A local 3rd grader at Piner Elementary has won the inaugural Spear Ridge Cafe “Design a Burger” contest.
The contest, which was launched earlier this month, received thousands of submissions. The contest was specifically for students across Boone and Kenton counties, who were tasked with submitting their own custom burgers. After the final votes were counted, Hazel, a 3rd grader from Piner Elementary, was named the winner.
Hazel created a beef smashburger topped with lettuce, cheese, creamy mac and cheese, pulled pork, BBQ sauce and a pickle, which she dubbed the “Hazel Burger.”
“We loved seeing the creativity from these kids,” said Timmy Crofford, President of Spear Ridg Cafe. “Hazel’s burger is a little unexpected, but it’s exactly the kind of fun idea we were looking for. We can’t wait to get her in the kitchen to see it made for the first time.”
For her winning design, Hazel is receiving free burgers for a year. Her namesake creation will be featured on the menu for a limited one-week run starting Monday, March 23rd at Spear Ridge Cafe locations in both Independence and Florence.
The Spear Ridge Cafe is a locally-owned restaurant concept from the One Holland Group. The cafe has locations in Florence at 7301 Industrial Rd., which opened in 2024, and in Independence, which opened in 2025, at 11990 Mitch Dr., where it is part of a larger development that features a general store and gas station called the Downs of Nicholson.