By John Balch
News-Leader staff
DELIGHT – The Wombat, a burger created by a Nashville High School graduate and served out of a food trailer in Delight, beat out more than 3,200 entries from across the state to be selected as the Arkansas Beef Council’s 2026 Best Burger.
The honor was bestowed upon the Wombat during a ceremony last Thursday and was attended by ABC officers including Chairman Caleb Plyler, and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward – and about half the town of Delight.
The Wombat was created by Brookelyen Cox, a 2018 graduate of NHS, and is cooked up at Eoff’s Food Trailer, parked outside Eoff’s Market & Deli in downtown Delight.
Cox is the “bonus daughter” of Danny and Laura Mae Eoff, who’s kids, Drake and Avery, as well as nephew, Liam, all help man the market and food truck operations.
Brookelyen and Danny were busy sweating it out and slinging burgers for a heavy lunch rush just prior to the 12:00 presentation, which included 15 Wombat orders for the arriving ABC and state dignitaries
This is the third year for the ABC’s Best Burger Contest and this year received 3,249 nominations, the highest participation in the contest’s history.
The Wombat received the most nominations statewide and, appropriately enough, the burger was honored on National Hamburger Day.
Why the Wombat?
Danny explained that the moniker was given to him by a friend as a CB handle when he was around 16 years old. The name just stuck, he said.
“He named it and I created it,” Brookelyen proudly said with a huge smile on a her sweaty face.
“Not only were you the prestigious winners, but we also set some records in the number of votes,” ABC Chairman Plyler told the Eoffs and the crowd gathered inside the market. “So, make sure you tell the people of this community, and everyone that drives through that voted for you, that this small-town made a big impression with your burger.”
The Eoffs opened their market and deli in March 2024, reviving the former McKnight’s Grocery, which operated in Delight for close to 38 years. The food trailer only opened last year.
The Wombat
Double 100% Beef Patties
White & Yellow American Cheese
Crispy Bacon
Sautéed Onions
Banana Peppers
Special Wombat Sauce
(Mayo-Based)
