5 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Apprentice butcher wins regional heat
Riley Hall has gone from being brought up in a vegetarian household to being Otago's top apprentice butcher.
The 23-year-old, who works at Gardens New World in North East Valley, won the ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice lower South Island regional heat last Friday and earned a spot in the national final in Auckland on August 14.
Growing up with a mother who did not eat meat, he never really planned on becoming a butcher, but then he took a gap year to live with his father in Canada and took a job as a butcher in a local supermarket, Mr Hall said.
"It was the only free position available."
He said he fell in love with all aspects of cutting, marinating and presenting meat to customers.
His favourite cut of meat was a porterhouse steak.
"That was the first steak I ever had.
"I got a real marbled one at work, took it home, fried it up the first time and it can't get better than that for me."
He went from eating little meat to eating it more often so he could better instruct people how to prepare it.
Mr Hall said he loved the physical aspect of being a butcher.
"I'm a kinaesthetic learner so if someone shows me how to do something, I can get in there and get better at it."
He was excited about what the future held for him whether that was continuing working at the supermarket butchery, working for a private butchery or opening a home-kill butchering business.
For the time being, he was enjoying working at New World because it offered him a lot of opportunity.
He would complete his apprenticeship in November.
Winning the national apprenticeship competition would mean a lot to him because it drove him to have pride in his work, he said.
"Competition just lets you add your creative flavours."
Arrowtown butchery R.M Prime Produce butcher William Fletcher took top honours in the Pact Packaging Young Butcher category.
He started his apprenticeship in 2020 and has been a qualified butcher for a year and a-half.
He said it felt great to compete for the first time and be rewarded for his hard work and preparation.
Each competitor took part in a demanding two-hour cutting challenge, showcasing their technique, creativity and speed in pursuit of a spot in the national final.
Both Mr Hall and Mr Fletcher received a $150 cash prize and a trophy.
Head judge Peter Martin said the standard in the South Island was exceptionally high.
