Battle beyond the gridiron: Tallahassee's Midtown Caboose in Orange Bowl Burger Battle

The big 2023 Capital One Orange Bowl competition has Florida State Football fans anxious to make their way to Miami Gardens to show their support for their favorite team in the annual football competition.

This year, the Florida State Seminoles from the Atlantic Coast Conference will be going helmet to helmet with the University of Georgia Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference. But before the big kickoff, there's another competition spectators can look forward to.

After being nominated by the Florida State Athletic Department, Midtown Caboose – a railroad-themed restaurant that specializes in sandwiches and burgers – will be representing the garnet and gold in the 2023 Orange Bowl Burger Battle, presented by VetTix.

"It should be fun. We've never done anything quite like this before," Midtown Caboose co-owner Adam Wells told the Tallahassee Democrat while on his road trip down to Miami. Midtown Caboose, at the intersection of Meridian and Thomasville roads and East 7th Avenue, opened in 2014.

Owners and brothers Adam and Matt Wells introduced creative madness to foodies, positioning themselves as a go-to for all your handheld fantasies. Their offerings include their “S’mores Than Words” burger, a reinterpretation of a surf and turf sandwich and their prized peanut butter and jelly burger, which they will feature in the competition for a panel of 15 judges.

"We've been eating peanut butter hamburgers our entire lives," Adam said. "So we figured if we're going to a competition we might as well stick to our roots and go with what made our restaurants kind of popular in the beginning."

A family recipe that dates back to the brothers' childhoods is perfected to mix their patties and smother them in melted peanut butter, cheddar cheese and guest's choice of blueberry, strawberry or strawberry-rhubarb jam. After a consensus from patrons of the restaurant on social media, the brothers decided to use strawberry jam for the burger battle.

They will be competing against a representative for the Georgia Bulldogs known as Baddies Burgers. Each team is required to produce 15 burgers and use the sponsor, Bush's Baked Beans, in their dishes as a side or topping.

Adam said that a former judge for the competition included the esteemed two-time Super Bowl champion and award winning NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. He predicts popular players from either Florida State or the University of Georgia will be in attendance as well.

The 90th Capital One Orange Bowl at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium will begin 4 p.m. Saturday. The grand prize winner of the burger competition will earn a trophy and bragging rights for their city, restaurant and school.

Democrat writer Kyla Sanford can be reached at ksanford@tallahassee.com

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Midtown Caboose will compete at Orange Bowl Burger Battle