Tasty lamb, juicy chicken, tender pork and delicious fish were the order of the day as foodies came out in their numbers to Janga’s Soundbar in St Andrew on Sunday for the fifth staging of The Grill Boss competition.

With each chef given the task to prepare four meats in whatever way they chose, it was Jordan Weller who was voted as the Boss of the Grill by patrons and the judges.

Competition organiser Matthew Morrison explained that the chefs are judged on flavour, texture and creativity.

“All meats have to be cooked on the day of the competition and on the grill. Sauces are not included in the judging. Although the chefs were given four meats to prepare, they are actually judged on one, which is randomly selected by a patron after the food has been served. This is the real challenge for the chefs. They have to bring their A game with everything they cook since they won’t know which meat they will be judged on,” Morrison said.

Executive chef at Steakhouse on the Verandah Christian Sweeney, and Kyle Chin, RFL MMA Champion, cinematographer and food critic were the judges for Sunday’s competition. Though one of the competition’s conceptualisers, this is the first win for Weller.

“I am not a chef in the classical sense, but most people know that I have had a long-standing love affair with grilling, and competition is a good way to gauge your progress and ability. I must say it feels good to win but I was also surprised. The competitors are great in their fields, so it was an honour to compete with them,” Weller said.

The three-chef competition included reigning champion Chef Sabrina along with Chef Haleem who put up a strong challenge for the title.

Morrison, who said the idea came about after a friendly argument between two friends over who was the better backyard chef, noted that the competition’s growth has been outstanding.

“The initial concept of the competition has grown into a BBQ style, cook-off competition aimed at celebrating the talents of some of Jamaica’s hidden culinary gems; under the format of a chill, outdoor, back-yard experience. Prior to the lockdowns we doubled our attendance with each staging. Our patrons love the competition and love being a part of it. Knowing that their vote could determine the winner really gets them engaged in the event. Some become fans of the chefs and seek them out afterwards to do catering or lunches for them. This year we reached out to Red Stripe to sponsor our setup and it was the perfect match because everyone knows that a BBQ just isn’t a BBQ without a Red Stripe beer,” asserted Morrison.

Adding that he hopes to have another staging of the competition in July, the event organiser said though it might seem ambitious to some, he hopes to eventually expand the Grill Boss outside of Jamaica to other Caribbean islands or Florida.