64 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • MAY 9, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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As the Culinary King of Queens, I’m so very fortunate to live in the most diverse and delicious destination in all of New York
City. And I’m even luckier to be a Tastemaker for the World’s Fare, a celebration of global cuisine and culture, which will
be held on May 18 and 19 at Citi Field. In the weeks leading up to the Fare, I’ll be profiling some of my favorite vendors from
Queens and beyond. So far, we’ve explored wide-ranging international offerings, including Bangladesh, Colombia, and
India. Today, we return to the United States of America for a look at George Motz, the Brooklyn-based burger maven who
will be grilling up Oklahoma fried onion sliders. Motz is a fellow Tastemaker, and, like myself, something of an obsessive
when it comes to the 1939 and 1964–65 World’s Fairs held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
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I first met George Motz
back in 2006 at Meatopia III,
a carnivorous birthday bash
held by our mutual friend —
the late, great meat expert
and food critic, Josh Ozersky.
Two years earlier, Motz had
released “Hamburger America,”
a documentary chronicling
regional burgers, including
the infamous “butter
burger” from Solly’s in Milwaukee;
the Guberburger, a
peanut-butter-coated patty
from the Wheel Inn Drive-In
in Sedalia, Mo.; and the hatch
green chile cheeseburger
from the Bobcat Bite in Sante
Fe, N.M. Motz, who I affectionately
call “mutton chops,” due
to his ample sideburns, prepared
the chile-coated burger
for the bash.
Between 2006 and now,
the 50-year-old filmmaker
founded the Food Film Fest,
wherein viewers watch short
films about various delicacies
whilst eating them;
wrote a state-by-state guide
to hamburgers, also titled
“Hamburger America;” created
the Travel Channel show
“Burger Land;” and wrote
the “Great American Burger
Book: How to Make Authentic
Regional Hamburgers at
Home.”
For a guy who originally
created a movie about burgers
because no others existed at
the time, Motz seems bemused
about wearing the mantle of
“burger expert.”
“It became a sort of cult
food film, and I suddenly was
asked my opinion of burgers
in the media. And after
20 years of research, two TV
shows, and four books, I think
I can now safely call myself a
hamburger expert.”
At the World’s Fare, Motz
and his team will be cooking
up the Oklahoma
fried onion
burger, which
he says has its
roots in the
original American
burger from
more than 100
years ago. The
slider, which
consists of nothing
more than thinsliced
Vidalia onion smashed
into a ball of fresh beef, is
clearly greater than some of
its parts.
“The onions quickly caramelize
and intermingle
with a slice of
American cheese.
This burger is
heaven,” Motz
rhapsodizes. I
can’t wait to taste
it.
Motz and I
share a common
history with regard
to the two original
New York World’s Fairs:
even though we were too
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young to have attended then
ourselves, we have relatives
who did.
“I grew up with stories my
dad told of being at the Fair,
it seems as if he never told
the same story twice and he
was clearly fascinated by the
moment,” Motz recalls. “My
grandfather was at the 1939
World’s Fair, so our home was
deep in memorabilia from
both Fairs. It has always been
in my blood. And since state
fairs have such an important
role in the invention of
the modern hamburger, I too
am fascinated the New York
World’s Fairs.”
As a World’s Fare Tastemaker,
Motz is excited for his
two selections: Korzo, which
specializes in authentic Slovakian
food, and the pride of
Woodside Donovan’s, which
he says will be preparing authentic
Irish delicacies for
the festival-goers. The storied
pub also cooks up one of
the burger maven’s favorite
cheeseburgers in all of New
York City.
Joe DiStefano is a Queensbased
food writer, culinary
tour guide, and author of the
bestselling guidebook “111
Places in Queens That You
Must Not Miss.”
Sample George Motz’s Oklahoma
fried onion burger at the
World’s Fare at Citi Field (123-
01 Roosevelt Ave. in Queens,
https://theworldsfare.nyc) on
May 18 and 19 from 12 to 8 p.m.
Tickets from $19 to $199 (children
under 10, $5).
19
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