Community & Business
1 March, 2024
The nation’s best
Luke Thomas of Ashton’s Butchery has recently been crowned the nation’s Apprentice of the Year for 2023 by the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC).
“I’m still trying to process it,” Mr Thomas said.
AMIC hosted the weekend at the Sunshine Coast, marking the culmination of the National AMIC Apprentice of the Year and Sausage King competitions that showcase the industry’s brightest talents and innovative spirit.
The weekend began with six of Australia’s finest apprentices embarking on a tour and dinner at Kilcoy Global Foods’ innovation hub.
This provided an invaluable learning experience, highlighting the importance of understanding the supply chain through advanced virtual reality technology.
The competition’s intensity kicked off on Friday with a theory exam followed by practical tests involving lamb and pork preparation.
The evening celebrated the apprentices’ hard work with a barbecue dinner.
Saturday introduced a unique challenge with the “Mystery Box” component, pushing apprentices to creatively incorporate leek into their dishes.
“I was happy with that.
“Leek is very versatile amongst meat and I’ve used it in all the proteins before,” Mr Thomas said.
This task not only tested their culinary skills but also their ability to innovate and balance flavours.
The runner-up of the AMIC Apprentice of the Year for 2023 was Jordan Lowry from Western Australia.
The judges for the event were Robert Constable, Dom Melrose, Trevor Hill, and Doug Piper, who had over 85 years of combined industry experience.
“Each of the competitors should be immensely proud of their work and accomplishment,” National Retail Council Chair Robert Constable said.
“Their passion and willingness to learn and take on feedback is a credit to them and their employers.”
Mr Thomas said his main aim during the competition was to stay focused.
“My mindset was great, I wasn’t nervous, I had a plan and I stuck to it.”
Mr Thomas began his apprenticeship at Ashton’s Butchery in February of 2021.
He won the state title of Apprentice of the Year in October last year, which qualified him for the national round.
Craig Ashton described Mr Thomas as a driven young man and explained that he did a lot of research in preparation for the competition.
“Luke really had the drive to achieve it, and he did,” Mr Ashton said.
Only recently, Mr Thomas completed his apprenticeship and is now a fully qualified butcher.
This places him in the open class categories in future events, and brings forth a wider range of competition and contestants.
“Stepping up into that open class, there’s a lot more creativity and things to learn going into it,” Mr Thomas said.
Being crowned Apprentice of the Year will open up a world of possibilities for Mr Thomas, and his career in the meat industry.
When asked about where his future in this industry is taking him, Mr Thomas said he has his eye on other competitions.
“Meatstock is coming up in Toowoomba soon, and that’s a very big comp, a lot of butchers come from all over Australia,” he said.
Mr Thomas also competed in the preliminary round of the World Butchers’ Challenge, only a few weeks ago.
He admitted that it didn’t go as well as he hoped.
“Nerves got the better of me,” Mr Thomas said.
“I think I learnt a lot from that comp, and went back to the drawing board.”
He explained that, although the preliminary round of the World Butchers’ Challenge didn’t go to plan, focusing on his mindset was going to be key, in keeping a cool head at the national apprentice competition.
“I said to myself that I wasn’t going to fail this one, and I didn’t,” Mr Thomas said.
Along with the his newly crowned title, Mr Thomas received $1000 prize money from AMIC.
