The top three winners head to Orlando to compete in the National Meat Cutting Challenge in March.
VOORHEES -- Thirteen professionals from Texas Roadhouse restaurants across New Jersey and Pennsylvania faced off on the ice Monday -- but their blades weren't on skates. The meat-cutters were wielding their tools of the trade to be named the best in the business in the first-round competition of the National Meat Cutting Challenge.
The event was held at the Flyers Skate Zone due to the consistently chilly temperature, which keeps the meat at 38 degrees to assure it stays fresh.
Each contestant received 25-30 pounds of beef -- one sirloin, one tenderloin and one ribeye. The meat-cutters were judged on quality, yield and speed in this timed event, with the winner producing the most steaks with the highest quality cut.
Josefino Rivera, who works at the Texas Roadhouse in Millville, took top honors. German Segarra, of the Montgomeryville, Pa., restaurant placed second and Fidel Pinto, of the Turnersville store secured the last spot in the semifinals by placing third.
The semifinals and final competition will be held March 7-8, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. The winner of the national competition is crowned Meat Cutter of the Year and goes home with $20,000.
"Meat-cutting is truly a lost art," said Cody Panetta, Texas Roadhouse product coach, in a recent press release. "These talented men and women are some of the most valued members of our restaurant teams. The precision and skill that goes into this job is one we don't take for granted so we recognize and reward our meat-cutters through this national competition."
Each Texas Roadhouse meat-cutter is responsible for hand-cutting every steak at their local restaurant and cuts approximately $1 million worth of meat in an average year, spending seven to eight hours a day in the 35-degree walk-in cooler. Their work is on display in the lobby, where diners are invited to hand-pick a steak.
Other participants, and the Texas Roadhouse restaurants they work at, were: Jesus Lopez (Old Bridge), Elvin Mercado (North Plainfield), Pedro Ortiz (Holmdel), Fernando Pintor (Turnersville), Marcello Vasques (Hamilton), Francisco Ariza (Downingtown, Pa.), Marcelino Arroyo (Bensalem, Pa.), Marco Merchan (Bensalem, Pa.), Geraldo "Junior" Ramirez (Stroudsburg, Pa.), Miguel Soriano (Royersford, Pa.), and Freddy Vigueras (Bethlehem, Pa.).
Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook.