Chef Mike Puma Interview

It’s one thing to be ranked one of the best burgers in a mecca like New York City. But Gotham Burger Social Club has now been topping the charts for best burger in the whole United States of America. What’s their secret sauce? If you ask owner Mike Puma it’s nuance and nostalgia. 

Gotham Burger Social Club has built a cult-like following for doing a smash burgers right. Keeping things simple. And bringing some insane flavors to life. Our very own Spiceologist and Chef Christian Gill recently popped over to the Big Apple for a one-weekend only pop up at Gotham Burger Social Club to serve up The Bayou Burger - a double smash patty burger using Spiceology Black Magic Cajun Blackening blend and topped with melty provolone, chow chow, jammy tomatoes, and a cool remoulade. And people lost their freaking mind smashing this burger. 

But we hungered for more. So we sat down with Mike to talk about going from Wall Street to pop ups, travel inspiration, the power of collabs, chiles, smash technique, and more. Read the full interview below:

How has transitioning from Wall Street to the restaurant world been going?

“It's been extremely exciting. Obviously working for myself is a whole different dynamic, but the response that I get from people is really what fuels me. When people come in every day telling me that it's their favorite burger or they're so happy to meet me or want to take a picture - the fact that they want to come into the restaurant, take a picture of our food and share it with their friends and family on social media, it's so rewarding. And it's something that you're never going to get in an office job. It's just a whole different level of gratitude. 

In order to find a good balance you've got to give something up. I could either try and do it all myself and reap more of the reward (aka money) or I could give up some money, some equity, bring in other people and let them carry some of the load for me. I opted for the latter and I think it's creating a better environment. 

No one can do it by themselves …you will burn out. There are so many moving pieces to stay on top of and there are challenges. You will hit speed bumps. But I think the main thing is to keep moving forward, and don't sweat the small stuff. Just find ways to stay ahead of the pack and keep things interesting.”

It's Gotham Burger & Social Club. Why also a social club?

“The social club started by accident. This whole thing started in 2013 by me literally picking up a New York Timeout magazine about the best burgers in New York City. And I just thought it'd be a fun idea to get my buddies together once a month and try a new burger. I put something on Facebook. The influencer thing wasn’t around in 2013. It wasn't like it is today - it was a wild wild west. And I just decided to start an Instagram page really for the group to look back on years later and remember those nights out eating burgers - and the page started taking off. There were all these other people interested in either what we were writing about or wanting to join us. 

It was my love of food and the reviews of burgers that led to an opportunity to cook for a nonprofit organization - it was their idea for me to make a burger and have the proceeds go to the nonprofit. That event led to another fundraiser and another and another to the point where I was doing maybe four or five a year. I was doing it for fun; I had no interest in opening up a restaurant or leaving my career. 

Then the pandemic happened. Some bars on Rivington Street reached out for my help. I would wheel a grill back and forth between these two bars depending on the weather. And crowds of people came out; I started going from one pop up a week to two to three, which was a lot when it was just me doing all the heavy lifting. And we went from me, one grill, and one table to two of us to eventually two grills, four tables, sometimes six people, you know, working the line with two-, three-hour waits for a burger.

The more I was doing these pop ups the more fun I was having, and the more it ignited something in me that I don't even think I knew was there. The days that I was going into the office, I was just checked out. I'd rather be cooking burgers on a sidewalk than dealing with office nonsense. I teamed up with some people who convinced me that we could do this burger thing for real and I never looked back.”

People around you, music, books, travel, research - where do you find inspiration when developing dishes?

“All over the place. Social media. Travel. Sometimes you have a dish or you meet somebody new. A lot of our collabs started from an app called 8it, which is a very industry focused app curated by pros, and there's a lot of people in that org that have connected over Family Meal, which is really cool. It brings together all these people in the industry, you start talking and these collabs start to manifest. You see what another chef is doing and they're like, ‘Yeah, I'm doing empanadas,’ and the next thing I know we're talking about doing a cheeseburger empanada.

Connections and collabs like that serve a purpose in a few different ways. One, it keeps you creative and on top of your game. Two, it keeps the wheels rolling and things interesting for outside parties that maybe had never heard of you. 

Travel is certainly a big inspiration. The restaurant was inspired by my travels out west in the desert. These are places that I find solitude in, that I love to visit and sit at a chill bar, have a drink, have some food, listen to some music. We took a lot of that western inspiration here in the restaurant; the goal really wasn't to do market research and see what’s hot or trendy - it was about this is what I like and I'm just glad that people are also enjoying the same vibes and atmosphere.”

Talk to me about a visceral food memory from your childhood. 

“I always say nothing tastes better than memories. It's about what you grew up eating, right? That’s the food that becomes your best, your favorite. I grew up in an Italian-American household, so things like eggplant Parm, stuffed artichokes, those are things that bring back a lot of memories for me. Unfortunately, I don't find a lot of places that make it like my Mom, but that doesn't mean they're bad. They're just different. But when I do find something that is similar to the way my Mom made it, that's a whole different experience.

I think for a lot of people burgers fall into that category where it's a very personal thing - what they like on them, how they're made. Our burger is very nostalgic and can bring you back to those burgers that you grew up on, but elevated. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel. If we can take you back to a moment while also building a lot of memories in the restaurant - that's special for us. We have a lot of parents that come in with their children every week. And to think that when they're older, they might share that story or generational tradition - that’s important to me.”

Why do you think people just freaking love burgers? What’s it about them?

“Burgers are delicious. They're not fussy. You can eat them with your hands. And you're not getting involved with this whole overwhelming menu. When you come to Gotham Burger the biggest decision is what side you want and what you want on your burger. 

The burger is probably a lot of people's first foods they remember eating with their family. Dad grilling burgers outside, that's what was part of my childhood. And it was a special thing, right? It was different. When dad opened up the grill and went out there to make a burger, it became an event: we're having burgers tonight and eating outside. I think that's why the burger holds a special place in a lot of people's hearts and stomachs.”

What Gotham LTO burger has surprised you the most?

“I am really proud to say I have loved every burger we’ve ever done. We had this idea to do a special burger every month to keep things interesting and fun. And I mean the burgers we have have been absolutely amazing. There hasn't been one where I'm like that probably shouldn't have made it to the finish line. I can honestly say each one was fantastic. 

We started with a California-inspired burger that was - let’s say - an ode to a big chain out there,  everybody's favorite burger when they go out west. We paid homage by making our California Dreaming Burger - people loved it. I loved it. So we finally added it to the every day menu. So now we have two burgers to choose from and our specials.

I have a lot of people asking, ‘Why don't you bring back that one? Why isn't this one available?’ We have to work within the confines of the space that we have, and there's literally no space to hold these extra products that we want to make for different burgers. We can do it for a day, but that’s it.”

Talk to me about some of the science that goes into making a great smash patty. 

“There are a lot of subtle nuances that go into making a great burger. I come from a place where less is more. 

• You have beef that needs to have a certain fat content: minimum 80/20 for a smash burger. But 75/25 is even more ideal because you want to develop that crust really quickly. 

• You don’t want to play with the burger too much. Smash it once and leave it alone; I like to have some crispy outside edges, but still have a little beefy integrity on the inside. 

• One flip. 

• You need very thin sliced onions -  there's a fine difference between caramelizing the onions and burning them.

• The rest of it is managing the heat, the time, and taking it off correctly. 

The perfect bite is with our housemade spicy bread and butter pickle that is made special for us. It has a little more umami than other burger pickles, which tend to be either dill or sweet. Our burger sauce also is a little more savory and sweet than the traditional sweeter sauce. Then I like a kiss of mustard and ketchup on my burger. And for just a little bit of heat, some tamed pickled jalapenos. They add another dimension to the burger. And somehow it’s not a heavy burger gut bomb - a lot of people eat it and they're like, ‘I'm going in for another one.’

What is a spice that you think is undervalued?

“I think chiles. People are afraid the heat will be overwhelming, but you can achieve a very balanced heat. It doesn’t have to blow your taste buds off if you're doing it in the right way.”

What’s a burger joint that you’d make a pilgrimage to / go out of your way to eat at?

“I would say it's In-N-Out. Every time out west, I got to have one. It's a delicious burger. And it's a fun burger to eat. It's a fun experience. When you go in, from the uniforms the staff is wearing to the decor it's an experience.

What’s your favorite Western movie?

“Does City Slickers count as a western movie? That's one of my favorites. Billy Crystal is just amazing - the movie always holds a space in my heart.”

What bourbon would you want to be buried with?

“Oh, Michter’s Rye. I mean, it's not a bourbon, it's a whiskey. But anything with Michter’s. Just send a bottle with me and I'll be good.”