Young butcher a prime cut above the rest

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate release

5 September 2007

Young butcher a prime cut above the rest

As Scott Reid proves, the art of carving a prime cut is still alive and well after being named New Zealand’s top young butcher at the 2007 Young Butcher of the Year competition last night.

Scott, who works at Gate Pa New World in Tauranga, beat seven skilled competitors from all across the country to take first place at the national final.

“I’m absolutely stoked with my achievement. This is the fourth year I’ve been in the finals, so it’s great to win this time around, says Scott.

“Especially because the competitors this year were tougher than ever before.”

Now in its fifteenth year, the competition aims to recognise and celebrate the skills of New Zealand’s up and coming butchers. All contestants must work at retail meat outlets.

The accomplished young finalists were put through their paces on a range of tasks, including practical cutting tests, theory examinations, direct interviews and public speaking, with the winner being announced at a Gala Dinner at Sky City last night.

“The win really shows the outstanding depth of Scott’s butchery skills,” says Stephen Macaulay, General Manager of the Retail Meat Industry Training Organisation, the organisation running the competition.

“In fact the high caliber of all of this year’s finalists proves that such expertise is alive and well in New Zealand’s retail meat industry.”

“This is great news for the industry and reflects the hard work that these young butchers put into their apprenticeships firstly, and then as qualified butchers,” Mr Macaulay says.

The award is well recognised in the industry and many previous winners have gone onto forge excellent careers in the retail meat sector and beyond.

Other place getters were:

2nd Place Matthew Brown The Mad Butcher, Lower Hutt Wellington
3rd Place Damian Walden Pak N Save, Henderson Auckland
Winner under 23 year olds Cees Groot New World, Pioneer
Manawatu

“It’s fantastic to the next generation of butchers working to keep the standards of service in our industry so high,” says Mr Macaulay.

ENDS

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