Kristine Snyder

2008 Grand Prize Winner

Harpist from Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Inspiration forHawaii Da Kine Burger

“The burger evolved from a Paniolo Burgers recipe I had entered the previous year.  I thought it had great flavor but needed simplification and revision, so I continued to work on it once I knew that the BBB guidelines for the year called for a ‘local’ burger. My main goal was to incorporate the best of Hawaii’s flavors, which include a balance of sweet, savory, spicy, and tangy.  The sweet chili sauce and papaya provided the sweet, the savory aspects were the shoyu and Asian-spiced sea salt, Portuguese sausage and red pepper flakes added the spice, and lemon, ginger, garlic, and watercress gave the tang.  A local friend of mine taught me about heating the oil to its smoking point and gave me her recipe for a tuna and watercress salad, which I adapted and changed to become the burger topping. With the exception of the Asian-spiced sea salt and sweet chili sauce, every ingredient in the recipe is either produced or grown in Hawaii (although I prefer Japanese shoyu to the Hawaiian version) and the avocados, lemon, and papaya came from my yard. I guess the simple answer is that it’s easy to get inspired by Hawaii’s fresh produce and the fabulous cultural mix of products available.”

Memories of BBB:

“The people involved in producing BBB truly make this contest extra-special. We were treated like VIPs instead of contestants, starting with travel arrangements and accommodations, and including delicious food, superb ingredient provisions, and being made to feel important. The big change for me competing for the second time was being present at the judging and being blown away by their comments. Whether you win or lose, you always wonder what the judges thought, liked, or disliked, so I loved this aspect.

I also really appreciated that the Sutter Home chefs made our burgers for every guest to taste and judge. Winning the People’s Choice Award was almost as important as winning the Grand Prize from the judges because having someone else successfully prepare my recipe seemed to give it more credibility. And, of course, being “whisked off” to New York to be on the Today Show was an amazing fantasy.  BBB sent each of the contestants all of the photos taken at the contest, which was a great perk since we either miss out on a lot of what’s going on or our heads are too screwed up from nerves to remember what went on, so the pictures provide fabulous memories.  

Lastly, in 2001, I remember seeing the trophy and saying I didn’t care about winning, but I really wanted the trophy because it’s such a cool piece of art.  Having two of them in my kitchen now makes me smile every day with the memories of this dream come true."

Other Notable Wins

Winner, America’s Top Amateur Chef, LG/Bon Appetit “Taste of Something Better”, 2009
United States representative in LG’s “Life Tastes Good” in Bangkok, Thailand, 2009
Winner, Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown: Burgers, 2008
First Place, Redwood Creek Holiday Traditions, 2004
First Place, National Chicken Cook-Off, 2003
First Place in category, National Beef Cook-Off, 2003
Grand Prize, Build a Better Burger, 2001
Runner-Up in category, Pillsbury Bake-Off, 2000
First Place, Maui Onion Contest, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001