Twelve competitors squared off to determine who the finalists will be for this year’s Ontario’s Finest Butcher Competition.
Held at Halenda’s Meats at Mississauga, the competition was hosted by Meat & Poultry Ontario (MPO), the industry association which represents meat and poultry processors. Of the 12 competitors, three have moved on to the final round of the contest, to be held September 21 at Storehouse 408 at Cambridge.
The three butchers moving on to the final round are:
- Dave VanderVelde, VG Meats, Stoney Creek, @vgmeats
- Steve Toms, Fortinos Supermarkets, Hamilton, @fortinosfiestamall
- Frank DiGenova, Butcher By Nature, Toronto, @butcherbynature
Competitors had thirty minutes to transform a fresh pork bone-in leg, bone-in butt, and bone-in loin, into merchandisable cuts of their choice, and were judged on the degree of professionalism, workmanship, and skill level in boning, trimming and cutting, primal cut utilization, and yield and profitability of final cuts.
The 250 kilos of pork donated by Conestoga Meat Packers, Breslau, for the competition will be delivered to Second Harvest Food Rescue.
The final competition will be hosted live on Meat & Poultry Ontario’s Facebook page at 11:30 on September 21.
