by Lester Walker

Champion Bakery

Champion Bakery: The Best Beef Patty in the Country

Ghetto Gastro’s profiling the slept-on, underrated eateries around the world with host Lester Walker. We're live on GGTV.

Champion Bakery

Champion Bakery on White Plains Road. This spot’s been around since 1978. I used to come here as a kid to get patties and this place remains a staple of the community.

They make all the bread and the beef patties are the best in the city. The business used to be across the street but they had to move into a bigger spot because it got that busy. Wild part is that there’s no scales in sight, they eyeball everything with precision and consistency. That kind of craftsmanship is rare. That shit is art. The mastery behind each individual patty deserves recognition.

Let’s talk about the patty real quick, too. The Jamaican beef patty traces its roots back to colonialism and migration blending Cornish pasties from the British with Indian spices and Caribbean flavors. It became a symbol of resistance, of culture, of survival. And in places like the Bronx, it’s more than just fuel. It’s a piece of home. A piece of memory.

I had the honor of meeting Miss Gloria, the captain of the ship. She’s been running this place with heart and hustle since the very beginning, and it meant everything to be filming at a spot that once fed me as a kid, and continues to feed the kids of the neighborhood.

- Chef Les

WATCH THE EPISODE

Champion Bakery Champion Bakery: The Best Beef Patty in the Country

Champion Bakery

Champion Bakery: The Best Beef Patty in the Country