Royal selection for Australia’s top young butchers

Butchers from New South Wales, Western Australian and Queensland have been selected as the final members of Team Australia ahead of next year’s World Butchers’ Challenge in Sacramento, USA.

21 finalists from across the country today participated in the selection competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, seeking one of four places in the Australian team.

Head judge, Bob Retallick said the state finalists had been put to the test and shown a high level of skill, enthusiasm and professionalism.

“The World Champion Butcher Apprentice and Young Butcher competition which precedes the World Butchers’ Challenge pit individual butchers against one another in a test of skills and today was about selecting the very best to represent Australia,” Mr Retallick said.

“This year we put in place a selection process that included state trials before this national final to ensure we found the very best up and coming Australian butchers.

“It was a test of not only their enthusiasm, but importantly their skill and ability to create products that any butcher would be proud to sell and any consumer proud to serve.”

The competition, held on the Cattle Lawns at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, attracted a crowd of onlookers during three-hour test, with the announcement of team members made by Mr Retallick, as head judge.

Gareth Hunt from Fat Cow Gourmet Meats and Suzy Roeger from Meat at Billy’s, both in Queensland, were named the successful Young Butchers, with Joe Maberley from 1888 Certified and Jack Stuart from Craig Cook, both in NSW, as reserves.

Jacinta Wrightson from McFarlands Quality Meats in NSW and Leon Sims from Rare Fusion in Western Australia were named Australia’s Butcher Apprentice representatives, with Steven Powell from Ashburton Meats in Victoria and Kieran Faries from Boatshed Quality Meats in Western Australia the reserves.

“These finalists were a high calibre and the competition was fierce,” Mr Retallick said.

“Congratulations to the newest members of Team Australia, we wish you all the very best as you now prepare to join the senior team, the Australian Steelers, in the US next September.”

Team Australia, including the Butcher Apprentice, Young Butchers and Australian Steelers will compete at the World Butchers’ Challenge in Sacramento, California, USA in September 2020. For updates on the competition, follow @wbcteamaustralia on Facebook.