The register mail has an article about a wing eating contest won by 18 year old 160 lb. John Cline with 45 wings in 4 minutes. Cline will swim on the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point’s swim team next fall.

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The current edition of The Chicago Reader has an excellent (and long) profile of Pat Bertoletti. The article includes an account of the assault on the Rockford Corner Bar’s chili dog record and calls Dale Boone “sort of Larry the Cable Guy of competitive eating”

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A writer for the Herald News has an account of his participation in a Slyder eating contest for employees of the Chicago Sun Times newspaper family at White Castle. The winner ate 25 mini-burgers in a half hour.

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Bacci Pizza in Chicago will be holding its 4th annual jumbo slice eating contest on July 29. It is possible that Bacci Pizza has dropped IFOCE affiliation since this contest does not appear on the IFOCE calendar and children are allowed to enter with parental permission.

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On Father’s Day, Harry Caray’s restaurant in Chicago will offer a 6 pound tallgrass steak burger for $37.95. The first person to finish that sandwich will receive 4 tickets to a Chicago Cubs game in Harry’s personal seats and his or her name in lights on Wrigley Field’s centerfield scoreboard along with a week’s supply of steaks. $500 will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for each finisher of the burger.

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(Thanks Joe Bertoletti) The Chicago Tribune has an in-depth interview with Pat Bertoletti. Pat says that his competitive eating career will end when he graduates. Pat’s mother is also interviewed.

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In this article about the events planned for the 2006 Illinois State Fair, it is stated that a horseshoe (something containing french fries and cheese sauce) eating contest will be held, apparently replacing last year’s goldenpalace grilled cheese qualifier. The article does not explicitly state that the grilled cheese contest is not scheduled, so it is possible that the fair could host two eating contests. If the contest does not take place at the Illinois State Fair, the 2006 goldenpalace grilled cheese circuit could either be held at other venues or be dropped completely.

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Cindy M of the Sugar Savvy blog attended Monday’s chocolate contest in Chicago and wrote a report with a few pictures.

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Donna of the andshewas blog attended Tuesday’s goldenpalace.net St. Valentine’s Day Chocolate Massacre and has a writeup, videos and a photo gallery of that event.

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Liz from urbanhonking’s digest has an interview with Pat Bertoletti after his victory in yesterday’s chocolate competition. February content has been restored to urbanhonking, so its article on the grilled cheese contest is now available.

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The Cincinatti City Beat has an article about Kevin Carr training by eating chili which resulted in his placing third in yesterday’s chocolate contest.

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results from the goldenpalace.net Valentine’s Day Chocolate Massacre in Chicago:

1. Patrick Bertoletti $2500
2. Loren “Bubba” Yarbrough $1250
3. Kevin Carr $750
4. Jim Hamrick (Springfield, IL) $325
5. Domenico Alesi (Chicago, IL) $175

Thanks to ifoce.com for quickly posting a complete list of money-winners

Updated 2/14 9:42 NBC17.com (in North Carolina) has a video clip and photo gallery

Updated 2/14 7:28 am The sun-times has an article about the contest.

Updated 11:11 pm ABC7 has a contest report which uses “Bertolitto” more than it uses “Bertoletti” and claims that Loren “Bubba” Yarbrough was the favorite.

A press release is also available.

Someone who went to high school with Pat has a blog entry.

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The Chicago Sun Times has a preview of today’s goldenpalace.net Valentine’s Day Chocolate Massacre which contains a profile of Pat Bertoletti. It is difficult to see how Bertoletti has rookie status if his first contest was the Bacci Pizza contest from 2004.

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Less than two weeks after the grilled cheese finals, goldenpalace.net will sponsor a chocolate eating contest in Chicago on February 13. Rising star Patrick Bertoletti will get a chance to compete in front of a hometown crowd.

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This blog entry has a brief mention of Sonya Thomas’ Radar Magazine interview, but it has a long comment by someone who met Sonya at the 2004 Bacci Pizza contest in Chicago and also chauffeured the LeFevres during that event.

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“Humble” Bob Shoudt, winner of the Illinois State Fair Grilled Cheese qualifier, has just started a website at humblebob.com His website is especially welcome when it is considered that humility is not an overabundant commodity on all competitive eating websites. (The female competitor in the grilled cheese contest picture, Amy Bergseth, looks a little like Angelina Jolie. I wonder how she finished?)

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The number of records claimed by Sonya Thomas decreased to 25 to 24 on July 9 when Rich LeFevre bested her 2004 total of 6 (huge) slices by 1.5 slices. Sonya did not participate in this contest sponsored by the Bacci pizzeria in Chicago.

It appears from the picture that Carlene LeFevre competed with her husband. If she entered, she failed to crack the top four in a field consisting solely of unranked Chicago residents except for her spouse. This would represent a considerable dropoff from her Nathan’s result from five days earlier when she placed 7th against the best eaters in the world. I wonder if she was taking it easy in preparation for the U.S. Open in her hometown the next week.

(Note: This article says all the entrants were male, but also that Rich ate 8 slices and the length was 16 minutes so I am not sure how accurate it is added 7/25 1:51 AM)

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