WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington resident Paul Malvone, owner of the Boston Burger Company, recently competed on the Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” cooking show.
Malvone competed against three other chefs from across the country — Bret Shapiro of Paradese Valley Burger, Jeremy Spector of the Brindle Room, and Angela Kora of Ethos Bakery & Cafe.
In the first round (“Top Grill”), host Guy Fieri had the chefs shop for ingredients in their signature burger and loaded fries using just tongs and a grill lid. Contestants had just 30 minutes to shop and cook.
Malvone made his “Hot Mess” burger with loaded baked potato fries. The burger included a little bit of jalapeño, bacon, red onion, pickles and homemade thousand island dressing. The fries were twice backed and topped with sour cream, bacon and chives.
“I wasn’t anticipating have to make fries, but I gotta be wicked smaht coming from Boston,” joked Malvone.
Malvone was the first contestant the judges agreed was safe and he was moved on to the second round. Judge Antonia Lofaso loved the dressing. Judge Richard Blais complimented the burger as “nice and juicy,” Judge Aaron May was critical, stating he would have preferred a sauce, rather than individual toppings, on the fries.
In the second round (“Musical Carts”), host Guy Fieri had the chefs make an “out-of-the-box burger” with an “over-the-top side.” Contestants, however, had to include two random ingredients in their dish after a game of “musical carts.” Malvone wound up having to use pizza dough and bacon jam.
Malvone made an Outrageous State Fair Burger, which he described as similar to a calzone — “basically fried dough with a burger inside.” For his side, he made fresh beer-battered onion rings with mumbo sauce (with ketchup, sugar and sriacha sauce).
“I really want to win this competition,” said Malvone. “My daughter is getting her permit soon. She’s been talking about a car. If I win $20,000, this will help me get her something she can drive around in and be safe in.”
Judges praised Malvone’s dish. Judge Richard Blais said the burger was cooked perfectly. Judge Aaron May found the cinnamon and powdered sugar on top of the burger to be a really nice surprise. Judge Antonia Lofaso liked how the bacon jam worked so well with the cheddar cheese.
After the judges conferred, Fieri declared Malvone the winner.
“Shut the front door,” Malvone responded.
Malvone was then given an opportunity to win $20,000 in a 2-minute scavenger hunt around the grocery store. Malvone was able to solve 4 of the 5 clues, earning $16,000.
“Watch out for this guy. You need to check out his restaurant,” said Fieri as the show came to a close.
The episode — entitled “DDD-Licious Burgers” — initially aired on Wednesday April 29, 2020. It is available for viewing on demand on Xfinity and Verizon.
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