After an intense competition showcasing some of Ontario’s top butchery talent, Marco Mazzarolo of Herrington’s Quality was crowned Ontario’s Finest Butcher 2026. The Final Round, held on October 3 as part of the Meat Industry Expo at The International Centre in Mississauga, highlighted the exceptional technical skill, creativity and craftsmanship of Ontario’s butchers.
Hosted by Meat & Poultry Ontario, this year’s competition brought together 11 talented butchers from across Ontario for the Elimination Round at Handtmann Canada in Waterloo, on September 14. Competitors were challenged to demonstrate their technical precision, workmanship and core butchery competencies under pressure.
Following the Elimination Round, three competitors advanced to the Final Round: Connor Stewart of J&G Quality Meats, Nick Projkovski of Metro, and Marco Mazzarolo of Herrington’s Quality Butchers. Each finalist demonstrated impressive cutting skill, focus and outstanding work to earn their place among the province’s top three competitors.
The 2026 Final Round introduced several new challenges designed to test more than technical butchery skills. Each finalist received advance disclosure of their assigned cuts, worked within a designated pantry budget, and developed a unique display concept and theme. Their displays showcased creativity, butchery skills under pressure, merchandising strategy, visual presentation, consumer appeal and product storytelling. Finalists were also required to explain their creative decisions, product selections and merchandising strategies to the judges and audience.
At the Final Round, Marco Mazzarolo of Herrington’s Quality Butchers delivered an outstanding overall performance, connecting his products to family stories, impressing the judges with his butchery skills, creativity and ability to bring his display concept to life in front of a live audience. Mazzarolo's performance earned him the title of Ontario’s Finest Butcher 2026, along with the official prize package.
Mazzarolo has been a full-time butcher for two years, returning to the shop where he first worked while in high school after pursuing a career in Public Health. Drawn back to the hands-on nature of butchery and his passion for the culinary world, Mazzarolo has continued to develop his craft with the guidance of his mentor, Brent Herrington (2019 Ontario’s Finest Butcher). That passion and dedication helped him earn the title of this year competition.
“Those three butchers are phenomenal. They worked their butts off to get to where they got to, and they had phenomenal displays. Marco just took it to the edge. He had a world junior kind of display, where everything was really organized and set out just perfectly, and that really put him above and beyond the other two”, said judge Stefan Seher, Handtmann Canada Ltd. “It was great to see these young guys coming up, and the future holds a lot for this industry. With competitions like this, it’s great to see.”
The 2026 competition also marked another year of celebrating the people behind Ontario’s meat industry and the skill and dedication that go into the craft of butchery. Now in its 13th year, Ontario’s Finest Butcher Competition continues to provide a platform for talented professionals to showcase their skills, to prove their passion for the trade while inspiring the next generation of Ontario butchers.
The Ontario’s Finest Butcher Competition is proudly sponsored by Handtmann Canada, Fortinos, Ontario Beef, OMCAN, Malabar Ingredients and Conestoga Meat Packers.