4 BURGERS 4 CHEFS 4 WEEKS
LIL WOODY’S MARKS 12 YEARS OF BURGER COLLABORATIONS HIGHLIGHTING TALENTED CHEFS
Chefs Christina Siegl, Taylor Thornhill, Yasuaki Saito, and Trinh & Thai Nguyen lend their Creativity to Culinary Collaboration from
February 3 - March 2, 2026
Paju Jr
Ingredients: 1/4lb Royal Ranch Beef Patty, American Cheese, Kalbi Sauce, Kimchi
Cucumber Coleslaw, Gochujang Aioli, Lil Woody’s Bun
Each year, Lil Woody’s brings back diner’s favorite sandwich from the previous year. Starting Tuesday, January 30, Lil Woody’s will feature the Korean-inspired burger from Paju Chef Bill Jeong. Bill was born in the countryside of South Korea and grew up in an environment where love and respect for food and healthy produce were pillars of family education. Throughout his childhood, he would spend many hours in the kitchen helping his mother prepare the nightly family dinner. This formative experience helped instill the foundation that led him to make a career of cooking.
Bill honed his cooking craft working for some of the best chefs on both coasts of the United States. His kitchen experience includes many Michelin star restaurants such as Fifth Floor, Jungsik NYC, and Gunter Seeger. Learn more about Bill at Paju.
Says Bill: “During the 2020 pandemic, we pivoted from in-restaurant dining to creating a Japanese sandwich pop-up for takeout. We needed to come up with food that could withstand traveling. We created many sandwich recipes, but the one that included kimchi coleslaw on our pork loin sandwich was a favorite. Our Paju Jr. burger for Lil Woody’s Burger Month is a play on that sandwich. The kimchi coleslaw counterbalances the richness and gives it texture. It is even more delicious with the umami built into it.”
Christina's Yesler Umami Burger
Ingredients: Wagyu Beef Patty Mixed with Bone Marrow Butter, Yoka Miso Caramelized Onions, Sauteed Maitake Mushrooms, Shiso Leaves, Tillamook Sharp White Cheddar, Wasabi Aioli, Sesame Oil-Glazed Lil Woody’s Bun
“My inspiration is deeply rooted in Japanese cuisine—shaped by working for a Japanese owner and with my travels across Japan. I love balancing richness with a touch of funk and acidity, and this burger captures that perfectly with wagyu and marrow butter, miso onions, and shiso. It reflects my approach of letting high-quality ingredients shine while pushing them toward deeper umami.”
Christina, a native of the Pacific Northwest, has led the kitchen at 84 Yesler since 2020. She began at Seattle’s Theo Chocolate, followed by training at the prestigious Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Colorado and at the Michelin-starred Vendôme in Germany’s Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg. With experience in both savory and pastry disciplines, she refined her craft working in acclaimed kitchens across Germany and in northern New Zealand.
In Seattle, Christina continued to broaden her expertise, baking at Café Besalu and cooking on the line at Rn74. She lends a deep knowledge of both food and wine, creating innovative, elegant interpretations of the Northwest that have inspired her since childhood. She honors and elevates the local ingredients of the Pacific Northwest while using cooking techniques from cuisines around the globe to make every visit to 84 Yesler a celebration of craftsmanship and culinary artistry.
Burger 4 Burger: Wallingford - Boy’s and Girls Club of King County
The T$ Burger
Ingredients: 1/4lb Royal Ranch Grass-Fed Beef Patty, Charcoal Aioli, Caramelized Onions, Cauliflower Kraut, Gruyere Cheese, Brioche Bun
“The T$ is a combination of flavors that I like on a burger: good beef, simply seasoned, paired with sweet caramelized onions, sour cauliflowerkraut, nutty Gruyere cheese, and charcoal aioli, all on a buttery brioche bun. It has a flavor that permeates and lingers (in a good way!). Utilizing fermented foods and intriguing flavors is something that I love in food.”
Chef Taylor Thornhill is a seasoned culinary veteran from Seattle's esteemed dining scene, bringing a wealth of experience to the table. Following his graduation from the Art Institute of Seattle, Taylor went to work for acclaimed Chef Thierry Rautureau of Rover’s, followed by positions at Harvest Vine, Sitka and Spruce, Spinasse, Aragona, and Mistral Kitchen. In 2009 and 2010, he traveled to Europe, apprenticing with butchers in France and Spain, where he gained an appreciation for whole-animal butchery.
For nearly 10 years, Taylor worked for restaurateur Renee Erickson’s restaurant group, Sea Creatures. He began cooking at her nationally acclaimed restaurant, The Walrus and the Carpenter. In 2015, he took on Erickson’s Bateau - the fine dining steakhouse and next-door companion, Boat Bar.During Taylor’s tenure, Bateau won accolades for its sustainability practices from the James Beard Foundation, and he was selected as a StarChef Rising Star by StarChefs.com. For multiple years, Bateau was recognized on Eater's list of “America’s 38 Essential Restaurants,” being called “the steakhouse of the future” by renowned critic Bill Addison.His experience blends classic culinary techniques with a modern sensibility, bringing an innovative perspective to Ciudad while utilizing the restaurant’s open-fire charcoal grill.
Burger 4 Burger: Food Lifeline
Hambagu Hanbaga
Ingredients: 1/4lb Royal Ranch Grass-Fed Beef “Hambagu” Patty, Shredded Cabbage, White Onion and Sesame Slaw, White American Cheese, Bulldog Kewpie (contains shellfish), Saint Bread Milk Bun
“Hambagu refers to the style and seasoning of the patty itself, most akin to a Japanese-style meatloaf typically served sans bun. Hanbaga is the Japanese loanword for hamburger. It is phonetically like the English word, but it functions as an independent, fully established term in Japanese.
The inspiration for this burger comes from the Hambagu Meatloaf that we serve at Saint Bread's sister establishment, The Wayland Mill, our restaurant group's newest venue. It is a simple and savory mixture of ground beef, ground cabbage, and onion, and a whisper of nutmeg for a touch of both comfort and intrigue. We have moved the cabbage and onion outside of the patty itself, their coolness and crunch taking the forefront under a cloak of Bulldog mayo, a rich combination of the classic ketchup-y tonkatsu sauce and eggy, decadent Kewpie mayonnaise, also originating in Japan. The Saint Bread milk bun is the perfect vessel for the burger - it is also what we use for the cheeseburger we serve there. Slightly sweet, buttery but not heavy, delicious as its own product but even better as a canvas for a thoughtfully composed sandwich. The Hambagu Hanbaga captures all the flavors of a classic Americana fast-food burger, gently skewed off-center in a way that is both delightful and surprising.”
Before establishing The Jensen Marina Project and its component venues, Yasuaki Saito was an operating partner in The London Plane in Seattle's Pioneer Square. He has also overseen restaurants in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland, OR. Saint Bread is a bakery and community space on the Portage Bay waterfront near the University of Washington. His team includes chef Jim McGurk, who honed his skills in New York City before settling in Seattle, where he cooked and led kitchens at Tivoli, Lupo, Delancey, and Little Uncle, and pastry chef Brian Randall, who began his culinary journey in Madison, Wisconsin, before committing to a pastry career on the West Coast.
Burger 4 Burger: Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington
The Cà Phê Glazed Burger
Ingredients: Cà Phê and Honey-Glazed ¼ lb Royal Ranch Grass-Fed Beef Patty, Vietnamese Herb Aioli. Do Chua Slaw, Green Onions, Franz Brioche Bun
“I grew up in Vietnam with a familiar trio at lunch: a strong cà phê sữa đá, something meaty, and the bright snap of đồ chua and herbs. That flavor memory is what inspired this burger. The cà phê glaze brings a deep, caramelized coffee richness, while the đồ chua slaw, curly onions, and herb aioli keep everything lively and fresh. The gentle bitterness of the coffee balances beautifully with the sweetness of the pickles, the creaminess of the aioli, and the subtle spice of the onions. This is exactly how I love to eat: bold, a little playful, and deeply rooted in where I come from. It’s a burger that tastes like home.”
Ramie is the sister restaurant of Ba Sa, the beloved modern Vietnamese destination on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Both are the vision of siblings Trinh and Thai Nguyen, second-generation members of the Nguyen family, who reimagine their Vietnamese heritage through a contemporary culinary lens.
Chef Thai Nguyen, a 2017 graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, brings classic technique and bold, flavor-forward creativity to Ramie’s kitchen. Chef Trinh Nguyen, a Ferrandi Paris–trained pastry chef, pairs refined French technique with a lifetime of Vietnamese cooking shaped by family tradition and travel throughout Vietnam.
Together, the siblings draw inspiration from Vietnamese roots, French culinary tradition, and the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. At Ramie, traditional flavors meet modern technique, thoughtful sourcing, and vibrant presentation.
Burger 4 Burger: Rainier Valley Food Bank
Try all four!
Get the BEANIE!
Diners who purchase each burger in stores can receive a limited-edition, Lil Woody’s waffle beanie at the end of the event. Stamp cards are available at any location.
