On November 9 was held at the SH Valencia Palace hotel the VII Contest of Iberian ham cutters of Comunidad Valenciana valid for the Championship of Spain of Iberian ham cutters. As usual in recent years, the organization was given by Lazaro Fernandez Deli in the field of all its activities and had the sponsorship of Banco Santander, Air Nostrum, SH Hotels, Afinox. The aim of the competition was to reward professional cutter showing greater skill, style and creativity when it comes to cut a ham.

The number of participants was 6 ham cutters, can participate in the competition were all professionals fulfilling its role in branch establishments .The responsibility for the final selection of the 6 cutters went to the organization.
Although the competition began at 18: 00h, the cutters must be present at least one and a half hours before the start. Each participant provided an assigned by lottery ham, hams that had been previously selected by the organization, about the same weight and the same leg. The cutters should bring the necessary utensils for cutting the ham.
Participants had to submit a tender for evaluation by the jury five-course, an artistic dish, a plate of100g, a plate of the “maza”, one of the “contramaza” and a third of the “punta”. In addition, the jury valued the righteousness in cutting the ham in its different stages.
At 18.00, all six participants, Ximo Tormo Prieto (Valencia), José Antonio Martínez (Murcia), Lorenzo del Río Blanco (Madrid), Aníbal Falco Morales (Salamanca), Emilio Rubio Torralbo (Villanueva de Córdoba) y Antonio Rodríguez Baena (Málaga), were found in front of his place with the proper equipment ready, willing to become champion of Comunidad Valenciana. The concentration was high, even on the rare occasions when the event maintainers addressed them. Each at their own pace and style, Ham were realizing, at the same time preparing the dishes were in competition.
Gradually, and as cutters did their work, the hotel lounge where the contest was held soaking up the aromas given off cut hams.
Seeing the skill of the contestants, their different approaches to the piece, watching the jury pacing and taking notes from post to post and seeing each contestant finished dishes, some to competition and others for subsequent tasting, the time passed quickly.

About 7:40 p.m., Ximo Tormo Prieto finishes cutting the ham, for he has already completed the contest and it’s time to release tension and relax. Gradually the other contestants are finished until he finished the last, Lorenzo del Río Blanco, which made it on the hood. The die was cast.
The jury retired to deliberate while in an adjoining room, waiters organization approaching serving trolleys with plates of different hams cut to be tasted by those attending the contest, all washed down with wine Dehesa de Luna and beer.
Once the jury was deliberate, it was announced that three cutters occupied the top three positions, and thus, Antonio Rodríguez Baena (Malaga) ranked first, Lorenzo del Río Blanco (Madrid) was second and last Emilio José Rubio Torralbo (Villanueva de Córdoba) is ranked third.