Carefully guarded salami recipes across sheds, garages and family kitchens around South Australia are being brought out and tested in Nonna’s Cucina’s 2026 Salami Competition.
You may think your Nonna, Nonno, dad, uncle or mate makes the best salami in the state, but this is your chance to prove it.
This spicy competition will celebrate the Italian tradition of salami making, along with the recipes, techniques and family secrets that have often been passed down through generations. And in the end, we will see the crowning of the state’s next Salami King or Queen. Along with bragging rights, the winner will receive a Chef’s Table experience for four people at Nonna’s Cucina.
Entries cost $50, with each salami assessed by a panel of well-known chefs and food experts including Daniel Motlop, Rosa Matto, Stefan Dimasi, Mark Capobianco and Larry Piscioneri.
The competition will be a large Italian feast at Nonna’s Cucina in Holden Hill on Friday, 28 August, and is being held in partnership with Tony & Mark’s, Musolino Farms, Quality Harvest and Herbalicious. Guests will sit down to a four-course meal, enjoy stacks of salami and watch the judging unfold.
Tickets to the dinner are $150 per person, with drinks available to purchase from the bar.
Nonna’s Cucina is a not-for-profit community meal service that prepares and delivers meals to older South Australians, people living with disability and others who need support to remain independent in their own homes.
Whether entrants have been perfecting their salami for decades or believe a relative’s secret recipe deserves wider celebration, the competition is an opportunity to battle it out for the prestigious title of Best Salami in South Australia for 2026.
Nonna’s Cucina Salami Competition
When: Friday 6:30pm, 28 August
Where: Nonna’s Cucina, 30 Lyons Road, Holden Hill.
Cost: Salami entries are $50 and dinner tickets are $150 per person.
To enter or book a seat at the dinner, phone Nonna’s Cucina on 8240 3491 or email [email protected].
