Burgers and tacos highlight Burger Brawl fundraiser

Back for its sixth year, Philadelphia Burger Brawl - the school district fundraiser - has a twist.

Tacos will be judged, in addition to burgers, on Sunday, June 26, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Xfinity Live in South Philadelphia. (Preregistration will begin at 1 p.m. inside Xfinity Live for those who want to avoid the line.)

More than three dozen burger competitors, including Village Whiskey, the Blue Duck, Lucky's Last Chance, Taproom on 19th, and P'unk Burger, will cook for judges and the crowd. A dozen restaurants are also lined up for the first-ever Taco Takedown.

Guests 21 and over also can sample specialty cocktails using Jim Beam and Sauza Hornitos from about 20 competing bars.

Among the judges will be Mike Jerrick from Fox 29, Matt Cord and Steve Morrison from WMMR, former Phillies player Garry Maddox, and the Daily News' Howard Gensler. Prizes will also be awarded for the People's Choice winner in each category.

Burger Brawl contenders scheduled to participate to date include: 2312 Garrett Bar, A. Bar, Amanda's Bar None, Bareburger, Blue Duck, Butcher & Singer, Broad Street Ministry, Burger Fi, The Dandelion, Fine Palate, Fireside Smoke House, Harvest Seasonal Grill, Hugo's Frog Bar & Chop House, La Peg Brasserie, Lucky's Last Chance, Moonshine Philly, NBC Sports Arena, New Wave Café, Parc, P'unk Burger, Pineville Tavern, Prime Stache, Revolution House, Rogue's Gallery, Rouge, Samwich by Suppa, Spot Burger, Steam Pub, Taproom on 19th, Twisted Tail, Valley Beach, Village Whiskey, and Vintage Wine Bar.

Taco Takedown contenders to date include: 1100 Social, Buena Onda, Café Ynez, El Vez, IndeBlue, Heffe Tacos, Loco Pez, Lolita, Revolution Taco, Sancho Pistola's, Taqueria Feliz, and Wahoo's Tacos.

The event began as a neighborhood fundraiser for founders Rob and Maggie Wasserman's children's school, the William M. Meredith Elementary School.

Five years ago, their goal was to gather a few restaurant industry friends to create a small event at Fleisher Art Memorial that would eventually fund a new computer lab for Meredith.

Burger Brawl soon outgrew Fleisher and in 2014 moved to Xfinity Live. More than 3,000 people attended and more than 50 restaurants participated. After funding one computer lab and two technology initiatives, Burger Brawl has set even higher goals.

Burger Brawl is a partner with the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, the Olitsky Family Foundation, AIM Academy (Academy in Manayunk), and the Philadelphia School District to run a four-year pilot program for two Philadelphia public schools that were selected based upon districtwide RFP process in 2014: Andrew Jackson Elementary School in South Philadelphia and the William H. Ziegler School in Northeast Philadelphia.

This four-year pilot will utilize technology to increase literacy for elementary school age children. If the program proves successful, it could be rolled out district-wide. A portion of the proceeds also will go to Compete 360, an organization founded by Garry Maddox to support the education and development of urban youth.

General admission tickets are $50 and include one vote for the best burger and a beverage.

VIP tickets are $125 and provide early access (3 p.m.), as well as admission to a VIP lounge.

Children 10 and younger are free, and those ages 11 to 21 can purchase tickets for $35. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

For more information: www.phillyburgerbrawl.com.