Youngest ever Boerewors Champion announced!

With blazing determination and brandishing shiny braai-tongs, ten of the best South African boerewors experts took on a fiery battle for the 2010 Shoprite Checkers Championship Boerewors Crown at the sizzling grand finale held in Sun City’s Valley of Waves on 2 October. 

And, after 4 months of mincing, spicing, tasting and more tasting, and 4 rounds of elimination during which more than 1100 entrants were whittled down to only ten, the sought-after title of Boerewors Champion was at long last awarded with great fanfare to Jaco Labuschagne, a 13-year old from Boksburg, Gauteng.

This truly South African event is presented by Shoprite and Checkers annually to provide all aspiring boerewors makers to show their flair for producing the tastiest traditional boerewors in the country. This national competition, now in its eighteenth year, also helps the supermarket group to find a traditional boerewors recipe that will appeal to ever changing tastes of the majority of consumers in the country, and enables Shoprite Checkers to produce a quality product that reflects the value on offer in the Meat Market departments of all its supermarkets and hyper stores. 

Jaco, a learner at Concordia Primary School, was crowned Boerewors King and received the grand prize of a brand-new Toyota Hilux 2.7 Double Cab Raised Body Raider. Jaco also received a R2500 holiday voucher from All Gold, R2000 Coca Cola cash prize and R750 worth of Simba vouchers 

The runner-up and second runner-up also did not leave empty handed. Second place was awarded to Alice Dunn from Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal who won a R10 000 Holiday voucher from All Gold, R5 000 Coca Cola cash prize and R1 500 worth of Simba vouchers. Jasper Johannes Gordon from Strand in the Western Cape took third place and received a R5 000 Holiday voucher from All Gold, a R3 000 Coca Cola cash prize and R1 000 worth of Simba vouchers. 

This year the Championship Boerewors competition proved to be as popular as ever and with the wealth of entries received 416 judges from the South African Chef’s association had to taste and assess 45 000 pieces or raw and cooked boerewors during 83 regional and 10 provincial rounds, in order to eventually find only the ten best who would lock horns for the final clash in Sun City. 

At the grand finale an independent judging panel comprising of top food experts Martin Kobald, Peter Veldsman, Carmen Niehaus, Jenny Morris, Reuben Riffel, and Arnold Tanzer had the challenging task of singling out one winner from this year’s selection of truly unique and outstanding finalists’ entries. Entries were initially judged in raw form, followed by a braai-off during which contestants had to prepare their own secret recipe boerewors to the best of their abilities. 

Actress Brumilda van Rensburg and well-known artist Soli Philander were the compères for the day and entertained the crowds on the beach. Huisgenoot Musiekplaas also added to spectator’s excitement by providing top class entertainment with exceptional South African musical talent such as Izak Davel, David Fourie, Neil Somers, Dewald Louw, Karlien van Jaarsveld, Bianca le Grange, Monique Steyn, Viljoen Retief, Jessica Truter, with special appearances by Nataniel, Kurt Darren and Mandoza. 

The other seven finalists who competed for the title and the grand prize were: Rudolf Cornelius Herrmann who works as a Meat Market manager at Checkers Queenstown; Hendrik Botha from Willows, Bloemfontein - a meat market manager at Kenworth Spar in Rocklands; Maria Muyambo, a veteran in this competition who holds the title of 2003 Shoprite Checkers Boerewors Champion, is from Meadowlands and works as the Meat Market manager at Shoprite Pimville; Roelf Petrus van Rooyen who lives in Potgietersus and is the Meat Market manager of Shoprite Mokopane; Lawrence Francois Nel - a block man and manager at the Laeveld Butchery in Barberton; primary school teacher at La Hoff Primary in her hometown, Klerksdorp, Martie Lotz; and Carol de Jager - a freelance photographer from Kathu. 

Those who did not have the opportunity to taste the supermarket group’s new Championship Boerwors at Sun City, will not have to wait too long to enjoy this new taste sensation as this quality product will be available in the Meat Markets of all Shoprite, Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores countrywide as from Wednesday, 13 October. The 2010 Shoprite Checkers Championship Boerewors will receive the South African Chefs Association’s Seal of Approval, ensuring that South Africa’s best loved boerewors brand is the best of the very best!