Hunter Karametos, a 28-year-old man who grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, has become the Mozart of making cheeseburgers.
Ask anyone who knows about his business, Steeze Burger, and their eyes will light up as they tell you why you need to try it.
“I’ve always been a big hamburger nerd,” Karametos said. “A lot of my friends were trying my cheeseburgers, telling me I needed to start selling them, so I did and the rest is history.”
Karametos makes his burgers on a portable griddle that he brings with him all around the D.C. area, with his upcoming dates and locations posted on Instagram for his followers to track.
The name Steeze Burger sounds phonetically like “cheeseburger” but actually invokes a slang term that combines “style” with “ease.”
“This is 100% my passion,” Karametos said.
Karametos first started his business in 2022. Before that, he spent the better part of 2021 doing research, which consisted of eating about 150 cheeseburgers from various locations.
“I took certain elements that really tripped my pleasure and created this one burger one way that I truly do think is a good representation of the American classic,” Karametos explained.
The beef he uses is local from Montgomery County.
“All of our beef is ground fresh twice a week,” he said. “We’ve got seven cuts in our blend and a special bone marrow in there too which creates a bit of buttery richness.”
Karametos puts a sauce on his burger that he describes as his take on the Big Mac sauce and French dressing.
“It’s a mayonnaise base and then there’s some seasoning and some mustard in there to elevate it,” he said.
The burgers are topped with steamed onions, pickles and American cheese.
In 2023, Steeze Burger was recognized by the Washington Post, which called it the number one cheeseburger in the D.C. region. The Post said Karametos was “a hamburger historian and an evangelist for his brand of homegrown.”
“I thought it was a prank call,” Karametos said, describing how he felt when he first learned about the recognition.
Karametos is in high demand and getting more popular all the time, booking dates far in advance.
He said he actually just booked a wedding for September of 2027.
“It really does make me feel amazing,” Karametos said. “It makes me feel like all this hard work has truly paid off.”
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