Hi Mountain Seasonings in Riverton, Wyoming, is marking National Double Cheeseburger Day on September 15 and National Cheeseburger Day on September 18 with its six Gourmet Burger Seasonings. Origin stories remain disputed, including an early hamburger at Louis Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1900 and a 1926 cheese-topped version credited to Lionel Sternberger in California, with additional claims from restaurants in California, Kentucky, and Colorado.
President Hans Hummel said the dish became a staple because it is simple, filling, and easy to vary, and that seasoning turns an ordinary patty into something memorable. The blends work on beef as well as bison, elk, venison, turkey, and plant-based patties; cooks apply them before cooking, then add cheese and extras such as bacon, mushrooms, avocado, onions, or jalapeños.
The firm, started in 1991, also sells jerky and sausage kits, brines, rubs, and related items at himtnjerky.com.