Clash Of The Cleavers: Whole Foods Market® Holds National Best Butcher Contest

AUSTIN, Texas, July 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After many weeks of regional competitions among top butchers at Whole Foods Market^®(NASDAQ: WFM) stores across the country, eleven finalists in the retailer's Best Butcher Competition will go head-to-head for the national title of "Best Butcher." The semi-finals and finals will be held at the 2011 Amstel Light Meatopia presented by Whole Foods Market on July 23 at New York's Brooklyn Bridge Park and will showcase how professional butchers execute and merchandise the perfect cuts.  

Whole Foods Market's Best Butcher Competition takes the idea of popular culinary battles to a new level by allowing an audience to witness this clash of the cleavers in-person. Held at the perfect setting for meat lovers, Meatopia, this final stage of competition features two preliminary rounds with the top two finalists from each round advancing to the final competition. Participants will be judged on presentation, workmanship, knife-handling skills and more. Both early rounds of competition will be accompanied by cooking demonstrations by noted Chefs Michael White (Ai Fiori, Osteria Morini, Marea) and Michael Psilakis (Kefi, Fish Tag, MP Taverna).

"We have trained butchers in every single store, which really sets us apart. Reminiscent of old-fashioned butcher shops, our butchers provide one-on-one customer service offering information about our quality products and tips for preparation," said Theo Weening, global meat buyer for Whole Foods Market. "We came up with the competition idea to celebrate these highly regarded in-house butchers and spotlight the art of butchery—a pursuit that takes a high degree of skill and years of experience to master."

As butchers with extensive experience, training and technique, the regional Whole Foods Market finalists are awarded with an all-expense paid trip to New York and will be charged with having to use professional equipment with precision to break down meat without sacrificing its integrity. They include:

• Gil "Moon" Baxter of Sebastopol, Calif.
• David "Deadly Headley" Headley of Aventura, Florida
• Joe "Joey Meat Hooks" Malito of Bellingham, Massachusetts
• Larry "Badda Boom Badda Bing" Mola of Annapolis, Md.,
• Eric "Eric the Butcher" Moody of Pasadena, Calif.
• Craig "Papa Bear" Pawlowski of Rochester Hills, Mich.
• Scott "Rosie" Rosenberg of Bellevue, Wash.
• Abie "The Machine" Sanchez of Albuquerque, N.M.
• Hans "Grizz" Van Der Enden of Dallas, Texas
• Orlando "O Da Butcher" Vega of New York, N.Y.
• Greg "Woody" Woodfield of Memphis, Tenn.

The Best Butcher Competition kicked off in May at Whole Foods Market stores across the country with more than 300 butchers participating. The semi-final competition begins at 6 p.m. on July 23 and the final round is slated for 9 p.m. For tickets to Meatopia including the Best Butcher Competition, visit meatopia.org.

About Whole Foods Market^®

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM) is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's nearly 60,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 14 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2010, the company had sales of more than $9 billion and currently has more than 300 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

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SOURCE Whole Foods Market(R)