eating challenges
(All Illinois eating challenges and contests in database)
Sugar Savvy blog attends the chocolate contest
Cindy M of the Sugar Savvy blog attended Monday’s chocolate contest in Chicago and wrote a report with a few pictures.
Chicago chocolate videos and photogallery
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.
Urbanhonking Pat Bertoletti interview
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.
Kevin Carr training for the chocolate contest
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.
Chicago Chocolate results
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.
Chicago chocolate preview
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.
GoldenPalace.net Valentine’s Day Chocolate Massacre
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.
2004 Bacci Pizza eyewitness account
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.
“Humble” Bob Shoudt opens website
“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?)
Sonya Thomas loses pizza eating record to Rich LeFevre
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)