On Saturday night, you could see the cars lined up and down the streets – the lines of people spilling out through the doors hungering for over a dozen varieties of local, handcrafted sausage and perogies. Not only are hungry patrons lined up to sample the wares, but they’re also there to witness a battle royale of sorts. At the Willowbrook Community Centre, each of these makers of handmade sausage are competing to see who will be crowned the winner. A jury will decide which sausages are the best. Competition, as one can surmise from the length of the line, is stiff.
Vincent Somogyi, the organizer of the festival and competition, acknowledges how proud the passionate chefs are of their craft.
“We have twenty entries this year,” said Somogyi.
“When we started, we only had seven. This is our 12th year. As you can see, the competition is big now. The businesses who make the sausages go first. Once they’re judged and the winners are picked, the sausage is put out for people to try.”
He motions to the huge crowd with a smile. “They can’t wait, and neither can I.”
The winners for best sausage in this year’s competition: Eugene Osicki, 1st Place; Kelvin Werner, 2nd Place; Linda Kerr, 3rd place.
Somogyi reported over 430 people in attendance for the dinner.
