Joey Chestnut back in Toronto to demolish his poutine-eating record
· Toronto Sun
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The following words are not encouraging for any willing combatant trying to top the best competitive eater in the world.
“Oh, it’s so easy to eat poutine, because it just slides down, with the right amount of gravy,” Joey Chestnut told the Toronto Sun on Thursday afternoon. “It’s one of the easier foods. I like potatoes. I’m lucky because I don’t think I’ve ever lost any kind of contest with potatoes. Whether it’s real potatoes, french fries, mashed potatoes. My body likes potatoes a lot.”
Chestnut is back in Toronto to defend his Smoke’s Poutinerie World Poutine Eating Championship title. Last year, he wolfed down 26.5 pounds of Quebec’s most famous, or most infamous, export to the world at large.
But like any consummate pro at the top of his game, the 42-year-old California native isn’t back at the scene of last year’s epicurean slaughter just to defend his title. He’s here to demolish his previous record.
In 2019, Chestnut consumed 28.5 pounds in 10 minutes.
Still got game
And just because he’s a little older and, as he admitted, a little slower, he says he’s still got game.
“It’d be nice to get in the mid-20s,” Chestnut said. “I (ate) 26 pounds last year. I slowed down a little bit, but it’d be nice to get closer to 28 pounds. I know that if I hit more than 23, I don’t think anybody would be close to me. I have got to find my happy place, get my rhythm working, the right swallow, and breathe. It’s so easy to forget to breathe.”
Consuming more than five pounds of poutine would probably leave any mortal struggling to breathe.
So, what is the key for regular lovers of the gooey mess to push beyond personal limits and maybe have that third or fourth helping of poutine?
“Just because you’re tired, you don’t need to take a nap,” he said. “You can work through it.”
The Westfield, Ind., resident holds 55 world titles. He has won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 18 times, including back-to-back titles starting in 2025. He swallowed 66 hot dogs in July to earn first place. He has also won nine world rib-eating championships.
The gravy sits out
His results at this contest, while better than most virtually every time out, are not always consistent. He was asked to explain one difference between setting a record or eating just 22 pounds.
“If it’s colder, the gravy sits out, and when the gravy sits out, it’s not warm, it’s just not, it’s just not fast,” he said. “Cold french fries won’t swallow quickly. So, if for some reason, the contest gets delayed and it is cold outside, then the food gets cold. And then the numbers will go down.”
The forecast is calling for mostly cloudy and temperatures hovering around 20C on Saturday when the contest kicks off at Sankofa Square at 3:30 p.m.
Another difference between setting a record and not is physical, starting with good posture.
“I need to remember to stand up straight,” Chestnut said. “It’s easy to hunch over, then my stomach can’t expand. Those are a couple of things that I have to remember, the good techniques, and don’t forget to, don’t forget to breathe.”
The winner will take home a $9,500 pay day.
“I am very happy to be back here,” Chestnut said. “(They always have) great food. It’s one of the highest quantities of foods we have. So, it’s always impressive.”