Past champs return to fire up first-ever PAN Pork competition
Published:Thursday | August 28, 2025 | 12:09 AM
Six finalists have been selected for the first-ever Copperwood PAN Pork Competition, with a grand cash prize of $1 million up for grabs.
Nicole Hall, commercial marketing manager, CB Foods, said the PAN Pork finalists are all past PAN chicken finalists and were selected based on an application and review process. These finalists have been open to integrating Copperwood Pork on their menu at their respective establishments.
The finalists are: Totlyn McDonald, the 2024 PAN champion from St Thomas; Desrick Hamilton, the 2017 PAN wildcard from Kingston; Kevin Smith, the 2024 second-place PAN finisher from St Catherine; Damion Steel, the 2008 PAN finalist from St Catherine; Lloyd Sterling, the 2005 PAN finalist from Kingston; and Denton Gordon, the 2019 PAN finalist from St Ann.
They will all compete at the PAN final, which is slated to be held on the grounds of Jamaica College in St Andrew on Sunday. The Copperwood PAN Pork Champion will also get one year supply of CB chicken, one year supply of National Bread, a six-month supply of Copperwood Pork, Tru-Juice and Walkerswood Seasonings.
Smith and Hamilton are excited about the cash prize and getting the opportunity to reclaim their place at the top of the PAN table.
Hamilton said he is hungry for victory and is very confident he will emerge the winner with his cranberry pineapple sauce that he has been experimenting with.
“I feel fantastic. I feel excited. I feel anxious. I feel hungry for the prize. What makes my pork stand out? It’s about the flavour. It’s all about the flavour and the cranberry pineapple sauce for me. Right now, I just want to go and get that first prize! That’s my only option right now,” Hamilton said.
For his part, Smith said, “I’m feeling really excited. There are not enough words to explain, and knowing that this championship is about representing another aspect of the CB brand, and defending the championship that some of us have won before, which is like a past PAN champion against [a] champion, such as myself.”
What will make his pork extra special on the day? Smith said, “The love will be in it, and knowing that I’m using the best pork of all porks, Copperwood, and I know my pork.”
With jerk pork deeply rooted in Jamaican culture, the launch of the PAN pork competition is timely.
“At CB Foods, we’ve always believed in creating opportunities for our people, and it’s powerful to see our PAN vendors now showcasing another side of their talent through Copperwood Pork. Pork has long been a Jamaican favourite, and our vision is simple: beside every PAN chicken, we want to see PAN pork adding value, flavour, and versatility to every menu,” said Hall.