2026 Butchery Competition Brings Together 12 Best Teams from Four JBC Seasons
Five years of journey, four competition seasons, and 12 of the best teams were brought together on one stage at the Jakarta Butchers’ Challenge (JBC) All-Stars 2026 at Park Hyatt Jakarta on Wednesday (2/9). Carrying the theme ‘Meatcopedia 2026, Beyond the Cut: From Source to Standard,’ this All-Stars edition expanded the challenge from the butchery process to its application in the culinary world.
Participants were not only tested on their precision in cutting meat but were also challenged to develop efficient, innovative, and industry-relevant products. After undergoing two competition sessions, Evan Jatmiko Wibisono and Ismail Ali from The Langham Jakarta emerged as the first-place winners of the JBC All-Stars 2026.
“The difference in this competition lies in its format, which is truly focused on professional participants. We separated the butchery and cooking sessions so that the participants’ abilities could be assessed more deeply. Because this is the Jakarta Butchers’ Industry Challenge, butchery skills are the primary assessment with a 60 percent weight, while cooking carries a 40 percent weight,” said Charlos Lalack, Director of the Butchery Training Centre.
In this competition, participants were challenged to understand and process three different characters of Australian beef: Australian Wagyu from Sher Wagyu, premium grass-fed Angus beef from Bass Strait Beef, and natural Australian beef from Greenham Natural Beef. Each product’s character required participants to determine the appropriate cutting approach, utilisation, and cooking techniques. Through the series of Butchery Challenges and Cooking Challenges, participants’ abilities were judged not only on technique and precision but also on consistency, ingredient optimisation, product creativity, and application for retail, foodservice, and culinary needs.
In addition to being the overall champions, Evan Jatmiko Wisono and Ismail Ali also received the Best Butchery award. Second place was taken by Sandy Tri Pamungkas and Ade Muhammad Samsu from Sudestada, while Nur Abadi and Deni Risnawan from Foodhall finished in third place. The Best Dish award was given to Adrian Winoto and Farrell Aurelio Tjokrowinoto from Confit Surabaya for a wet-heat main course consisting of a braised beef dish, demonstrating mastery of cooking techniques and the utilisation of meat characteristics from the butchery process into a finished dish.
The competition results were evaluated by four industry practitioners: Chef Gilles Marx, Chef Victor Tabuna, Master Butcher Tri Wahyu Wahono, and Chef Stefu Santoso. Tri Wahyu Wahono was the first participant from Asia and the only Asian representative in the World Champion Young Butcher category at the World Butchers’ Challenge 2025 in Paris. The four judges brought different perspectives in professional butchery, culinary techniques, product optimisation, efficiency, and commercial application to assess the overall performance of the participants.
The All-Stars format demonstrates that butcher competence is not only determined by speed and cutting precision, but also by the ability to understand products, optimise ingredients, and produce goods consistently and in accordance with market needs. By reuniting champions, runners-up, leading participants, judges, and industry players, JBC All-Stars serves as a space to prove skills and a platform to build and develop the professional butcher community in Indonesia. Through this community, JBC encourages knowledge exchange, expands professional networks, and connects butcher talent with the meat, F&B, and hospitality industry ecosystems.
JBC All-Stars 2026 was supported by Park Hyatt Jakarta as Venue Partner; Victorian Government Trade & Investment and Meat & Livestock Australia as Industry Partners; and Katto Knives and Mastrada Group as Sponsors. The All-Stars edition marks the first five years of the JBC journey and serves as a foundation to strengthen the community, expand industrial collaboration, and open the next chapter towards Season 6 in 2027.