Team USA: Paul Carras, Craig Deihl, Lothar Erbe, Ryan Butler, John Fink with Danny Johnson in front.
The Meat Olympics LOCAL BUTCHER LEADS U.S. TEAM IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEST
T
eam USA, with local butcher Danny Johnson at the helm, will travel to Northern Ireland in March to take part in the biennial
AK By Angela Knight Farm to Fork
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World Butchers’ Challenge. This is the first time that newcomer USA will compete in this arena, and the stakes are high. The team—made up of Johnson and Paul Carras of Taylor’s Market in Land Park, along with four other skilled butchers from around the United States—will compete against 11 countries at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast on March 21. France, the reigning champ, might
be the team to beat, but Johnson says their competitors are worried about what the United States can do. Team USA has asked for and received some rule changes. “We have them scratching their heads,” he says. Writer Jenn Rice described the World Butchers’ Challenge “as the butcher industry’s Summer Olympic Games” in Food & Wine magazine. Despite the hyperbole, the event has gravitas in the meat business. “This
thing is a big deal for Paul and I, and for Sacramento,” Johnson says. “[It’s] the opportunity to do something in your trade on another continent.” How does the competition work? Each team has three hours and 15 minutes to perform butchering magic on a side of beef and a side of pork, a lamb carcass and five chickens. They will be judged on craft, creativity, time and a whole lot of other stuff. Johnson says all of the team members