Order up!
Even though Kel Mitchell is an actor, his résumé is slathered in ketchup and mustard.
“When people hear my name, they automatically always think of burgers,” Mitchell admitted to The Post.
The “Good Burger” star’s fame — as a teenage actor on Nickelodeon’s “All That” spinoff sitcom “Kenan and Kel” and two subsequent films — simmered on the success of his goofy, patty-loving character Ed, who works at fictional fast-food chain Good Burger, alongside “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kenan Thompson.
Now, Mitchell, who turned 47 on Monday, is capitalizing on that persona by hosting a sirloin celebration all his own.
Kel’s Burger Fest, which kicks off Saturday, Aug. 30, is an all-ages burger bonanza to showcase “the best burgers in Brooklyn” (and one or two beyond), curated by Mitchell himself.
“I love burgers, I love spending time with family and meeting the fans, and I love throwing events,” said Mitchell.
Thrown at Williamsburg’s BK Backyard Bar with influencer engine Bucket Listers, Mitchell’s juicy confab will showcase the borough’s most mouth-watering grillers, including Williamsburg’s Oh Boy., Canarsie favorite Bear Burger and Bushwick’s Lacey Burger.
One joint that Mitchell discovered through fellow Chicago native Chance The Rapper is Oh Boy., a popular café run by Brendon Beck that has been a favorite of the singer since it opened in 2023.
“We’ve always aimed to create a burger that feels both classic and exciting, so to be recognized by Kel feels like a real nod to the work we’ve put in,” said Beck, adding that it’s “definitely an honor.”
At the festival, they’ll serve up their signature Oh Boy. Burger, a brisket and short rib patty that is double smashed and topped with onion, American cheese, a pickle and a savory in-house sauce.
“I think it hits the right notes in every bite,” said Beck. “The stand-out factor is its simplicity done perfectly. No gimmicks.”
At Mitchell’s insistence, fans who stay away from meat are also welcome to chow down, too, with the festival featuring feasts of vegan options as well, thanks to Next Stop Vegan.
Billing itself as “the most diverse plant-based restaurant in the world,” the Dominican eatery in Brooklyn Heights will serve up its showstopping Portobello Truffle Mac ‘n’’N’ Cheese Burger, which previously went viral.
Meanwhile, Next Stop’s scrumptious vegan Plantain Burger uses green plantains to hold a juicy faux patty together, coupled with all the classic fixings.
For owner Blenlly Mena, the tasty inclusion goes beyond the realm of culinary honor.
“I’ve been a fan of ‘Good Burger’ since I was young,” Mena told The Post of the full-circle moment.
“Even though we’re not strictly a burger restaurant, our plant-based burgers have become a big part of what we do. We update our offerings every season, but we’ve never removed our burgers because we know how much they mean to our guests.”
Also represented will be Long Island favorite No Good Burger Joint, with owner Marcello Erickson also singing the praises of Mitchell’s stacked career
“Growing up in the ’90s, Kel and ‘Good Burger’ were such an important part of our childhood, so being part of this now feels full circle,” he told The Post.
They’ll serve up their satisfying signature smash creation on a potato bun, typically served at their outposts in Rockville Center and Baldwin.
“We were beyond excited to be chosen,” Erickson gushed.
The West Coast will also be well represented in the form of Fat Sal’s, which will be trekking east to Mitchell’s craving confab. The California joint, a Mitchell fave, is known for its sky-high offerings, with fixings ranging from fried eggs to mozzarella sticks
The festival also features a retro video-game lounge, as well as a ’90s-themed flea market and an orange-soda fountain, a nod to Mitchell’s soda-obsessed character.
Bun in a million
Mitchell’s quirky burger beginnings took root when he was a teen.
He auditioned for “All That” when he was a sophomore in high school. Mitchell landed the part by doing the voice of his subsequent burger-loving character Ed, who was inspired by the stoner bros in the 1989 comedy “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” starring Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves.
“The writers were, like, ‘OK, now we gotta create a whole world around this voice.’ And that’s how they came up with ‘Good Burger,’” Mitchell recalled.
Mitchell’s patty-focused persona made his debut in the second “All That” episode, which aired on the kids’ cable network on Jan. 21, 1995.
Paired with fellow castmate Thompson, the recurring characters who worked in a fictional fast-food restaurant were an instant hit, elevated by the earworm catchphrase greeting, “Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger — can I take your order?”
Mitchell said his newfound fame was punctuated by collaborating with the guest stars of the day, including Brandy and the late performers Aaliyah, Coolio and Malcolm Jamal-Warner.
“Everybody wanted to be in a ‘Good Burger’ sketch,” Mitchell said.
He and Thompson starred in their own Nickelodeon sitcom spinoff, “Kenan and Kel,” which took place in Mitchell’s home city of Chicago, from 1996 to 2001. “Good Burger,” the full-length movie based on their sketch, was released in 1997 and gained a tasty cult following.
Recipe for success
A highly anticipated sequel premiered on Paramount+ in 2023, featuring appearances by some of Thompson’s “SNL” castmates, including Leslie Jones and Pete Davidson, as well as businessman and Dallas Mavericks co-owner Mark Cuban, ex-NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski and model Chrissy Teigen.
“You have no idea how much of a blessing it is and how grateful I am that people still love it,” Mitchell told The Post.
“Now it’s multiple generations of fans, with parents who watched it in the ’90s now introducing it to their kids,” he said. “I just did an event in Oklahoma and saw 5- and 6-year-olds dressed as Ed.”
Mitchell himself has four children: two in their 20s from a previous marriage, as well as 4-year-old Honor and 7-year-old Wisdom with wife Asia Lee, whom he married in 2012.
“When I drop them off at school in the morning, all of their friends are screaming at me to do the ‘Good Burger’ voice,” he said. “It’s surreal that something I did when I was a teenager in 1994 has come full circle.”
Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger
Along the way, Mitchell has become something of a burger expert. Along with testing them out, he’s also a grill guru at home, with his family even harboring a closely-guarded secret sauce recipe.
“There are a couple of qualities any delicious burger must have,” Mitchell told The Post. “The meat has to be juicy — when you squeeze it, that juiciness has to come out. The beef has to have a bounce because some people overcook it. It also has to be well-seasoned.”
As for the bun, he swears by grilling them, though he’s “not particular” about them otherwise..
“It’s really about what’s inside. I do a lot of lettuce,” he said. “And you gotta have ketchup.”
As for the age-old query of whether a burger is a sandwich, Mitchell gets that question all the time.
“I have to put burgers in their own separate category,” he proclaimed. “They’re more perfect than a sandwich.”
