Mark Hayes and his friend Jordan Plener, residents of Toronto, Canada, decided to compete to see who could create the fanciest-looking dish using food from McDonald's.
The pair gave themselves one hour each in the kitchen to transform McDonald's meals into something one might find in a fine-dining establishment.
These were the only ingredients they were allowed to use.
What inspired the culinary challenge? "The fame and tastiness of a Big Mac cannot be disputed, but we felt it's always been lacking a bit of sophistication," Hayes told BuzzFeed. "We both felt that we could improve its taste and presentation."
Hayes began by cutting the fries evenly.
His final product: "Five times cheeseburger with a potato tower, salad, sesame-seed-bun croutons, and Mac sauce garnish."
Here's a dramatic photo of his fancy Big Mac meal.
He then poured his Coke into a wine glass and set up his plate.
Here is Plener's finished product: "Big Mac mini-pies with sesame-seed crisps and a salad."
So, who won the competition? Hayes said the competition didn't really settle much, but that Plener's shepherd's pies got more votes on Reddit and Imgur.
He added: "Some say the only winner here is McDonald's, because you know, free advertising and everything, but I'd like to think we may have inspired some young culinary students to rethink fast food and perhaps find inspiration in the everyday food we eat. I'd love nothing more than to one day go to a restaurant and find a $30 Taco Bell remix served on a real plate with a table cloth, maybe even some wine!"
Who do you think was the winner?
