3 must-taste menu items available during Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena

The Rose Parade is likely one of the main things that comes to mind when people think of the city of Pasadena.

But according to city officials, Pasadena has another much larger and tastier claim to fame: It’s the birthplace of the cheeseburger.

“The whole idea is to do something fun and different,” said Paul Little, president and chief executive officer of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, which is honoring the beloved food item with its annual Cheeseburger Week.

“When they think of Pasadena they think of the parade and football game, so we thought a Cheeseburger Week would flip that,” he added. “Everybody loves cheeseburgers.”

The event, first launched in 2012, will feature 40 local restaurants — including Der Wolf, Jake’s Trustworthy Burgers and Beer, The Stand, Kathleen’s Restaurant, Lucky Baldwin’s Pub and many more — offering cheeseburger specials from Jan. 22-28.

Some will be debuting new cheeseburgers on their menu, some will be creating special burgers just for the event, while others will offer discounts on existing burgers. And all will be standing firmly behind the city’s claim as the birthplace of the cheeseburger, which according to Little, happened in 1924 thanks to a careless teenager who was flipping burgers for a living.

Lionel Sternberger was working at his father’s restaurant called The Rite Spot, located at 1500 W. Colorado Blvd., when he accidentally burned a hamburger patty. Instead of throwing it away, Sternberger tried to hide his mistake by putting a piece of cheese on the meat and serving it to a customer.

And after that, word got out and people soon started coming to the Rite Spot to try the new “Aristocratic Burger,” at the since long-closed restaurant. According to Little and The Chamber, proof of this milestone moment in food history can be found in a Wikipedia entry, as well as old articles in local papers and an obituary in Time magazine for Sternberger in 1964.

While other cities across the United States, like Denver and Louisville, also claim to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger, Little and other chamber officials are so convinced it was born in Pasadena that on Jan. 5, 2017 the city unveiled a plaque commemorating the invention of the cheeseburger in front of the LA Financial Credit Union, which is were the Rite Spot once stood.

“It’s pretty well verified,” Little said. “Or at least what I can say is there is no earlier recorded instance on record of somebody putting cheese on a burger and serving it to a customer.”

With that settled, here are three must-try cheeseburgers available during Cheeseburger Week, including a burger from a classic Pasadena restaurant, a fusion burger that’s only available during this special week and one from a growing burger and hot dog chain restaurant that got its start in Pasadena.

The Classic

Pie N’ Burger, 913 E. California Blvd., Pasadena. (626) 795-1123 or pienburger.com.

First opened in 1964, the Pie N’ Burger is a Pasadena staple, serving old school, simple food. And their cheeseburger is the star of the joint.

“We don’t have like 14 different types of burger, just one, so it’s a classic,” said owner Michael Osborn. The burger is served in a paper wrapper and made with a recipe that dates back more than 50 years. It consists of housemade Thousand Island dressing, a quarter-pound of ground beef cooked on a griddle and topped with American cheese. It’s served on a toasted white bun with lettuce, onions and pickles. So how good is this simple burger? Well, it has been featured on the Food Network’s list of 100 Best Burgers in America. For Cheeseburger Week, Pie N’ Burger is serving their classic burger with a soft drink and a side for $16. Normally that combo would be $22.