Chef Troy Spicer, a professor at Fanshawe College’s School of Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts, will lead three Canadian junior butchers to the World Butcher’s Challenge in Paris on March 30 to 31. The “Olympics of Butchery” will test the skill, precision and creativity of young butchers from across the globe.

Spicer’s involvement in the World Butcher’s Challenge began through Meat and Poultry Ontario, which hosts an annual competition called Ontario’s Finest Butcher. As a long-time judge, Spicer’s expertise and educational background made him an ideal candidate to coach Canada’s junior butchers.

This marks only the second time Canada has competed in the event. The junior team will compete individually, while a senior team of six butchers will represent Canada in the main competition.

“If the Canadians win this time, we would be considered the best butchers in the world,” Spicer said.

Unlike other culinary competitions, the challenge does not involve cooking. Participants receive identical cuts of meat— including a side of lamb, a beef sirloin, two chickens and a section of pork—and must transform them into retail-ready products. The butchers are judged on technique, professionalism, creativity, food safety and the overall presentation of their final display.

Spicer emphasizes the importance of individuality in the competition.

“I tried to let them do most of the work because I want it to be their style, not mine,” he said. His role as a coach has been to guide them in refining their techniques and critiquing their work.

Over the past eight months, the junior butchers have been training intensively, often after long workdays.

“One of our butchers just had a baby last week. They’re juggling a lot to make this happen,” Spicer said.

Training has taken place both in person and virtually, with one participant from Kamloops, BC, receiving coaching via Zoom. The other two butchers, Dylan Miedema from Townsend Butchers in Simcoe and Chris McNutt from Callender’s Meats in Oshawa have trained in their respective hometowns.

While butchery is a highly skilled profession, Spicer says it is underappreciated in Canada compared to countries like Germany, Italy and France.

“In Europe, butchery is considered a noble profession. But in Canada, young people aren’t looking at it as a career path,” he said. “It’s a challenge for businesses because butchers are hard to find.”

Despite this, Spicer remains passionate about promoting the trade. “The meat industry is huge for us economically in Canada,” he said. “We want to celebrate butchery and for young people to look as a career path.”

The competition also serves as a showcase of both traditional and modern butchery techniques.

“Processing plants today use AI and automation, but this competition focuses on the trade itself,” he explained. “It’s about mastering the fundamentals.”

Preparing for an international competition comes with logistical hurdles.

“We have to take a lot of equipment to France, and some fresh products can’t cross borders, so we’ll have to source them there,” Spicer said.

The trip, which starts on March 24, will include several days of preparation before the competition begins.

Canada will face tough competitors, with past winners including Germany, Italy and France.

“The Italians do a great job, and the French do. The British and Irish teams are also strong contenders,” Spicer said. Despite this, he remains optimistic. “We’re doing our best and showcasing what we have to offer.”

Spicer is hosting a fundraising dinner at the Chef’s Table in Fanshawe’s downtown campus on Feb. 22 to support the junior butchers’ journey.

“All my chef faculty colleagues are cooking, and my industry partners have donated the ingredients,” he said. Tickets are available on Eventbrite under Junior Butcher Fundraising Dinner.

Fanshawe community members can follow the team’s journey on the Butcher Team Canada Instagram page and watch the competition’s live stream on the World Butcher Challenge website. “It would be great to bring home a win,” Spicer said. “But more than anything, we want to shine a light on the importance of this profession.”