ONE of the top 10 finalists in the battle for South Africa’s best boerewors hails from Despatch.
Jimmy Steenberg, an employee at Shoprite KwaNobuhle, yesterday participated in the finals of the 2019 Championship Boerewors competition, which was held in Cape Town. It was an exclusive “Beach Braai” at the Grand Africa Café & Beach.
The nationwide search for the country’s very best boerewors kicked off in May this year when thousands of entrants submitted their special recipes.
Jimmy Steenberg says he has taken a lot of time to perfect his recipe, now a closely guarded secret.
“I have received many tips and tricks about how to make a good boerewors and although I won’t share my recipe, I can reveal that the secret lies in the meat ratio and the quality of the spices used.”
The contestants yesterday had to go all out to impress an independent judging panel of culinary experts from the South African Chefs Association (SACA), tasked with selecting this year’s winning boerewors.
The winner’s boerewors will be sold in Shoprite and Checkers stores nationwide and will walk away with prizes worth more than R500 000, including a Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 4X4 6AT.
For the past 26 years, these two supermarket chains have embarked on a nationwide search for South Africa’s very best boerewors – creating a legacy of quality, taste and trust.
Through various judging rounds, the contestants were whittled down to the following ten finalists (in no particular order):
1. Alida Kruger from Springs, Gauteng
2. Frank Windvoel from Ceres, Western Cape
3. Isaac Dlamini from Ennerdale, Gauteng
4. Jimmy Steenberg from Despatch, Eastern Cape
5. Magrieta Solomons from Vredenburg, Western Cape
6. Martha Rabie from Kroonstad, Free State
7. Olivier Kritzinger from Joubertina, Eastern Cape
8. Veronica Jacobs from Athlone, Western Cape
9. Vincent Cupido from Kraaifontein, Western Cape
10. Yvonne Blaauw from Wellington, Western Cape
The competition is open to all those with an exceptional recipe for traditional boerewors up their sleeves and the skills to make it from scratch.
Over the years the Championship Boerewors title has been held by South Africans from all walks of life, from housewives to butchery managers, and even by a (then) 13-year-old primary school learner.
