2025 Build a Better Burger Judges
What a year 2025 has been! It’s hard to believe that we are winding down another anniversary of our Sutter Home Build a Better Burger® Recipe Contest. It is an absolute honor to be in the presence of the most distinguished judges who are from culinary, wine, and media backgrounds.
This year’s judges really have their work cut out for them! Let’s meet the people who will help pick our 2025 Build a Better Burger® winner!
First up, we have Lars Kronmark who says the condiments, sauce, texture, and seasoning MUST complement the meat and bun!
Lars Kronmark
A native of Denmark and was educated in Denmark he is the senior chef-instructor at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.
As part of the start-up “dream team,” Chef Kronmark was hand-picked from the finest culinary educators in the United States to open this school in Napa August of 1995 to 2025.
As a chef-instructor, Chef Kronmark has led leading professionals in custom and catalog programs, food and wine tours in Napa and Sonoma as well as being involved with the annual Worlds of Flavors International Conference and Festival since its conception in 1996.
As part of his involvement in several international programs, Chef Kronmark has traveled to several countries ongoing including Mexico (with the award-winning chef and restaurateur, Rick Bayless), Italy, France, China and Spain as part of a partnership with the International Olive Oil Council along with Paula Wolfort trade and media.
In 2010 Chef Kronmark spend a month at Macelleria Cecchini with The butcher from Tuscany, Dario Cecchini working side by side in the Butcher shop in Pansano Italy.
Chef Kronmark helped launch the China Educational Project in 2000-2002, for which he spent significant time in China, worked in the wine regions of Southern Australia as guest chef instructor in Adelaide.
Chef Kronmark’s interest in wine developed over the past 30 years and has culminated in recognition as a Certified Wine Professional. Besides conducting wine-related cooking classes, he also participates in events at local wineries and has been involved with the Napa Valley Wine Auction for the past 28 years and chosen over the past 22 years as the chef for the CIA at the Barrel action event. In 2010, Chef Kronmark was asked to be the celebrity guest chef at the wine auctions VIP Event at Meadowood, joining top chefs from all over the United States. In 2019 lars Kronmark was the auction Chair for NVVA.
In 2012 Chef Kronmark won the California competition segment of Heritage Fire and Cochon 555 was named the Prince of Pork in California.
January 14 2013 Recipient of the Antonin Crème Medal form the American Academy of Chef, ACF.
Chef kronmark is part of the St Helena Farmers market Board for 25 years and has had a major impact on its success as on of the best farmers market in the Napa County.
Chef Kronmark lives in St. Helena with his family, where he grows Cabernet Franc and Cabernet grapes and makes his own wine, for 25 years which includes grapes from The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone property under the private seven row lapel.
Next, we have Chef Hubert Keller.
Hubert Keller
Renowned for his unmistakable talent and creativity, Chef Hubert Keller is among the most celebrated and influential chefs in America today. Trained under the tutelage of legendary French masters such as Paul Haeberlin, Gaston Lenôtre, Paul Bocuse, Jacques Maximin, and Roger Vergé, Keller combines classical technique with inspired innovation.
He made his mark in the world of gastronomy with the acclaimed Fleur de Lys in San Francisco, expanded his culinary empire with Fleur by Hubert Keller, and delighted food lovers with the ever-popular Burger Bar in Las Vegas. Chef Keller’s exceptional skills have earned him many prestigious accolades, including the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef: California” award, a place in the Who’s Who in Food and Beverage, and recognition as one of America’s Ten Best Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine. He is also a recipient of the esteemed Ivy Award from Restaurant & Institutions.
A trusted chef to several United States Presidents, Keller was notably the first guest chef invited to cook at the White House by President Bill Clinton. His charismatic presence has graced television screens on programs like Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Top Chef Just Desserts, The Chew, Regis & Kelly, Rachael Ray, The Travel Channel, Food Network, The Real Housewives of Orange County, Good Morning America, Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay, and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.
In addition to his many guest appearances, Chef Keller hosts his own PBS cooking series, Secrets of a Chef, which has run for six successful seasons and featured culinary adventures in cities across the globe, including Rio de Janeiro, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and his native France.
A passionate advocate for sharing his love of food, Chef Keller is the author of three cookbooks: The Cuisine of Hubert Keller, Burger Bar: Build Your Own Burgers, and his most recent, Hubert Keller’s Souvenirs. Beyond the kitchen, he is widely admired for his generosity and his steadfast support of educational, philanthropic, and community initiatives nationwide.
Meet Sarah Ralston!
Sarah Ralston is a first-grade teacher from New Albany, Ohio. She was the Sutter Home Build A Better Burger Recipe Contest 2022 Champion with her Italian inspired Via Napoli Burger.
Sarah graduated summa cum laude from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in primary education and a master’s degree in literacy and language. She is passionate about teaching first graders the joy of reading and all the doors it opens for them.
She used part of her Build A Better Burger prize money to set up a magical classroom library for her students. Additionally, she loves to cook and travel and continues to use her adventures as culinary inspiration. She is thrilled to be part of Sutter Home 35th Anniversary Build A Better Burger Recipe Contest and is so excited for the inspiration, creativity and stories from this year’s finalists.
Next, we have Chef Rogelio Garcia.
Chef Rogelio Garcia is a James Beard Award–winning chef, author, and culinary leader whose remarkable journey from Mexico City to Napa Valley has made him one of the most compelling voices in modern cuisine.
Raised in Napa after immigrating from Mexico at the age of two, Garcia began working in local kitchens as a teenager. His talent and determination carried him into some of the country’s most acclaimed restaurants, including The French Laundry, Cyrus, and as Chef at Spruce, where the restaurant earned a Michelin star under his leadership.
In 2023, Garcia earned his first Michelin star in Napa Valley, an honor he has retained in 2024 and 2025—establishing him as one of only a handful of chefs in the region with consecutive Michelin recognition. His cooking is rooted in California’s seasonal bounty and elevated by the techniques and flavors of his Mexican heritage, blending precision with creativity to tell stories of identity, culture, and belonging.
Garcia’s debut cookbook, Convivir: Modern Mexican Cooking in California’s Wine Country (Abrams, 2024), became both a personal and professional landmark. With more than 150 recipes, the book celebrates the idea of “living together” through food and highlights the intersections of heritage, terroir, and modern technique. Convivir was honored with the 2025 James Beard Award and finalist recognition from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), solidifying Garcia’s reputation as a leading culinary storyteller beyond the walls of his kitchen.
Today, Chef Rogelio Garcia is recognized internationally for both his achievements and his inspiring story. From humble beginnings as a teenage dishwasher to celebrated chef and author, his career reflects the power of resilience, vision, and community—and continues to inspire the next generation of chefs and leaders alike.
Meet Katie Hamilton Shaffer!
Katie Hamilton Shaffer
Moving to Napa Valley to pursue a career in food and wine. In 2011, she launchedFeast Network, a digital platform designed to entertain and inspire alongside master chefs, influencers, actors, tastemakers, and musicians.
After nearly seven years of producing original content around the country,Katieopened her flagship venue in 2018:The Studio by Feast it Forward.
Located in downtown Napa, The Studio is a dynamic live marketing venue that serves as both a film studio and experiential showroom. From culinary productions with world-class chefs to concerts with celebrated musicians, the property will shift to a private social club in the coming months.
In November,Katiewill debut her first restaurant, located just across the street from The Studio as the anchor tenant in the Oxbow Public Market. This full service restaurant will serve as thefirst Global Chef Residency in Napa Valley, hosting top chefs from around the world for month-long residencies paired with musicians.
Finally, meet Liam Mayclem!
Liam Mayclem is one of California’s most sought-after auctioneers, steering the fundraising for some 50 plus nonprofits at home in the Bay Area & beyond.
The Irishman with an English accent raises funds for many nonprofits near & dear; ALS, CASA for Foster Youth, Camp Hill, Family House SF, Marin Foster Care Association, Raphael House SF, V Foundation (Chicago, Napa, Newport Beach & Sonoma). And dozens more.
As an event host Liam is front and center as EMCEE at these annual Food & Music Festivals:
Bottle Rock Napa Valley Culinary Stage Healdsburg Food & Wine, Michelin Star Awards – California, Napa Truffle Festival, Stern Grove Music Festival
Liam is also an Emmy Award winning radio & TV personality best known as the host of “Secret Trips” on Travel Channel, Eye on the Bay on CBS – Bay Area (2005 – 2016) and “Foodie Chap” on KCBS Radio since 2012 – present.
Liam’s top priority is fundraising and helping non profits exceed their fundraising goals. He works with a small team of fundraising professionals who are united in that effort.
