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Guelph, ON– October 30, 2024 – This past weekend celebrated Ontario’s finest at the Meat & Poultry Awards Gala In Niagara Falls, Ontario. Thirty-eight (38) awards were given to the winners of Ontario’s Finest Meat Competition alongside awards that recognized outstanding community contributions, Ontario’s Finest Butcher, industry leaders and the anniversary of members who were celebrating 10 and 25 years with Meat & Poultry Ontario (MPO).
“The Meat and Poultry Ontario Awards are about celebrating Ontario’s best,” said Franco Naccarato, Executive Director of MPO. “From showcasing everything from our Finest Butcher to our Finest Meats, we are celebrating the artisans in our industry that continue to propel the industry forward.” The Ontario Finest Meat Competition is a bi-annual competition showcasing the best products in Ontario meat and poultry. From traditional to new and innovative taste profiles, 16 companies showcased their finest products with over 110 submissions for the chance to be crowned the platinum winner in 12 categories. Judging took place in June at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. Entries were evaluated by food industry professionals and media experts including; Alexa Clark- Digital Strategist, Erin Circelli-Russell- Fanshawe College, Sabrina Falone- Marketing Consultant, Maurice Desharnais- Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery, Emily Richards- Chef and Author, Nithya Caleb- Food in Canada, Scott McQuay- Viscofan Canada, Steven Canclini- Reiser Canada, Brad Ryall- Hela Spice Canada Inc, and Troy Spicer- Fanshawe College. Judging criteria was based on taste, aroma, texture, consumer experience, and visual appeal. The top three entries from each category were selected based on the judges’ combined scores to receive the honour of Silver, Gold and Platinum recognition. The Platinum winners of the 2024 Ontario Finest Meat Competition are as follows: ● Bacon - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Ruby Red Bacon’ ● Kielbasa- L'Orignal Packing Ltd ‘Kielbasa’ ● Smoked Sausage Traditional - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Kranska’ ● Smoked Sausage Specialty- Finest Sausage and Meat Ltd. ‘Jalapeno Cheddar’ ● Deli Roasts - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Smoked Montreal’ ● Premium Wiener-Schinkel's Legacy ‘Cheese Dog’ ● Salumi / Charcuterie - Halenda’s Fine Foods, Chorizo ● Premium Dried or Dry Cured - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Dried Capicola (Necken)’ ● Fresh Sausage-Other - L'Original Packing Ltd ‘The Mysterious Sausage’ ● Fresh Sausages - Pork-Elora Road Meats ‘Honey Garlic Sausage’ ●Sausage-Dry/Semi-dry large - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Kulan’ ● Sausage-Dry/Semi-dry small - Sikorski Sausages Co. Ltd. ‘MeatSticks Mild |
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Meat & Poultry Ontario Celebrates Ontario’s Finest by Awarding 12 Platinum Products
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Scott McQuay
- Viscofan |
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Steivan Canclini -
Reiser Canada |
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Registration is now closed for the 2024 Ontario Finest Meat Competition. Stay tuned for details on our next competition!
In 1987, MPO (then known as OIMP) launched its first meat competition with product categories that embrace both modern trends and the enduring heritage of Ontario’s artisanal meat and poultry products. Attracting over 150 entries from Ontario meat and poultry, this event draws a stellar roster of knowledgeable, influential judges, including retail buyers, media, and chefs. The judges determine the Platinum, Gold, and Silver award winners, which are presented at the Red Carpet Gala. New to the competition, judging will include a Technical Evaluation for visual appearance, flavour, texture, aroma, uniqueness, and more. Participants will also receive individual product score results and category rankings, and judges’ comments will be provided at the end of the competition for all products entered. Excitingly, a new product category for the most Innovative Product has also been introduced. |
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Scott is currently a Senior Technical Sales Manager for Viscofan Canada. In January 2024, he marked his career with 40 years total in the meat industry. He is a graduate of the University of Guelph with a BSc in Microbiology. His career began at JM Scheider's in Kitchener, ON where he held a variety of years over his 15 year employment period. Outside of work he is an avid golfer, curler, and skier, and anything else that keeps him active and outdoors. He is a proud father of 4 kids, and grandfather to 5. The meat industry has provided Scott well over his long career!
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Steivan Christian Canclini is a meat and alternative protein expert, instructor, consultant, and trainer with over 35 years of experience in the agribusiness and food sector. He grew up in Switzerland and he graduated with a degree of economics, agriculture and commerce, and also has a Masters of Meat Science and Technology. He is dedicated to the study and development of good practices with livestock, hygiene processes, meat handling, meat, and alternative protein product development. He has exposed himself to many jobs in Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Israel, and Columbia relating to good livestock practices, hygiene processes, meat handling and meat product development.
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Chef Maurice - Desharnais
Executive Chef, Wayne Gretzky Estates |
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Sabrina Falone -
Freelance Chef |
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Erin Circelli-Russell
Fanshawe College |
Congratulations to our Congratulations To The 2023 Ontario’s Ultimate Burger Winners:
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Chef Maurice Desharnais is a Niagara local, who began honing his culinary skills at Algonquin College in Ottawa. He spent 8 years at some of the best restaurants in Ottawa. Shortly after moving back to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Desharnais was appointed Executive Sous Chef of Peller Estates Winery and has been with the industry leader Andrew Peller Limited for over Fifteen years.
Maurice’s culinary philosophy and passion are strongly influenced by his Northern upbringing. He is known to bring an elevated approach to traditionally Canadian and rustic cuisine. Maurice prides himself on creating simple, uncomplicated food. Maurice shows his Canadian values through a no-quit attitude and support of sustainably sourced Canadian ingredients. |
I have been in the food industry for over 15 years and I have been in love with food my whole life. I’m a classically trained chef, a wife, mother of two and all I’ve ever wanted to do is share my passion and my knowledge of food (and I know some stuff!). I draw from my experiences, personal and professional, to fuel my creativity and serve my clients. My journey started at Liaison College of Culinary Arts and I began my career in an upscale wine bar. Working on the line, I learned so much about precision, communication and team work. I then moved on to working in the new and exciting work of recipe development and food writing. sabrinafalone.com |
A native to London, Ontario, Erin’s deep appreciation for cuisine was developed at a young age where she was exposed to a variety of foods and traditions that would fuel her lifelong passion for cooking. She enrolled in the Culinary Management program at Fanshawe College, where she was an award-winning graduate who strived in many culinary competitions.
Chef Erin is one of the city’s most influential chefs and culinary educators, inspiring hundreds of young chefs as she teaches them at Fanshawe College. Currently Erin is one of the head chef instructors guiding hospitality students at The Chef’s Table, the teaching Restaurant at Fanshawe College. Erin is a three time Food Network champion. She has competed on the Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games with Guy Fieri and won all three times showcasing her culinary knowledge. |
ABOUT THE ONTARIO FINEST MEAT COMPETITION
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Bringing her experience from front-of-the-house, back-of-the-house, and from farm-to-fryer, Alexa has been a professional eater and critic since 2002.Her best-selling restaurant guides – CheapEats Toronto and CheapEats Ottawa – have sold over 17,000 copies. Alexa founded the Secret Pickle Supper Club, one of Toronto’s first underground supper clubs. You can find Alexa writing about food; working to raise millions for hunger charities; working with Second Harvest on FoodRescue.ca; providing unflinching content strategy advice to food & tech brands; and judging culinary competitions across Canada. www.alexaclark.com |
With over 15 years of experience in journalism, editing, and content marketing, Nithya is a versatile and creative professional who delivers high-quality and engaging content for print and online publications in various industries. Currently, she is an editor at Annex Business Media, where she develops content for both publications in print, on websites and on social media, coordinating with freelancers, revising existing articles and writing new pieces.
As an editor, she also manages the magazines’ editorial budgets, liaise with multiple departments to ensure smooth events, and report to the group publisher to discuss pricing, goals, and production. In addition, she has a certificate in content marketing from York University and skills in editorial project management, community relations, and social media communications. She is passionate about finding and telling compelling stories, building strong relationships with stakeholders, and improving existing processes and procedures while increasing efficiencies. |
Emily Richards is a professional home economist, freelance food writer, chef and cookbook author who also enjoys culinary instruction for home cooks who want to learn more and have fun in the kitchen. She is the author and co-author of 10 cookbooks which include topics from Italian cuisine, weeknight dinners, everyday celebrations, glycemic index diets, 5 ingredient cooking and comfort foods.
Emily writes and develops recipes for cookbooks, print and online publications and websites that include everyday cooking and healthy eating. Emily’s varied skills have allowed her to engage with consumers and colleagues to share her passion for food through trade and consumer shows, web, radio and television appearances. You can follow Emily for more information and recipes on Facebook Emily Richards Cooks and Instagram and Twitter. |
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Alexa Clark -
Digital Strategist, Content Marketer & Social Media Enabler |
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Nithya Caleb - Food in Canada Editor
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Emily Richards -
P.H.Ec., Television Personality, Author |
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 JUDGES |
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Brad Ryall -
Hela Spice Canada Inc. Flavour your world,
Brad Ryall is a Technical Account Manager at Hela Spice Canada Inc, where he drives sales and hands on plant trails along with product development. Brad has been with Hela for 22 years , 15 years in product development with over 10-year training under Master Sausage maker from Germany before moving onto Technical Sales. Brad loves the outdoors, raised on the farm in a small town in Northeastern Ontario, He has always had a passion for the meat industry and product development. |
Troy Spicer's journey in the culinary world began at the age of 15, working early mornings in a retail bakery. Over the next decade, he honed his skills in the bakery industry before branching out into institutional cooking and catering. His passion for butchery was sparked during culinary school, leading him to earn certifications as a Cook 415A, Retail Meat Cutter 245R, and Nutrition Manager. With expertise in butchery, baking, and cooking, Troy now shares his wealth of knowledge as a culinary studies, nutrition, and butchery instructor at Fanshawe College.
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Troy Spicer -
Fanshawe College |
