The battle for South Africa’s best boerewors will be decided on 28 August when the top 10 finalists compete for the 2019 Championship Boerewors crown at an exclusive ‘Beach Braai’ at the Grand Africa Café & Beach in Cape Town next week.
The nationwide search for the country's very best boerewors kicked off in May this year when thousands of entrants submitted their special recipes.
Through various judging rounds, the contestants were whittled down to the following ten finalists (in no particular order):
Frank Windvoel from Ceres, Western Cape, has his eyes set on being crowned as South Africa’s Boerewors Champion. “I have been in the business for many years and have applied everything that I’ve learned, so I believe that I have a strong contender for the title.”
72-year-old Alida Kruger from Springs, Gauteng: “I want to prove that age is no barrier to creativity and that’s why I entered South Africa’s biggest boerewors competition. Making it to the top 10 is an achievement in itself.”
Veronica Jacobs from Athlone, Western Cape: “I was thinking to myself that I could do it and I entered, but I was still surprised to make it to the top 10.”
“I occasionally make my own boerewors and always receive compliments so I thought I stood a good chance, but I was still surprised to make it to the final,” said Martha Rabie from Kroonstad in the Free State.
Yvonne Blaauw, the 2018 Championship Boerewors competition winner, is elated to be in the final once again. “It took me 15 years to perfect my recipe and although it is already the best in the country, I hope with a few tweaks it will be even better.” Yvonne comes from from Wellington, Western Cape.
“I just feel privileged to have made it this far in the esteemed competition. Making it to the very top will be a dream come true,” says Isaac Dlamini from Ennerdale, Gauteng.
Magrieta Solomons from Vredenburg, Western Cape, is an old hand at the Championship Boerewors competition. “I’ve entered four or five times before, but it is the furthest I have come in the competition and I’m hoping my persistence will pay off.”
Jimmy Steenberg from Despatch, Eastern Cape, 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 ration and the quality of the spices used.”
Vincent Cupido is a newcomer to the competition and says: “It is the first time I have entered and I feel positive having made it this far already.” Vincent is from Kraaifontein in the Western Cape.
“I have been working on my winning recipe since 1999, but I believe I have another winner,” said Olivier Kritzinger, the 2016 Championship Boerewors competition winner. Olivier hails from from Joubertina, in the Eastern Cape.
The contestants will have 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.