Well Done, Emily Falke, Winner of Heinz Art of the Burger Contest | Arts & Entertainment

Curator and director of exhibits at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, chef Emily Falke combines cooking and art in her recipes. (Courtesy picture)

Emily Falke of Santa Barbara won first prize in the recent Heinz Art of the Burger competition with her Savory Spring Roll Bulgogi Burger. Falke is curator and director of exhibits at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM).

“In addition to being a talented curator and artist, Emily is also a noted chef. She has entered, and won, or come close to winning numerous recipe contests over the years,” said Greg Gorga, SBMM executive director.

Falke entered recipes in several categories of the Heinz contest, which combines professional and amateur chefs. She chose to enter the winning recipe in the Experimental Category because it focused on the art of the food and plays to her love of art.

Falke’s cooking often features East Coast and West Coast influences, combines Asian and Mexican elements, incorporates elements of French cooking, and is based on local farm-fresh produce. Her Spring Roll Bulgogi Burger entry also required that she describe her dish in a maximum of 50 words. Here is what she wrote:

“This experimental masterpiece combines a sirloin burger glazed and slathered with Heinz BBQ Sauce with ginger, garlic and Korean pepper paste on a bed of radicchio, and topped with cucumber, jalapeño, a vegetable spring roll, sprinkled with sesame seeds and drizzled with kimchee Heinz Mayonnaise on an artisanal bun.”

Falke was born in Connecticut. She grew up there and in Claremont, California, before earning her bachelor of arts in art at UCLA and her secondary teaching credential in art at California State University Bakersfield.

She was the art teacher at Friends School and Saint John’s Lutheran School, both in Bakersfield, before becoming the director of education and operations, as well as curator and director of development, at the Bakersfield Museum of Art.

In 2010, she moved to Santa Barbara and became the director of education, then curator and deputy director, and now director of collections and exhibits at SBMM.

When Falke was a child, her mother introduced her to French cooking and gave her free rein in the kitchen by the time she was eight years old. Along with her brother and sister, Falke experimented with recipes, and by the time she was in junior high school she was named a Los Angeles County star student and received home economics awards.

In 2008, Falke entered her first cooking contest in Bakersfield through Urner’s Appliance Store. Her halibut with coriander and lobster sauce, a family favorite with east-meets-west influences, was among the top three entries. More than 200 people came to see the finalists prepare their recipes. Falke set up her work station with an eye to beauty; she won appliances and a rental.

After moving to Santa Barbara, Falke entered the Santa Barbara Independent’s Sizzling BBQ contest for three years. She entered the Gilroy Garlic contest twice, and won the Pullman, Washington Lentil Festival twice before a group of people who follow competitions encouraged her, and helped her find appropriate contests.

Now, with a large following of supporters, Falke enters a variety of contests with different kinds of recipes and foods from sweet and savory to fruits, vegetables, starters and entrees.