish tacos and the infamous ditch dog, as well as other comfort food favorites. In 2007 Marc was given the opportunity to open another Landmarc restaurant in the pres­tigious Time Warner Center, where he brought his bistro-style cuisine midtown. In October 2013 Marc opened Kingside at the Viceroy New York hotel on New York's iconic West 57th Street, serving his interpretation of New American cuisine. Marc's restaurants now fall under the Benchmarc Restaurants by Marc Murphy name, where he acts as executive chef and owner. In addition to the restaurants, Marc also heads up the company's catering division, Benchmarc Events by Marc Murphy, where his signature style of accessible contemporary cuisine transcends the boundaries of what is offered in his restaurant locations. Today Marc's involvement in the industry moves beyond the restaurants as well, with a regular role as a judge on Food Network's top-rated hit Chopped as well as appearances on other hit series such as Guy's Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay and Worst Cooks in America. Marc also appears on The Rachael Ray Show and The Today Show, among others. He is the president of the Manhattan chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association, a board member of City Harvest, Culintro and Passport NYC at the 92nd Street Y Culinary Camp, as well as a member of the Food + Finance High School's Industry Advisory Board, a member of the Leadership Council for Share our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign and the national spokesperson for Share Our Strength's Dine Out For No Kid Hungry. In 2012 Marc joined the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Culinary Partnership, where he takes part in public diplomacy programs that engage foreign audiences abroad as well as those visiting the United States. Marc's debut cookbook, Season with Authority: Confident Home Cooking, was released by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in April 2015.

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