"freshdirect" news and stories

Pat LaFrieda. Photo: Nick Solares.

Haute Burger. The idea seems silly of a food that was once so simple. (Grind meat. Form patty. Grill. Dress. Eat.)

That's no longer the case. Proprietary patties are big business, with big money to be earned in creating a mouth-watering blend of ground cow. A masterful mix could earn a chef the coveted crown of Burger King at one of growing number of cook-offs, such as the Feedbag's first annual cook-off in Summit, N.J., last weekend.

In New York, when a chef wants a custom burger, he often turns to third-generation meatman Pat La Frieda, whose family has been making burgers for nearly a century. He and his staff spend up to two months creating the right mix of meat for a chef.

"For the Shake Shack we made almost 30 different blends," La Frieda told us. "For Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger, it was probably just as many. We tried different styles of meat, different weights. It was a process. I was eating burgers everyday."

We caught up with LaFrieda to get the juice on his family, the growing list of big name chefs trafficking in burgers and his decision this month to finally make three types of patties available to home cooks through Fresh Direct.

Having an Inauguration party at home or in the office? When ordering your fresh produce this weekend from FreshDirect, check out these patriotic cupcakes. Regardless of political views, the crowd-pleasing combination of dark, rich chocolate and light, butter vanilla cakes are a perfect way to top off this historic event.

I wonder, if President-Elect Obama could get his hands on one, would he go for the vanilla or chocolate?

Available in an entire platter of 18 cupcakes or a convenient 4-pack.