A Necessary Correction

Last Sunday, at the 3rd annual Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Challenge, we witnessed the debut of the Professional Eaters' category.

I misreported the finish of that illustrious 7-man race. Though prizes were only offered to the top 3 finishers (Wells, Reda, Koch), all of the other eaters continued to plow until time was called for Ron Koch.

Shawn Kirby, Matt Cohen, Kevin Ross, and Frank Paulin all ate to the very last moment. Words chosen in the last blog entry incorrectly implied that some of the food warriors gave up early. Competitive eaters have more heart than that. They have more stomach too.

In particular, a couple sentences suggest that Matt Cohen stopped eating early. That wasn't true. Matt finished more ice cream than some of his competitors to boot. Came across a couple high resolution photos (taken by Pablo Martinez) late in the contest showing that the "Sweet Tooth" battled to the end. I'm sorry for my mistake. In the future I will work harder to write more dilligent posts.

Looking forward to the next "sweet, dairy, and cold" contest in Southern California. Will Red Cup bring back a fourth installment of the Gallon Froyo Challenge?

Farrell's 2012 Recap

Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Championship concluded its third annual installment yesterday. The contest was hosted at the Brea location and featured a stage. As an event, it can't yet compete with larger productions but it's certainly getting there.

This was the first year that the contest featured a "Professional Eaters" division. Damon Wells, Kevin Ross, Matt Cohen, Frank Paulin, Ron Koch, Shawn Kirby and I filled the chairs of this brand new division and we represented it well.

Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen, last year's Men's Champion

Previous years did not have a "Professional" division. The seperate Men's and Women's championships were decided by whomever could finish a 6-scoop Pig's Trough the fastest. This year, pros qualified for their special section by eating the Pig's Trough. I ate it several times for various promotional events, and my best times were 1:30 and 1:45.

At the championship, each eater would be responsible for tearing through a 5.5+ lb Zoo Sundae. This mammoth dessert comes in a huge bowl and packs in standard scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream along with different types of sherbert and whipped cream.

Things change when you go from eating a 6-scoop sundae to a bowl holding 30 scoops. The contest goes from one favoring short-gamers to people who eat for the long haul. Additionally, ice cream is a difficult contest food. Sweet, dairy, and cold isn't for everyone, but it's one of my best. I knew this would be close.

Damon Wells, your champion. He finished in 6 minutes and 2 seconds

The contest was staged under first-to-finish rules. We were provided with warm water and coffee at our discretion. They gave us short introductions, and before long we were off. Chugging away like madmen starving for dairy.

Damon Wells and I stood next to each other at the center of the contest stage. Matt Cohen really deserved center stage because he was last year's champ, but they decided to give us the spots because we had the fastest qualifer times (1:45 and 1:44 respectively - edge to Damon). The newly independent Wells gave me a run for my money, and I did my part to push the hell out of him.

When the smoke cleared, Damon froze his mouth to a jaw dropping win at 6:02. That's nearly 6 lbs of ice cream in six minutes... the rest of us paused a second, but remembering there were prizes for second and third place, plowed on. I finished my bowl at 7:17, marking my first contest finish ahead of Ron Koch. Ron finished maybe 20-30 seconds later.

No one else finished their bowls at that point, and I can't really blame them. There was nothing else up for grabs. Ouch and ouch. My teeth and mouth were stone cold at the end, and I didn't realize it until we stopped eating. Cohen stopped eating minutes before, and Kevin Ross stopped with about a pound to go. This was my first finish ahead of Kevin in a non-hot dog eating contest. Ice cream's definitely not his food of choice, but it was his birthday and a hell of a way to celebrate. I know he'll slaughter me (not literally) the next time we meet.

Shawn Kirby stood at my left. One enthusiastic soul.



Frank Paulin came hungry and left happy

The view from the stage is incredible

Took second place, finishing in 7 minutes and 17 seconds.

Until next year! Yum!

Farrell's 2012 Professional Eater's Contest

On July 15, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlours will bring back its annual Ice Cream Challenge for the third time. The event will be staged in Downtown Brea, along Birch Street. It will last all day and include community events.

For eaters, the actual event should be described as a contest. There will be a stage and several divisions in contention. The winner of each division will win a trophy and a year's supply of ice cream.

However, things are a little bit different when it comes to the brand new professional eaters' division. I discussed different ideas with Farrell's marketing team for months and, along with Matt Cohen, we finally came up with the current format.

Left: I hold all 3 ribbons signifying my prior completion of all 3 "Bellybuster" sundaes, making me a Triple Crown Champion. Right: Matt Cohen hoists the 2011 Men's Trophy

To qualify as a professional eater you'd need to consume a Pig's Trough (6-scoop sundae) in the fastest time possible. The 8 quickest qualifier times would then take on the 6 lb, 30 scoop Zoo Sundae at the final. Whoever finishes their Zoo first will win $500 and a year's worth of free ice cream.

So far, three people have qualified for the professional eater's division: Damon Wells, Kevin Ross, and myself. Matt Cohen (last year's men's champion) will qualify this Thursday night at a special event in the Mission Viejo location. Anyone else who wants to play has until July 5 to qualify for any division. You can stop by any location in Southern California to do so.

A Freak will also be appearing at the special event Thursday night in Mission Viejo. Cohen and I will be participating in a special radio broadcast with Tim Conway. My role is part of a donation fundraiser, in which donors give cash and guess my finish times on all 3 Bellybuster sundaes (basically all 6-scoop sundaes). The donors who most closely guess my times will win prizes.

The final event will benefit Children Hospital of Orange County and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Hopefully more people come out and eat for a cause. The pro division still has four empty slots!

Farrells Ice Cream Heating Up Summer

The 3rd installment of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor's annual Ice Cream Eating Challenge returns this July. As usual, it is a charity event benefiting Children's Hospital of Orange County. The contest itself is going to be a little different this year. For one thing, the championship is going to be contested on the street outside the new downtown Brea location. The other exciting element is the development of a "professional eater" category.

Eaters will qualify for the professional category by consuming a "Pig Trough" during the qualifier period (pictured above, basically a large banana split). At the final, contestants will be required to eat a 6 lb Zoo Sundae. The pro division will also offer a cash prize for the first time in the contest's history.

Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen won the 2011 Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Challenge last Summer. He's moving into the new professional division as its defending champion. Matt's skill with sweet, dairy, and cold is well-known, but no doubt other contenders will step up to battle him in 2012.



The qualifying period for all categories of the contest begins June 18 and runs through July 8. Finals will be held on July 15, 2012 in Brea.

More details will be released shortly. Do you have what it takes to become the 2012 Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Champion?

Charity Cheesesteaks in Corona

Last Saturday was fun in an interesting way. Philly's Best of Corona, working with Johnnie Excel, set up a cheesesteak eating contest outside of the local Sam's Club. Johnnie's role (mostly) was to draft Southern California's competitive eaters for the cause.

In the first round, we had Frank Paulin, Matt Cohen, Mary Bowers, The Spicialist, and I vying to see who could eat the most 10" cheesesteaks in ten minutes. We functioned as a draw to get people out there, watching and donating. Proceeds would benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The second round was interesting. Would-be participants would make donations in order to play, and their prize was the chance to square off against store champion Johnnie Excel, who won several cheesesteak contests at the Corona location of Philly's Best last year. A special prize awaited anyone who could break Excel's record 7.5 cheesesteaks in 10 minutes.



Well, it turned out that no one could touch Johnnie's 2011 record. The first round of the contest was won by The Spicialist with 5.5 cheesesteaks, edging me out by one sandwich. It wasn't a terible result. This was my first cheesesteak contest and The Spicialist generally holds a distinct advantage in speed over me (choking on my first bite notwithstanding). At one point I was down two whole sandwiches. Congratulations are in order for victory. He scored a gift card.

Johnnie absolutely dominated the second round. He took it home with 6.25 sandwiches, but you can't convince me he was giving it his all. The donors weren't able to threaten his record in the least, but they had a lot of fun, including one man who succumbed to a "liquid laugh." Excel received the other gift card.

It was all for a good cause. This was my first experience with a competitive eating event related to charity and I will make sure it's not my last. In a strange way, this reminds me of that bumper sticker urging you not to make a ride in the hearse the only time you cruise in a Cadillac.

The aggregated results:

1) Johnnie Excel    6.25 cheesesteaks
2) The Spicialist     5.5
3) Naader Reda      4.5
4) Matt Cohen        3.75
5) Frank Paulin      3.5
6) Mary Bowers     2

The rounds were held about 80 minutes apart. Some of us joked that I could have joined the second round, but better judgment prevailed.

Johnnie Excel and I will post videos of the contest to YouTube soon.

Corona's Best

The above photo has nothing to do with the current post. Please excuse its presence here. I didn't have a picture of a cheesesteak handy,

This Saturday, an earthquake is shaping up in Corona, CA. The local Philly's Best is working with Johnnie Excel to set up a charity cheesesteak eating contest to benefit people living with MS. And that's cool. It's great to see competitive eaters giving back, and even greater to be a part of it.

Details are still hazy. What's in the offing, however, is the first big confrontation between Southern California's independent competitive eaters in 2012. Excel himself hasn't participated in a contest in months. His record of 7.5 steaks in 10 minutes is on the line.

Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen is looking to start the year strong after capturing Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Championship in 2011. Mary Bowers is looking to further her mark on the scene after debuting at the West Coast Hot Dog Eating Championship last year. Kevin Ross (with recent contest wins in wings and sushi) and "The Spicialist" are other possible contenders.

This will be my first short contest of 2012. I'm looking to use the opportunity to gauge my performance against Johnnie Excel. We clashed in 8 short-game contests last year, and Excel came out ahead every time. He's the only remaining independent eater in the area that I've never bested in a contest. So, there's a goal for 2012.

Earlier today, I also realized that Johnnie is one of the few eaters who doesn't have a nickname. I'd like to nominate the appelation "Iron Fist." Last year he had a lock (or damn strong claim) on virtually every contest he participated in. He's collected a lot of souls. Shattered a few dreams. Johnnie "Iron Fist" Excel has a certain ring to it.

On Saturday, will the "Iron Fist" swing high and crush the field? Or, will a veneer of rust allow a new cheesesteak champion to rise up?

A Challenge To-go

Photograph courtesy Matt Cohen

Everyone's telling me about it. Dine 909 tweeted it to me last Friday, Dax Swanson told me over Twitter this evening, and Matt Cohen messaged me the picture about it in the afternoon.
Visit any participating Togo's sandwich shop in Southern California and you can take on the Pounder Challenge. Eat a family sized pastrami sandwich in 30 minutes or less to win a limited edition T-shirt and a certificate of completion.

What you won't get, win or lose, is a refund. This sandwich will set you back $21.95. Still, it looks like fun for someone wanting to try their hand at a first challenge. It's probably no more than 3 or 3.5 lbs.

What strikes me is how rare it is to find a chain offering an eating challenge. What's next, a Monster Big Mac challenge at McDonald's?

Nobody Woks in San Diego

For some reason, the lyrics to that 80s song "Walking in LA" stuck in my head when I was thinking of writing this post. That's how I arrived at the cheesy title. Anyway, a couple weeks ago I began my 2012 eating challenge schedule with a stop in San Diego on 01/03. I'd be meeting Matt Cohen for an interesting lunch.

J-Wok is located in downtown San Diego. Parking in the area is difficult as usual. By difficult, I mean everything is metered or in paid lots or structures. The restaurant itself was incredibly crisp and clean inside. I think I would have eaten off the floor, but I wouldn't recommend it.

It's hard enough finding an eatery with one eating challenge. J-Wok has two on the menu. The first is the 5 lb Pad Thai Noodle challenge, then with only one previous finisher and a record time of 35 minutes. The second challenge is the Man Vs Wok Spicy Challenge, featuring 30 Thai chilies ground into a small bed of noodles. Eat it in 15 minutes and its on the house.

We decided to order both challenges at once. This was definitely a first. Our server was taken aback, but the request was no real problem. In about 30 minutes we were facing four large bowls of delicious food.



It was an interesting situation. Since we were ordering two challenges together, management was lenient and gave us a 75 minute time limit for both challenges. The more pressing question was deciding which bowl to start with - the big one, or the hot one? Matt and I decided to begin with the 5 lb challenge.

This was my first encounter with a Pad Thai dish. I liked it, though obviously eating 5 lbs of anything is not going to be pedestrian. I needed 15 minutes to get through it, utilizing plenty of fluids, which set a house record at the time.

Then it was on to the spicy challenge. This dish was something else entirely. In hindsight, it was probably a mistake ordering it. Each bite was incredibly hot, and it only increased in intensity. The 5 lbs of food in my stomach prevented me from moving at top speed.. it was torment for lunch.

Something in my head told me not to quit. So I fought. Every bite a battle, saturated with either soda or water. The back of my throat burned, my tongue throbbed, my eyes watered, my nostrils flared (you get the idea)... but somehow I couldn't stop. If I was about to die eating, Cohen was about to die laughing. The expressions on my face were beyond description and I couldn't see them.

And it was all over. The burning sensations were excruciating for several minutes afterward. After the fire finally subsided, the staff congratulated me on what they considered to be an impossible victory. No one had ever taken on both challenges back to back, let alone completed them. 2-0 was a good way to begin the year.

But, as they say, all glory is fleeting. The following week my time record on the 5 lb Pad Thai Challenge was broken by Kevin Ross. He only cut me down by 30 seconds, but no matter. Kevin's the new man to beat.

So how did I round out my evening in San Diego? With a little more phood. A search on Yelp turned up a pho eating challenge at a restaurant called Top 10 Oriental Restaurant. This eatery intrigued me immediately. The name struck me funny at first, but I was more impressed by the fact that this place served both sushi and pho. Those are two of my favorites.

The challenge here is called the Big Stomach Challenge. That's pretty straightforward. Completely consume a Super Pho Bowl, including the broth, in 30 minutes to win a spot on the Wall of Fame and a $5 gift card for next time.

The pho was really hot. You don't get you any cooling time before the clock starts, and since the bowl is filled to the top you really can't dump in much ice to help lower the temperature. I made it a leisurely meal, only burning myself as required. There might be a house record but I didn't ask. My bowl was empty in 20 minutes and I hobbled out of there.

It's too bad they didn't have a sushi challenge.

Hog Attack

The Route 62 Diner in Yucca Valley, CA is home to one monstrous eating challenge: The Hogzilla Burger. In years past, the challenge was one huge 2 lb  patty. In 2011, the diner decided to switch the challenge into a "King of the Hill" patty tower. Devour a bigger tower than the previous champ and you're the winner.

Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen was the second champion under this format. He polished off a 9-patty burger and fries in 18 minutes, earning himself a t-shirt and a champion's poster on the wall. There's no time limit on this challenge but "Sweet Tooth" didn't dawdle.

Each patty weighs a quarter pound, thus Matt put down a 2.25 lb burger. I became the next champion (2.5 lbs) until I was dethroned by local eater John Rivera of Joshua Tree. We traded the title back and forth a few times, leading to a dramatic photo in the local newspaper.

Not sure why the Hi Desert Star News put this photo in the business section (I'm kidding - it was pretty far back), but it works. The photo was taken in October 2011, mere minutes before I tore into the burger, taking down a 15-patty burger to reclaim my spot at the top for the third time. John looked on as I finished my 3.75 lb burger with a side of fruit. No doubt he's hungry for another title. I'll be ready.

The diner is literally down the street from the school I work for. The posters of the first two challenge wins adorn my classroom walls, always leading to interesting comments from students and parents. For the most part, they want to know how I got into this and why I don't weigh 400 lbs.

So far I don't have a good answer. Maybe I should have studied biology instead of history.

Three Men, Two Pizzas

An interesting situation arises when two different friends want to complete the same team pizza challenge with you. From my standpoint, I came to the only reasonable conclusion: complete the challenge separately with both guys. And do it on the same day.

Rosati's in La Quinta, CA offers a 16" stuffed crust pizza challenge for two. You gotta pick six toppings, and as usual I recommend going all vegetable. Veggies lose more water weight when they cook, and they are less salty than meat toppings so you'll probably take in less water as you eat.

If I had to judge, the pizza weighs in around 8-9 lbs. It takes almost an hour to cook, so I'd say to call it in if you're interested. Winners get their pictures on the wall and a gift certificate refund of $30.

The day of decision was a Saturday in October. I met Matt Cohen at the pizza place with one goal in mind: we were going to destroy the time record, which stood around 24 minutes. Matt's always had great success in speed and sprinting competitions whereas I do better in long distance challenges.

 

We would need to split the difference today. I pressed hard to finish my half around 11 minutes. Matt started off like a rocket but had still one piece left at the 12-13 minute mark. We divided the last piece (4.5/8 for me) and took the new record in 15m30s. To Matt's credit, the pizza was dense as hell and his volume skill is definitely improving.

Four hours later, it was time for supper. I met up with John Rivera and prepared to face another 16" stuffed crust challenge. Most competitive eaters don't know John yet, but he knows quite a few of you. He lives in Joshua Tree and found out about me after we traded Hogzilla burger records at the Route 62 Diner in Yucca Valley. Most recently, he set a pancake record at the IHOP in Rancho Mirage after nearly doubling the house best.

But this time we were going after pizza, not burgers. The 30 minute time limit didn't seem intimidating even though with food in my stomach this second go would be considerably harder. We ended up splitting this challenge right down the middle, with a win in 27 minutes. John finished his last bite a few moments before mine. 

Two wins over the same challenge in one day.. the owner of the place couldn't believe it, but he was happy to add two more sets of winners to his Wall of Fame.

At the end, my total was 8.5 pieces or just over one entire 16" deep dish. It's not clear to me that I could have finished the entire pie solo in 30 minutes, but it might be something to do one day. There's also a solo 12" deep dish challenge (no winners yet), but I don't think that will give me much trouble.

At least pizza always tastes good. This one tasted great, probably the most buttery and flavorful deep dish I've yet to sample. Rest assured the gift certificates won't sit around unused.

Orochan's Bowl of Lava

Ah yes, we continue with a hot story already in progress. The incredibly spicy Special #2 ramen challenge at Orochan Ramen in Los Angeles will net you a pic on the "Wall of Bravery" if you can survive.

So how hot was it? Well, aside from the few noodles, vegetables, and peppers in the bowl, you are dealing  with red chili powder dissolved in water. It's hell in a bowl. It's gonna be hell in your mouth, hell in your esophagus, hell in your stomach, hell in your intestines... you get the picture.

I powered through the bowl in 20 minutes via sheer stubbornness. As my coworker and friend Steve Mucci put it: "There's no pause button with you." And he's right. I drained the bowl mostly with large gulps, but I used a straw at times.

Luckily the friend who accompanied me was not Mucci, but a medical student from back East. What happened next mixes equal parts comedy, insanity, and medical emergency. We left the ramen house in search of some ice cream to celebrate. My stomach started cramping as we walked, and each step became increasingly laborious.

Well, that should teach me not to eat such hot food on any empty stomach (note to self: your strength is capacity challenges. Skip the hot stuff in the future). I stumbled a bit, the pain in my gut enough to make me double over. Within minutes I was laying on the sidewalk in the Little Tokyo shopping district.

A few kids on skateboards came up to me. They could tell I was in mortal pain, but I waved them away. Damn kids, can't you see I'm hurting? Don't even wanna talk. Get on your boards and get the hell away from me.

My friend had already ran to the local drugstore when he saw me doubled over. He nearly called 911 when he saw me sprawled out on the concrete. Well, the future doctor brought me the right prescription: a roll of Tums, two packages of Pepto-Bismol, and a bottle of water. Everything went down the hatch. Then I waited. The rumbling stopped, and I could walk about.

I felt golden again. Couldn't say no to green tea ice cream at that point.

And this is where I should probably forget to report tackling a team pizza challenge with Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen that evening, after the ramen. But what the hell. No pause button.

Going for Broke

The Pregnant Burrito is El Nopal's signature dish. It's a 2 lb concoction, stuffed inside with chicken, avocado and onions. They glaze the top of the tortilla with red sauce and jack cheese, and you're all set. It's a set piece of baked deliciousness.

El Nopal runs an official house record challenge for the most burritos consumed in one sitting. New champions get their food for free and score a golden t-shirt. Unofficially, they also recognize a speed record for consuming one Pregnant Burrito.

On July 29, 2011, it stood at 6:05. Around 1 PM, Matt Cohen walked inside the restaurant and ordered his meal. The record wouldn't stand a chance.



Down to 1:38, a decent time on a messy 2 lb dish. Things would have gone more quickly if Matt went for a "hands-on" approach, but it was still fun to watch.

Does anyone else want a burrito now?

Yummy Grub

Yummy Grub, an ice cream and sub sandwich restaurant in Sun City, hosted its second annual ice cream eating contest yesterday.


Things were a bit disorderly at first. There didn't seem to be any competitors on hand. Entry fees were still up in the air. Prizes were unknown. All we knew is that there would be an adults' division and a children's division, with a grand prize to the winner of each.

The format was originally billed as hands-free, which would have been unique for me. I don't participate in many formal competitions, so either way I was looking forward to a new experience. My hands-free contests have been limited to small events at the Orange County Fair in years past. I've done a plate of caramel corn and a huge Texas doughnut. Those didn't go so well.


When it turned out there were only two competitors on hand - Matt Cohen and I - the manager gave us alternative contest options. It would be first to finish in any case. Instead of a hands-free 3-scoop contest, we could alternatively hold a contest with a 32 oz ice cream sundae or a huge root beer float mixed with 32 oz of ice cream.


We went with the ice cream sundae option. 32 oz of our choice of ice cream topped with chocolate sauce, strawberry slices, and banana pieces. I went with vanilla, Matt chose strawberry, and a third last-minute entrant chose chocolate. We paid $5 to participate. So details were settled.


There were no names or introductions. Just a lot of flash photography. Rules were pretty simple. We had to eat with spoons, cups could not be lifted off the table, and the first to completely finish the contents of the cup would be declared the winner.

After a simple countdown, we were going. Plastic spoons are a little delicate for working with semi-solid ice cream. I went about it much the same way I attacked the Kitchen Sink in Walnut Creek. Scoop, bite, swallow.

Matt's technique was solid. He seemed to create a continuous stream of consumption, almost as if he were drinking the sundae. His experience with sweets and ice cream shone through vibrantly. In less than two minutes he was scraping the bottom of the cup with his spoon.

"How much more do I gotta go? I can keep going here!"

And with that, the contest was over. I had a few ounces to go. Couldn't resist finishing even though there was nothing on the line. Our third competitor left the table shortly.

"Sweet Tooth" always does a fine job in these sprinting competitions. I have a lot of work to do if I want to offer him a serious threat in that field.

The grand prize, as it turned out, would be a store coupon and your picture on the wall (in the middle of a paper plate you could decorate with drawing instruments). It was more about the thrill of competing than anything else.

The ice cream was made on-site, too. It was excellent. We'll see if they bring it back next year!

Gone Fishin'

Fishing is a frustrating activity. You do what you're supposed to do, but the surroundings don't always cooperate with you. Golf and bowling feel the same way at times. Not that I've ever golfed or fished. It's just an anecdote I remember from a bowling teacher at Cypress College.

Eating challenges have their moments too. Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen struck gold today, completing the Great White Whale Challenge at the Shakespeare Pub and Grille in San Diego. "Sweet Tooth" only needed 28 minutes to tear through 2 lbs of battered cod, 2 lbs of chips (french fries for the Americans), and a side of peas.

It's an even bigger accomplishment when you consider that the plate comes out scalding hot and they don't give you cooling time before starting the clock. You get a maximum of 45 minutes.

Perseverance pays off. Matt received his meal on the house and scored a cool t-shirt. And I'm sure it won't be long before he moves on to his next big win.

I know the nickname is easily overused, but there's no better way to sum this whole thing up.

Sweet....

The Knife's Edge

The closest finishes are the most cruel.

Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen nearly went the distance against the Daddy-O's Big One Combo challenge in San Diego. That's a 2 lb burger on a mammoth bun, with a large side of cheese fries, and a milkshake.

You get 45 minutes. "Sweet Tooth" plowed through the burger and lived up to his confectioner's moniker by annihilating the milkshake. About half of the fries separated him from victory.

This is still a "sweet" accomplishment. Matt has seen his capacity, endurance, and recovery time improve rapidly as of late. This 6 lb meal is no laughing matter.

As an eater, Matt is best known for his short-sprint victories. Think back to the Jose's Flautas qualifier in 2009, when he slammed 21 flautas in 4 minutes to go the finals. He's steadily transforming into a long-distance, high-capacity man.

Just a razor's edge away...

A New King in Escondido

Closing out February with a shout-out to Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen. He set a new house record at the Fatburger in Escondido by demolishing the Triple Kingburger in 3:20.

A big win for an awesome member of the eating community. He's got a few big challenges coming up. Time to take care of business in March!

Sweet in San Diego

The Cravory hosted its inaugural Cookie Eating Championship this past Sunday (February 13) at the Hillcrest Farmers' Market in San Diego.

Parking was absolutely terrible. You can't fault the event promoters for that. The city needs to address the reality that the area needs more parking for its popular weekend farmers' market scene. It took me 45 minutes to find a spot, and even then I had to trek a half-mile on foot.

Festivities were set to start at noon. I was a bit late, but luckily they waited for me. The Cravory provided us with 50 cookies divided into 4 flavors.

14 Red Velvet - red cookies with white chocolate chips. Really dense.
12 Peanut Butter Overload - really dense and chunky.
12 Birthday Cake - light, but covered in frosting and sprinkles
12 Pancakes & Bacon - crunchy, according to Matt Cohen. I didn't eat one.

The competition was fierce. Mario and Cindy participated as local heroes, but Johnnie Excel and Matt Cohen are no strangers to the table. Matt established a string of first-place finishes the last couple years in indy contests. He is a dangerous force in very short sprints.

Excel had a breakout debut year in 2010. His victories in independent contests and challenges has been nothing short of noteworthy. He is a strong eater with no clear weaknesses.

We were given 10 minutes to eat as many cookies as we could. I don't usually participate in speed contests, but it was cookies! This would be sweet. I do well with sugars and how often do you get to chow down on designer cookies for free?

The contest got started before any of us really realized it. We were given two dunking cups full of water, and the judge refilled them as needed during the ten minutes.

These cookies didn't soak very well. The Red Velvet was particularly difficult to get down. At the two minute mark, Excel had a lead of at least 5-6 cookies. Damn this guy was quick! He never really slowed down. I pushed myself hard for the remainder of the contest.

The Top 3: Johnnie Excel with 28 cookies, 24 for me, and 18 for Matt Cohen.


This was a great improvement for me, in terms of speed eating. I got pretty close to Excel. He's no joke. He's got a great CE future ahead of him.

The local eaters, Mario and Cindy, tied for 4th place with 12 cookies each. I gotta pay them my respects for getting involved in this craziness. Sweet, sweet craziness.

Matt Cohen enjoyed the contest, but I believe he had an off-day. They don't call him the "Sweet Tooth" for nothing!

If you find yourself craving some cookies, you need to check out the Cravory. They have some great food and put on a good show. Can't wait 'til their next cookie championship!