Contest crowns 'Head Cheese' in Grandview, Manitoba

What started as a competition among friends one night at the local legion in Grandview, Man., has morphed into a unique annual fundraiser.

Grandview's 17th annual headcheese-making contest on Friday is a fundraiser for the legion in the small town about 290 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg near Dauphin, Man.

"We were sitting in our legion and there was about four or fiveof us, and somehow this topic about headcheese came up," organizer Tony Safronetz said aboutthe contest's origins. "I don't even know how it got started.

"This went on about an hour," he added. "I said if you guys are so smart, I'll have a headcheese contest."

I said if you guys are so smart, I'll have a headcheese contest- Tony Safronetz, contest organizer

While headcheese usually is defined as a coldcut made using the meat of a pig's head, headcheese made for the Grandview Legion contest istypically of the Ukrainian variety and features pork hocks, spices and other ingredients, Safronetzsaid.

The event raises thousands of dollars annually for the legion a the town with 859 residents inthe 2011 census.

Twelve headcheese entries were submitted last year and about $6,000 was raised by auctioning off pies, breads, desserts and other items donated by local residents and businesses, Safronetz said.

"It just kept escalating up until now," hesaid.

The legion uses the money raised at the event for a local scholarship fund and to purchase flags for cemeteries in the area.

What goes into a good headcheese?

Safronetz said it only take a few ingredients to make a good headcheese.

"You boil the pork hocks. You put a little bit of garlic in there, a little bit of salt and pepper. You boil it. It takes about four hours," he said. "You take the lean meat and put it into a container and you pour the juice on top of that, and you let it set for two days.

"The judges are looking for presentation and taste," Safronetz said. "As long as it is not too salty, not too garlicky. The presentation is the main thing."

Winner crowned 'Head Cheese'

"The winner gets a crown and they are the Head Cheese of the Grandview Legion for a whole year," he said.

Safronetz said community support for the annual contest has been amazing and nearby communities have also supported itin recent years.

"It's unbelievable. They just donate and they bid. They look forward to it," he said.

The annual event takes place Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m. in Grandview.