Meat cutter falls in competition

A local meat cutter showed off his skills in a national competition for the seventh year in a row last week.

Prospero Sotelo, a meat cutter at the Bloomington Texas Roadhouse, attended semi-final rounds of the National Meat Cutting Challenge in Kissimmee, Fla.

“The National Meat Cutters Challenge is the only competition of its kind and includes meat cutters from across the nation,” Brent Huntington, Texas Roadhouse product coach manager, said in a press release.

This was Sotelo’s seventh time in a row competing, but he did not make it past the semi-finals this year.

“I am the No. 1 meat cutter in my restaurant,” Sotelo said in an email. “Every meat cutter in each store gets a chance to participate if they are considered full-time employees.”

Sotelo has worked at Texas Roadhouse for 13 years.

The event is a competition for Texas Roadhouse meat cutters to be judged on the quality and quickness of their cutting. Competitors slice two sirloin, one filet and one ribeye steak.

“They give us a certain amount of time to steak all of the different muscles,” Sotelo said about his strategies for the competition. “I always use all of the time they give me
to make sure my cuts meet the specifications.”

The winner — whoever cuts the most steaks with the best quality cut in the least amount of time — receives $20,000 and the title of Meat Cutter of the Year.

Sotelo won the grand prize in 2006. He said he spent some of his winnings on his family and saved the rest.

The 35-year-old Bloomington resident hand cuts every steak served at Bloomington’s Texas Roadhouse.

“I learned everything at Texas Roadhouse,” he said. “I started cutting meat soon after I was hired, and it is something I enjoy as a job and as a hobby.”

Nick Workman, managing partner of the Bloomington Texas Roadhouse, said Sotelo is a dedicated worker.

“It’s awesome,” Workman said. “He is here every morning in our 30-degree cooler cutting steak.”

To prepare, Sotelo said he practiced at work each day, even on his days off.

Workman said Sotelo is the only employee from the Bloomington Texas Roadhouse to compete in the national competition.

A series of regional competitions took place prior to the national events. Semi-finals took place in Kissimmee, Fla., narrowing the competition down to 24 meat cutters.

The top eight will compete April 27 in Amelia Island, Fla.

Sotelo said his favorite part of the competition is meeting other meat cutters.

“It is nice to talk about my job with people who do the same thing,” he said.

The National Meat Cutting Challenge is part of the Meat Hero program, created to recognize daily efforts of Texas Roadhouse meat cutters, a release for the event said.

This year’s competition is in partnership with A1. Texas Roadhouse donates meat used in the competition to people experiencing homelessness.