photo by Peter Hove Olesen
George Motz is a well-traveled chef, author, award-winning filmmaker, and photographer. He has also been called the ‘foremost authority on hamburgers’ by The New York Times, and ‘America’s biggest burger name’ by Eater LA. In the spring of 2004 Motz completed Hamburger America, his second documentary film which he shot, produced, edited, and directed. The film was nominated in 2006 for a James Beard Award and in 2011 was recognized by the US National Archives as an integral part of American food history. The film's success led to a state-by-state guide to hamburgers, also titled Hamburger America, a State-by-State Guide to Great Burger Joints. And in 2016, Abrams Books released his first cookbook, The Great American Burger Book, fully updated in May 2023. George can be seen on his show Burger Scholar Sessions on Complex Media’s First We Feast.
George can also be found spreading the word of burger around the globe through workshops, consultations and burger pop-ups. He recently opened his dream restaurant, Hamburger America, in the Soho neighborhood of NYC, which was awarded 2-stars by Pete Wells in the New York Times.