REX THOMPSON knows how to wow the crowds.
Sure, the cotton candy, funnel cakes, and fries are fair-food essentials, but the owner of Rex’s Hamburgers, in Albuquerque, understands that the midway is meant to be lived, not just survived. Thompson started at the fair in 1971, helping his father cook burgers low and slow on a flattop grill. “When you think about it, the hamburger is fair food,” he says. “It made its way across America through the fairs, starting in 1904 or 1905.”
Last year, his creative twist on the green chile cheeseburger tied for first place at the fair’s Unique Foods Contest. Rex’s Belgian Waffle Green Chile Cheeseburger featured an expertly grilled cheeseburger between two Belgian waffles, drizzled with Hatch green chile maple syrup and finished with powdered sugar. “All the tastes hit you at once,” says Thompson, who also took home the Unique Foods crown in 2021 with a Pancake Burger. “It just makes you smile.”
He hatched his winning idea by riffing on the popularity of chicken and waffles. This year, he’ll compete with his Cinnabon Burger. “In keeping with the breakfast theme,” he says.
Meet the grill master behind the champion green chile cheeseburger.
Unique Foods 2025
The Unique Foods Contest takes place at noon on Thursday, September 4, at the Chevron Pavilion. This year's contestants include: Seafood Cajun Café's fried alligator with boudin balls; B&B Concessions' sweet and spicy Spam fries; Pop’n Mama's Dubai funnel cake; R&J's green chile sriracha funnel cake; Rex’s' Cinnaburger; and Top Notch's sausage s’more skewer.