St. Christopher fest a test of eating endurance
BY BOB RAKOW Correspondent July 17, 2011 10:46PM
Fans cheer for eaters during the 6th Annual American Meatball Eating contest during the St. Christopher Fiesta at St. Christopher Church in Midlothian, IL on Sunday July 17, 2011 | Matt Marton~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: November 2, 2011 12:05AM
Bob Kuhns gave his stomach quite a workout this weekend.
The competitive eater from Pittsburgh devoured 29 hot dogs Friday before demolishing a 10-pound meatball sandwich in 48 minutes at Bartolini’s Restaurant in Midlothian on Saturday.
Kuhns was back for more on Sunday afternoon when he took second place in Bartolini’s meatball eating contest, which was held at the 64th annual St. Christopher Fiesta.
The contest was the highlight of Sunday’s festivities, which also included musical entertainment, carnival rides and food from several local restaurants.
Kuhns devoured 43 meatballs in seven minutes but still fell 10 short of Tom “Goose” Gilbert, of Las Vegas.
Gilbert, one of the top competitive eaters in the country, ate 38 meatballs in the five-minute preliminary round. He consumed 15 more in the two-minute championship round.
In fact, Gilbert gobbled down more meatballs than the third- through fifth-place finishers ate combined.
Gilbert broke the contest’s previous record of 50 meatballs, which he set in 2009 — the last time he won the event.
He took home $2,000 and a trophy for his efforts.
Twenty-one eaters participated in the preliminary round.
The top 10 finishers squared off in the championship round of the contest, which was sanctioned for the first time by Bartolini’s.
“We have the best field of competitive eaters you folks have ever seen,” restaurant co-owner Chris Bartolini said.
The contest benefits the food pantry operated by St. Christopher Parish and St. Stephens Lutheran Church in Midlothian.
Kuhns, who won last year’s competition by eating 39 meatballs, said “speed is the key.”
Endurance is Kuhns’ strength, which enabled him to consume the 10-pound, 40-meatball sandwich in less than one hour Saturday, he said.
“I’m a plow horse,” he said. “I can eat for a long time.”
But Kuhns has the ability to eat quickly as well.
He has chugged a half-gallon of eggnog in 21 seconds and finished 10.5 gallons of chili in five minutes, he said.
Joe Menchetti, of Connecticut, who took third place in the 2008 contest, said there is a strategy to eating meatballs quickly.
“Ideally, you’re biting it, not chewing it,” said Menchetti, who once ate 89 cicadas in one minute.
“This (contest) is short enough that jaw strength will not be an issue.”
Kuhns said the meatballs are easy to consume because they are hot and easy to chew.
“It depends on the temperature. If they’re nice and fresh and hot, they go down with ease,” he said. “The faster you can swallow them, the more you can eat.”
Contestants were not allowed to dunk the meatballs in water, a common practice in hot dog eating contests.
Bill Brown, a resident of Chicago’s Morgan Park community, said he attended the fest exclusively for the contest.
This is the highlight,” Brown said.
Brown said he enjoys watching both the amateur and professional contests and marvels at contestants’ ability to eat so much food.
“I went (to Bartolini’s) last week and had a meatball sandwich with three meatballs on it, and I was full,” Brown said.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment