COMPETITOR

61 Chop House Grille

HEAD COOK:

COMPETITION: World Burger Championship

QUALIFYING EVENT: Iowa's Best Burger Contest

Iowa is not all about corn! In this heartland, you will find some of the finest beef raised farm fresh! This . . . makes some of the best burgers to be had! Chef Terry Reis, a Minnesota native, and his wife, Lori Denney relocated to Iowa a few years ago. Lori’s family raises cattle there and she helps out when called upon. They call her the “cow whisperer”. Together they own the 61 Chop House Grille & Liquid Lounge restaurant in Mediapolis and the Café in Yarmouth. Both of these restaurants are located in southeast Iowa. Terry is a professional chef who got his start in the culinary world by working in hotels throughout the US. He has worked for Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton and Radisson hotel chains, as well as private clubs and resorts. Before moving to Iowa, Terry was a Culinary Arts Educator at the Art Institutes International Minnesota. Besides food experimentation, Terry’s other passion is ice sculptures! He is a Master Ice Carver and competes every year at the renowned Winter Carnival in St. Paul, MN. His ice sculptures have won national awards and Terry also has worked with the Minnesota Film Board where he has created ice sculptures for the movie “Jingle All The Way” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and “Mighty Ducks Two”. Mr. Reis’ talents have been spotlighted on local TV as well as he has been featured in “National Geographic Explorer”, “Sports Illustrated”, “International Titanic Exhibit” and “Good Morning America”. So back to burgers! How did we get here? In 2011, our local cattlemen’s association brought to the 61 Chop House’s attention the Iowa’s Best Burger contest. It was a fairly new contest and we submitted our tribute to the Iowa farmer with a burger called the “Barn Burger”. It ended up a Top Ten Finalist that year. We competed again the next year but sadly did not place. So, in 2013, Chef Terry worked up a new burger creation and not only did we place in the Top Ten but we ended up winning Iowa’s Best Burger! It’s been a fun journey so far as we just featured our winning burger at the Iowa State Fair a week ago. In competing at the WFC, we are looking forward to representing not only Iowa’s Best Burger, but all of Iowa’s cattlemen who put in a lot of hours and effort to bring superior quality beef to consumers. Lastly, we hope to meet and make some great friends! You can check us out at www.61chophouse.com or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/61Chophouse GrilleandLiquidLounge.