Steaks are high for local butcher in Tri-Nations Butchery Challenge

25/02/14

http://www.carinanorthqualitymeats.com.au/

Carina North butcher Michael James, is gearing up to take on New Zealand and the UK in the 2014 Tri-Nations Butchery Challenge, to be held in the UK on 10 July. Now in its fourth year, the multinational butchery event is a serious competition of skill and workmanship. It will showcase the best butchers from each nation, going up against each other in front of a cast of thousands at the UK’s prestigious Yorkshire Show. With New Zealand taking the gold last year, the stakes are high. The fifth generation butcher will captain the Australian team, and is one of five qualified butchers on the Australian team to take part along with one apprentice. Michael is no stranger to competition butchering – as well as winning medals for his beef sausages, he has represented Australia in the Tri-Nations competition for three years, and was also captain in 2013. Michael already has one Tri-Nations gold under his belt from the 2012 challenge which was held in Melbourne. “I don’t think I have ever been as excited as I was when we won in Melbourne in 2012 – well, apart from my wedding day and the births of my three children, but I’d better say that! I’m a competitive person and I think I was channelling Queensland’s State of Origin victories,” says Michael. The competition itself is conducted over a two hour period with competing teams given a beef side and a full lamb carcase as the base ingredients. Teams are allowed to provide their own seasonings to create a finished product for a retail outlet and are judged on butchery skill, workmanship, product innovation, overall finish and presentation. Michael is excited to have the opportunity to work alongside some of Australia’s best butchers and delighted to have been selected as captain for the second year running. “We really like to push the boundaries in our shop to develop innovative products, so it is exciting to be working alongside some of the movers and shakers in the industry. I’m really proud and honoured to be on the team, and to be selected as captain.” Mentoring younger Tri-Nations team members will be a focus of the 2014 challenge. The youngest Australian team member to take part in this year’s Tri-Nations Butchery Challenge is 21-year-old Melbourne apprentice butcher, Tom Bouchier. Another young Australian butcher to take part in the challenge is 22-year-old Sydney butcher, Matthew Papandrea. “I am really excited about having the two younger butchers involved in the 2014 competition. It’s important to get people involved in the industry and I think we can all learn from each other. Passion and a willingness to learn are really important for young people in the industry, and they are traits I look for in my apprentice butchers.” When asked about his chances of winning another Tri-Nations gold, Michael seems optimistic. “I’d like to think this year I can follow in the footsteps of other great Queensland captains, like Darren Lockyer and Cameron Smith!”