July-August 2005 In the News

8/31/05- The Association of Independent Competitive Eaters-Home of Picnic Style Rules web siteCompetitiveEaters.com receives a face lift!

This will make our site even more user friendly~ we extend our appreciation and thanks to all our loyal viewers!

In The News: • 2005 • 2004 (In the News archives) • Challenges (ongoing challenges at restaurants) • Commentary/Opinions

Food Warriors: • Rankings • World Records & Titles • Eater Stats • "Spotlight on." (featured Independent Competitive Eater) • Eaters to Watch (rising star eaters) • Photo Album (some general photos)

About Us: • About AICE • Need Eaters? • Media and Appearances • Picnic Style Rules • Eater Code of Ethics • Contact Info

8/28/05- New Eating Challenges have just been posted to. We thank our loyal and dedicated fans from around the world, who have taken the time and effort to submit this information to us. Keep sending us those eating challenges- we are always looking to add more!

Please let us know if you have tried a challenge, send us a write up and photo and we will be happy to post info on our web site!

8/28/05- Welcome to the Texas Salsa Festival 2005 web site; Future bright for festivals. Salsa fiesta is expected to draw 30,000 article from El Paso Times written by Vic Kolenc

8/27/05- AICE Rankings are updated: New Rankings feature several new additions to the top 25. AICE is happy to feature female sensation “Fabulous Floria Lee who takes the 24th spot. She is the two time New York Chinese Dumpling Champion in the Female Division. “Fabulous Floria” ate enough Dumplings at the 2005 contest that she would have taken a close 3rd in the Men's Division. Also, William “The Pride of Jamaica” Wayne occupies the 22nd spot by taking 2nd at the New York Bun n' Cheese Eating Championship and defeated two top twenty eaters in the process. Angel “Dumplings” Chiriboga occupies the 19th position due to his outstanding performance at the Chinese Dumpling Eating Contest where he tied the great Arnie “Chowhound” Chapman for 2nd place. Pat “the Kid” Gleason enters the ranks at 35th due to his strong performance and victory in the Amateur Division of at the 7th Annual Windmill National Hot Dog Eating Championship.

8/26/05- AICE teams up with Peggy O'Neill's again to bring the 2nd Annual Corned Beef Eating Championship to Brooklyn during the Catholic Charities Great Irish Fair. Eating competition blasts off at 3:00pm on Saturday, September 10, 2005.

ChowHound Chapman chomped his way to the Brooklyn Corned Beef Sandwich title last year by eating 4.75 sandwiches (2lbs 4oz), followed by Richy Rich of Staten Island. The Great Irish Fair is a community event which, in part, raises money for Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and the many needy families this organization serves in those boroughs. Contestants had 4 minutes to eat as many 10.5 ounce corned beef sandwiches that they could eat. Again, this year Eaters will be required to adhere to picnic style eating rules which prohibits dunking, separating and/or desecrating the food item.

Come on down to Drier-Offman Park for some great Irish music and entertainment, crafts, plenty of drink and the corned beef.

8/25/05 Photos from the smash hit, audience howling, standing ovation Swallow Your Pride premiere

8/24/05- AICE's Coondog O'Karma will be a celebrity judge at the upcoming 'Fright Night" Chili cook-off in Coshocton, Ohio

8/19/05-The World Jalapeno Speed-Eating Championship will take place on Sunday Sept 4. This will be a 5 minute contest to determine the fire belly boss

of the world. AICE eaters will travel to the Lone Star state to do battle with some of America's toughest jalapeno eaters in Texas. Residents of Texas and El Paso in particular, are known world-wide for their ability to devour jalapeno's and other hot peppers that make up Tex-mex cuisine. If AICE eaters think they have a clear path to victory the could be mistaken. This Texas Shoot Out is sure to be an event to remember. During the Texas Salsa Festival there will also be a Salsa Dancing Competition, Restaurant Competition for best salsa in the Southwest and a competition for best homemade salsa. If you see AICE eaters dancing at the festival, it may have more to do with their digestive tracks than their love of dance. On-line registration for event

8/19/05- For Karl Cramer of Valley Cottage, NY the Race was "warm up" for the Annual Windmill Hot Dog Eating Contest held later that day at Bar Anticipation. Karl was the runner up taking home a big trophy and a need to go for a long run the next day. Jersey Shore Running Club

Like his moniker "Special K", Karl Cramer symbolizes fitness and seems to be part of a new generation of Competitive Eaters who believe in healthy diet and exercise. In only his 3rd Competitive Eating Event 'Special K' placed second in a highly competitive field of "Food Warriors" at the 7th Annual Windmill National Hot Dog Eating Championship in Belmar New Jersey. In doing so, the 5' 6 inch 155lb Cramer beat a group of nationally ranked eaters, not to mention some Eaters who were twice his weight. Also known as
"Galactus" by his friends and colleagues (Galactus is a comic book villain who eats entire planets), Cramer gobbled down 10 1?4 pound Hotdogs in only 10 minutes and earned $200 and a handsome trophy for his efforts. "I was pretty hungry," says the 35 year old Research Assistant and freelance writer. "I ran the Asbury Park 5K this morning to get a real hunger going.I knew that both the other competitors and the 1/4 pound Hot Dogs would be a real challenge". Cramer's time of 24:20 in the 5K probably won't earn him national recognition in the world of Road Running, but his surprise performance at the Windmill Hot Dog Eating contest is likely to earn him a top 20 spot in the national rankings by the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters. Says, AICE Chairman Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman, "Special K" certainly deserves to be ranked in the Top 20, especially considering he recently won the NJ Seafood Festival Pie Eating Contest and decisively beat
two top-15 nationally ranked Eaters and one top-10 Eater at the Windmill National Hot dog Eating Championship". As far as Bigger being better,
Chapman says, "Karl might be the biggest guy out there in terms of spirit and determination."

This documentary promises to be the most action packed movie about competitive eating ever produced. Filmmakers Joshua Camerote and Brian James Dwyer highlight the life and times of some of competitive eating's most intriguing figures. Featured are El Wingador, Hank 'The Tank', Dave 'Coondog' O'Karma, 'Humble' Bob Shoudt and Arnie 'ChowHound' Chapman. Camerote and Dwyer capture the hopes, frustrations and dreams through these compelling personalities and other eaters.

8/17/05- Gentleman Joe adds Asian Food Title & Record to his resume
"Menchetti the Magnificent" Could be Gentleman Joe's new moniker as he continued his 20 (+) winning streak at the Chef One Dumpling Record Challenge at the Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing Meadow Park on Sunday, August 14th. In doing so, Menchetti broke the previous record of 40 Dumplings by downing an amazing 47 Dumplings. It has been reported that "The Gentleman", lacking an Asian Food Title, prepared intensely several weeks prior to this two minute speed Eating Event by taking Chinese language courses, meditation and feverishly reading books on Chinese culture. GJoe also attributes his recent weight loss (nearly 50lbs) to replacing his knife and fork with the traditional Chinese Chopsticks. Menchetti promised the large audience in Flushing Meadow Park, who watched him capture the title, that he would break this years record next year, using the traditional chopsticks. We believe that it's a matter of time before GJoe throws out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game. When asked (if he was chosen to throw out the first pitch) where he would prefer to accept this honor, Joe replied; "They couldn't pay me enough money to throw out the first pitch in Shea Stadium. However, Yankee Stadium is a distinct possibility."

In a distant second was Chowhound Chapman and new comer Angel Chiriboga who both gulped down 35 dumplings. The woman's division featured returning Champion "Fabulous" Floria Lee who broke her previous record of 27 dumplings by consuming an awesome 33 dumplings, nearly tripling the amount eaten by the 2nd place finisher. Floria, standing 5'1" and weighing less than 100lbs had a uniquely graceful style, whereby she dropped each individual dumpling in her mouth, jerked her head back, then instantaneously swallowed the delicious meat pockets. Both Fabulous Flora and Gentleman Joe earned $500 for their record breaking performances.

8/15/05 Congratulations to AICE and it's affiliates for reaching the 20,000 hits mark!

We extend our sincerest thanks to our eaters, sponsors, fans, family and friends!! We appreciate your support!

8/15/05- The following is submitted by a fan of Killer Kuhns also known as Kuhn-Dog (not to be confused with Coondog O'Karma):

Bob Kuhn Dog Kuhns cruises to another Hot Dog Title: Just to let you know, the reputation of the "Dawg Bowl Champion" for the city of Pittsburgh remains in tacked after competing in the Zelienople "Horse Trading Day" hot dog eating contest. Kuhn-Dog crushed the final round contestants, (some of which were some mighty big farm boys), while on his way to the championship. During the final sprint, Kuhn-Dog put away the competition buy consuming 13 1/2 dogs while second and third place finishing with a respectable 8 1/2 and 7 1/2 dogs each. With this victory Kuhn-Dog improves his record to 3-0 and remains undefeated in hot dog eating contests, (although he hasn't faired as well in wing contests).
A big wahooooooooooooo for the Kuhn-Dog!!

8/14/05- Congrats to Pat "The Kid" Gleason on winning the 5 minute Amateur WindMill Hot Dog eating competition yesterday in Belmar, NJ by downing 4 9/10 Big Monster WindMill hot dogs. In close second was Kevin "Keep Your Distance" Hurley followed by Dan "The GraveDigger" Sorg. Great job by Jason "Burger Boy" Trojanowski and Mike "Sisco Kid" on their 4th and 5th place finish. Kudos to Jeffrey "The Food Villain" Venizia, Brian "Fish" Patkus, Slim Jim Stoddard, Paul "The Bun Master" Wagar, Peter "Never Too Many" Bratton, Charles "Full House" Ade on their participation in the competiton-they quickly learned it's not as easy as it looks! Despite much encouragement from his Windmillette, Dave "What the Heck" Coulombe needed to be reminded that this was an eating competition and not a day out at the bar-he did finished his one hot dog in the allotted 5 minutes.

Congratulations to Gentleman Joe Menchetti on retaining his title as WindMill Hot Dog Eating Champion. In this 10 minute picnic style rules monster hot dog eating competition Gjoe downed 11.5 dogs. Second place went to Karl "Special K" Cramer who downed 10 followed by Ian "The Invader" HIckman with 9. Pete "Broken Wing" Maurizio was a bite away from finishing in the money followed by Chris "The American" Schlesinger with 7 3/4. Elvis "The Legend" Van Gorden downed 6.5 monster dogs, followed by Joel "The Cannon" Podelsky. A valiant effort was made by WRAT winner Brian "Golden Boy" Goldberg who succumbed to urges contrary to swallowing and KRock winner John "Beast Master" Bennett who we are still not sure where that 'spray' came from.

Sara Finicio, GJoe's Windmillette was awarded a hugh trophy for her enthusiasm, encouragement and inspiration.

Delicious WindMill hot dogs and give away's were plentiful throughout the day at Bar A. MTV, WRAT and KROCK were in the house along with Bacardi Artie

8/11/05- Competitive eating's poet laureate, Coondog O'Karma, writes about his recent trip to Japan where he searched to learn the mysteries of Oguii, the Japanese custom of Big Eating, in the August issue of Cleveland Magazine.

8/11/05- WINDMILL UPDATE: WindMill will feature three additional Eaters to round off the fantastic field of Eaters that will be vying for the prestigious title of WindMill Hot Dog Eating Champion. This 1/4 lb, 10 minute Hot Dog Eating competition is arguably the most competitive Hot Dog Eating Contest ever conducted in the great state of New Jersey. Brian “Goldberg” (pictured left) who won on-air competition in the studios of K-Rock 92.3 along with John “Beat Master” Bennet who defeated four other Eaters in the studio’s of 95.9 WRAT to advance to the finals at 4:00pm on Saturday, August 13th at Bar-A in South Belmar, New Jersey (Lake Como). Veteran WindMill Hot Dog Eater Elvis Van Gorden (This will be his sixth time entering) will also compete in the professional division and looks to upset some of the Heavy Hitters that will be competing.

Amateur Eaters looking to reach Hot Dog Stardom will be Kevin Hurley, Steve Rodiriguez, Jim Devale, Joseph Viviani, Dan Bryceland, Daren Felici, Jenifer Murphy, Jeffrey Venizia, Tom Gaasbeck, Bill Houghton, Karl Cramer, William Mafara, John “It’s a Machine” Fargo.

8/10/05- Pro Eaters to Highlight Annual Windmill Hot Dog Eating Contest: The WindMill Hot Dog Eating Contest will be featuring some of America’s best Competitive Eaters at Bar-A in South Belmar New Jersey on August 13th at 4:00 PM.

Lexington Kentucky’s rising star Ian “The Invader” Hickman (Ranked 22 in the Nation by the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters) along with Chris “The American” Schlesinger from Bohemia, New York (Ranked 17th) will also be there to stake his claim to the WindMill s 1/4 Hot Dog Title and their share of $800 in prize money. However, it won’t be easy because defending Champion, Gentleman Joe Menchetti (Ranked 2nd by AICE) from Wallingford, Connecticut who is regarded as “America’s Most Dangerous Eater” and New England’s #1 Competitive Eater, has not lost a contest in his last 20 competitions. Even if GJoe gets past fabulous newcomers Hickman and Schlesinger, he will have to fight-off Pennsylvania State Chicken Wing Eating Champion and Pittsburgh Cheese Steak Eating Champion, Pete ”Broken Wing” Maurizio (Ranked 6th). Maurizio was one of the last Food Warriors to defeat Menchetti at the Pittsburgh Wingbowl last January. “I respect Joe, but I think he needs to be knocked off his perch…..I’m not driving 8 hours from Western Pennsylvania to lose.” AICE Chairman, Arnie “Chowhound” Chapman” considered by many to be Competitive Eating’s wackiest and most exhilarating MC, along with Bar-A’s own “Bacardi Artie” who will provide analysis and color. It’s not only the size of these monster Hot Dogs (5.5 oz with bun) that make the WindMill Hot Dog Eating Contest special, remarks Chapman, “but it’s also the adherence to tradition, values and great taste.” Chapman goes on to explain that the contestants will have to eat the 1/4 lb Hot Dogs without dunking, mushing, mashing or separating meat from bun. “ What this means”, Chapman continues, “is they can’t take time to savor these gourmet Hot Dogs despite the temptation to do so”.

8/7/05- Italia Unita has updated their website to include a recap of festivals events- check out the Photo Gallery for the Worl'd Sausage eating event

8/5/05- The Nick D and Garry Lee Show on WGN 720- We stocked the fridge for Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman...(07/30/05) (:34:53)

8/5/05- Champion eater: Where does he put it all? Wiry UK grad is a sensation in the world of competitive eating
The Courier-Journal, written by Mark Coomes

8/1/05- Congrats to AICE Eater Ian "The Invader" Hickman who won a watermelon contest by consuming a very respectable 9.5 pounds. As of late, "The Invader" has been very active on the media circut-he has been interviewed by several Kentucky and Louisville newspapers and TV shows. In addition, Ian is being filmed for the upcoming MTV's reality show "True Life". And if that were not enough, at this time he is filming with Moore Casting based out of Tennessee for a pilot show called "The Visitor's". This show focus' on several characters typically seen at southern county fairs.

Also hot on the media trail is Mark Lyle "The Human Vacuum". Mark has recently been interviewed by several major Ohio newspapers. Congratulations to The Vacuum on his recent conquest of 3 two-pound beanie burgers (only the 2nd person to accomplish this feat).

See ChowHound Chapman on Patriot Media TV8 on August 3rd at 2:00pm. Rick Adams of Patriot TV who hosts the Community Corner show. Chairman ChowHound provides interesting and insightful commentary regarding the world of competitive eating. Also ChowHound explains what makes a unique eaters organization so successful. ChowHound was also Chicago's number one talk radio show WGN Radio 720 to answer talk show personalities Nick Digilio and Garry Lee Wright questions about competitive eating and how the independent competitive eaters movement began.

8/1/05- AICE eaters capture top three spots at Papa John's Pizza 10 minute eating contest in Bay Shore, Long Island. GJoe lead the way with 4 10" pies (24 slices total), followed by ChowHound Chapman (18 slices) and Chris "The American" Schlesinger (18 slices minus the crust for one pie). GJoe earns $100 per minute of his time- not bad!!

7/31/05-

Gentleman Joe Menchetti captures another New Jersey eating championship. GJoe adds Italian Sub Title to his long list of New Jersey eating accomplishments. Within the past year, GJoe has added no less than four individual NJ eating crowns. GJoe easily gobbled 6 fully loaded 6" Quick Chek Italian Subs to take a decisive victory at the world famous NJ Ballooning Festival. In an extremely exciting battle for second place, Mark Lyle "the Human Vacuum" edged out Chris "The American" Schlesinger in a sudden death eat-off. Viewers were once again treated to another epic battle between these two food warriors. World Corn and Donut eating record holder, Dave 'Coondog' O'Karma kept pace with GJoe for the first five minutes, but eventually succumbed to his aversion to hot peppers and tomatoes. In 5th place was, Fairview NJ native, Pedro "the Bull" Montes, followed by Quick Chek's own Ray "Porterhouse" Key. Top honors for most creative outfit goes to Joel "The Cannon" Podelsky who was amusingly attired with cape and mask. In a sign of appreciation for the great crowd, the Cannon, assisted by two lovely 'subettes' gave out toy cannons to the crowd. NJ native, Jeremy "More than Baloney" Maloughney gave a fantastic effort and showed good effort, although outmatched by many of the featured eaters at this Subtacular event.

Special thanks to the dedicated and enthusiastic staff of Quick Chek whose efforts helped to create this fantastic event. Also special thanks to WPLJ's own Brad Blanks, whose witty, humor and enthusiasm had the crowd roaring.

7/24/05- Gentleman Joe Menchetti grabs second Caribbean food title in same month. Fresh off his beef patty victory in Connecticut, Gjoe easily wins the New York State Royal Caribbean Bun n' Cheese Eating Championship. Joe gobbled down 8 5 oz bun n' cheese sandwiches in a mere 3 minutes, 15 seconds. For the many fans that have been following GJoe, this victory was no surprise. However, William "the Hope of Jamaica" Wayne completed 8 bun n' cheese sandwiches in 6 minutes. This first time competitor amazed the crowd by defeating top 20 ranked eaters Chris "the American" Schlesinger, Skinny Scott Soifer and rising star Joel "the Cannon" Podelsky. The crowd of 500+ spectators went wild as their local hero went from the "Hope of Jamaica" to the "Pride of Jamaica" Don't be surprised if you see more of "The Pride" in upcoming competitions.

Special thanks to Caribbean Food Delights,and affiliates Royal Caribbean Bakery and Jerk Q'zine. AICE looks forward to future events with these fantastic companies. WBLS and well know Reggae bands provided the rhythm and sweet music throughout the day.

Final Standings: Gentleman Joe Menchetti, Wallingford, CT- 8 bun n' cheese in 3 minutes, 15 seconds

William "The Pride of Jamaica" Wayne, Brooklyn, NY- 8 bun n' cheese 6 minutes, 3 seconds

Chris "The American" Schlesinger, Bohemia, NY- 7 bun n' cheese -10 minute time

Joel "the Cannon" Podelesky, Lawrence Harbor, NJ- 5 1/2 bun n' cheese -10 minute time

Kudos to all out eaters for participating in the event: Leon "Ludi the Boardman" Buchanan, Hanover, Jamaica; Wayne "Moses" Cunningham, Manchester, Jamaica; Shanike "Trinity" Creary- Jamerican; and Terrific Alecia Thomas of East Elmhurst

7/20/05- ChowHound will be appearing on Patriot Media TV8 Community Corner in Central Jersey tomorrow. He will be interviewed by Rick Adams and airs around 2pm or so tomorrow- ChowHound Chapman on his way back from Patriot 8 TV will attempt Jimmy's Cheese Steak record in Philly, PA on 7/22. The current record is 12 cheese steaks, each weighing 10 oz. In order to break the record the Hound will have to eat 7 pounds of cheese and steak. Customers will be warned to clear out a 10 foot radius while ChowHound attempts the record.

{AICE was informed that the show will actually air in Augusts- stay tune for date and time}

7/19/05-WindMill takes “Bigger, Better” to the next level. WindMill Gourmet Foods which goes by the Motto “Bigger, Better” in describing it’s signature item, the 1/4 Hot Dog has announced the 7th Annual WindMill National Hot Dog Eating Championship to be held at Bar Anticipation in LAke Como (formerly South Belmar), New Jersey on Aug 13th 2005 at 4:00 PM. WindMill has partnered with the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters in it’s efforts to make the WindMill Hot Dog Eating Contest one of the premier Competitive Eating Competitions on the East Coast. AICE Chairman, Arnie Chapman states, “The WindMill Hot Dog Eating Contest has enjoyed a success since it’s inception seven years ago. However, AICE and the folks at WindMill are determined to bring this popular Hot Dog Eating Contest to the next level and will feature some of America’s top Eaters”.

For many New Jersians and it’s many visitors the WindMill Hot Dog is a tasty reminder of all that New Jersey has to offer with it’s coast line of beaches and amusement parks and it’s continuous line up of great entertainment. Also, says Chapman, “This contest will be conducted under picnic style rules which means that Eaters will have to eat the Hot Dog the traditional way or risk disqualification. (no dunking buns in water or eating hot dog separately from the bun) Chapman jokingly adds, “We will pay the utmost respect and honor to the American Icon known as the Hot Dog,…. it’s about values.”. Several top ranked Eaters such Gentleman Joe Menchetti from Connecticut who holds several World Records and is considered New England's #1 Competitive Eater. Rising Star Chris “The American” Schlesinger from Bohemia Long Island who recently upset a top Ranked Eater at the Coney Island Hamburger Eating Contest and “Coondog O’Karma from Akron, Ohio who is the current World Record Holder in Corn and Donuts, will be some of the featured “Food Warriors” expected to be in attendance.

7/19/05- "The New York State Bun & Cheese Eating Championship" The next stop for the AICE (The Association of Independent Competitive Eaters) will be the Jerk-Roots-Yam Festival for the New York State Bun and Cheese Eating Championship in Queens in New York on July 24th at Roy Wilkins Park. This will be AICE's first time sanctioning a contest involving a Caribbean food item. AICE Chairman Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman,says he looks forward to bringing this Jamaican Easter time favorite to the Competitive Eating Table. "The folks from the Caribbean Food Delights and the Royal Caribbean Bakery contacted me and wanted to feature the traditional and beloved Bun n Cheese because of the cultural and religious significance it has for the Jamaican-American community and Caribbean people in general. Also, Bun N Cheese has a well deserved reputation for it's ability to bring ones stomach to full capacity. The winner of the New York Bun N Cheese Eating Championship will be a true Food Warrior" says Chapman who anticipates that several Professional Eaters will make the journey for this new and exciting competition. "It's a win-win situation says Chapman, you will have sweet Caribbean music, delicious food, a Championship Eating Contest..It doesn't get any better than that"

7/16/05-It's official. Chris Bond of Columbus, Ohio has the world's longest weiner. That's right, Bond, owner-operator of T-Doubles Coney Island Hotdog Restaurant was officially awarded Guinness world record status when he put together a 50- foot hotdog complete with bun and mustard. The hotdog was displayed in front of the restaurant taking up space on 7 eight-foot tables and contained in 52-foot piece of aluminum house gutter.
"You'd need a semi-tractor trailer to pull up to the drive-in window if ordering one of these bad boys to go." were the words of champion AICE eater, Coondog O'Karma, on hand for the unveiling. "Bigger is better at T-Doubles today." were the words of Columbus resident, Dan Schlegel, when asked about the record setting weiner. "It's all about fun." Chris Bond replied, when asked why he would want such an unusually long weiner.
It sure was. World record fun!

7/16/05-Can Menchetti be stopped? GJoe continues his uncontested string of victories as he captures the World Italian Sausage Eating Championship during . 4th Place Pete "Broken Wing" Maurizio 2.21 pounds (with chipmunking penalty), 3rd Dominick "Doginator" Cardo 2.26 pounds, 2nd place Mark Lyle "The Human Vacuum" 2.45, 1st Gentleman Joe 2.78 pounds. At the 8 minute mark, the Human Vacuum picked up the pace and seemed to close the gap, however GJoe managed to pull away at the end.

7/15/05- AICE has teamed up with Caribbean Food Delights during the 3rd Annual Jerk Roots Yam Festival to hold the Royal Caribbean Bakery's Bun and Cheese Eating Contest . This will be a 5 minute contest where contestants will be eating as many bun (hardy bread similar to a fruit cake in taste and texture) and cheeses (an Easter-time favorite of Jamaicans). First place is $300, 2nd and 3rd place finishers will win digital cameras. The festival is held at Roy Wilkins Park on Merrick Blvd, Queens, NY. Sample authentic jerk dishes, roast yam and salt fish, drinks, kids and adult games and fun!! No entrance fee, limited number of spaces so register ASAP- on-line registration or call 516 632-9794

7/15/05- The Tell of theTape- check out who's sitting at the Quick Chek finals table. Who's your favorite eater??

7/15/05- Congratulations to Jorge "Big House" Rodriguez from Union City, NJ on being seated at the table for the Quick Chek final. Jorge recieved the Wild Card bid.

7/14/05-“Coondog” O’Karma, 49, of Cuyahoga Falls shoves pizza into his mouth on his way to devouring a medium cheese pizza in less than two minutes. O’Karma won the pizza-eating contest during the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Pizza Challenge. The challenge continues at 11 a.m. today on Market Avenue N.

7/12/05- AICE and Windmill Hot dogs will be joining forces for the upcoming 7th annual Windmill National Hot Dog Championship at Bar Anticipation 16th Avenue in South Belmar (Lake Como) New Jersey on August 13th, 2005- 4pm.

This event will feature some of America's top Eaters all competing for $800 dollars in prize money and the prestigious title of of WindMill National Hot Dog Eating champion.!! This will be a 10 minute contest where eaters will have to eat their Hot Dogs "Picnic Style" which means no mushing, mashing or separating Hot Dog from Bun.

There will be a Pro and Amateur Hot Dog Eating Event- Amateur is defined as someone who has never earned more than $100 dollars in any eating contest they may have entered. You have never been ranked in the top 35 by an Eater's organization.

If you think you got what it takes to handle these 5.5 0z Hot Dogs On line Registration or call AICE 516 632-9794

7/12/05- the entrance fee for the Italian Sausage competition in Boston this weekend has been reduced to $10

7/9/05- TriState Titans (ChowHound, The American and Gjoe) take NJ Barbecue Festival Chicken Wing Eating Championship- photos

TriState Titans were sweating it out when Gjoe took the last baton in this tag team event. TriState, down a few wings going into the last leg of the relay, had a strong finish by Gjoe to capture first. They earned the right to go to the '99 bottles of beer on the wall' and the possibility of winning $25,000 or flat screen TVs. Unfortunately and despite lots of encouragement from the audience the team did not choose #45 which contained the winning $$.

'Free Lancers': Joe Caltaldi, Chip Turkin, and Ed gave the TriState Titans a real run for their money and kept it close until the end.

Italia Unita sponsors 11th annual festival, featuring a performance by the Village People, Italian sausage eating championship.

On July 16th the Italian Festival will host the first World Italian Sausage eating Contest in conjunction with the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters. The contest will feature some of America's best Italian American competitive eaters, including Gentleman Joe Menchetti (New England's #1 Competitive Eater), World Beef Tongue Eating champion Dominick 'The Doginator' Cardo from Pennsylvania along with Pennsylvania State Chicken Wing Eating Champion, Pete 'Broken Wing' Maurizio.

"Food and eating are an important part of Italian culture," said Italia Unita President Pasquale Capogreco. "This is a fun way to celebrate that tradition, and hopefully, a local entrant will walk away with the title of Italian Sausage Eating World Champion. We thank Santarpioís restaurant for donating the sausages to this charitable event."

7/8/05- Photos Page 1 -Photos Page 2 Peggy O'Neill's INdependence Day Hamburger Eating Competition- Coney Island

7/7/05- Mark Lyle- The Human Vacuum takes the Quick Chek Qualifier in Hazlet eating 5 1/2 Italian Subs. Second place goes to Ray "Porterhouse" Key who downed 4 subs; third goes to Joel "the Cannon" Podelsky with 3 1/2. The table has now been set for the finals which will take place durning the Quick Chek NJ Festival of Ballooning at 2:30pm; Solberg Airport- Readington NJ. This will prove to be an awesome array of talent

7/7/05- Hometown Hero- article NorthJersey.com about Pedro Montes Quick Chek finalist

7/6/05- Congratualtions to Coney Island Hot-dog King, Takeru Kobayashi. While in Cleveland visiting his friend, Coondog O'Karma, he threw out the first pitch of the Cleveland Indians game against the Detroit Tigers.

7/6/05- All American Festivals Episode FE1F13- Pizza Festival will air again on the Food Network on Thursday, July 7th at 10:30am

7/6/05- Gentleman Joe Menchetti made an appearance on ESPN's daily morning show Cold Pizza. Joe; adorned in his usual "Gentleman's" attire

topped off with a Frank's Red Hot Derby, was interviewed by Cold Pizza's Dana Jacobson and John Anderson. GJoe was joined by AVP (Pro Beach Volley Ball) pros Nick Lucerna and Nancy Mason to promote AVP's partnership in the Frank's Red Hot "Battle to the Bone" National Wing Eating Championship.

A 30 second wing eating contest was held where Gjoe casually ate his entire plate of wings before Nick, Nancy and ESPN's Mike Johns (beat 'the Fridge' in cake) could finish 3 or 4 wings. GJoe toasted his victory with a swig of Frank's Red Hot.

This was a great day for independent eaters, having one of their own recieve national exposure. On a side note, we would like to thank GJoe for controlling his hunger and by displaying restraint by not downing the entire bottle of Red Hot during his victory toast.

7/5/05- On-line Registration form for Italia Unita Sausage Eating Competition in East Boston, MA on July 16th. There is a $25 entrance fee; {reduced 7/12 to $10} payable day of event. You must be 18 or older to enter. Maurizio, Menchetti, and Lyle have informed AICE that they will be participating in this competition.

7/4/05- Gentleman Joe takes the Coney Island Hamburger by storm for his second straight victory at Peggy O'Neill's by downing 4 3/4 1/2 pound burgers in 6 minutes. CoonDog O'Karma takes second followed by Chris "The American" Schlesinger in third after an eat-off with Mark Lyle "the Human Vacuum". Kudos to James Quigley and Lenny "Lenman" Bartolone for gobbling almost 3 burgers.

Hats off toTakeru "the Prince" Kobayashi on another outstanding performance on the 4th

7/3/05-Congrats to Gentleman Joe Menchetti as he wins the Apple Pie eating contest aboard the Intrepid in NYC. He won 4 tickets to a broadway show. Gjoe was only in the neighborhood to drop off the family for a cruise, a stone's throw away.

7/2/05- ChowHound Chapman returns from Tampa, Fla where he attempted to conquer the 6 pound steak dinner challenge (includes roll, potato, salad and 6 lb steak) at the Frontier Steakhouse and Cattle Company. ChowHound successfully ate all but 1/2 pound of the steak. ChowHound has come the closest to eating the whole dinner since it was totally consumed in April, 2002. He threw in the towel at 1 hour and 8 minutes after stating that he did not want to be known as "Chunks Chapman".

6/27/05- Lyle Captures Wing Title & Coondog sets Corn on the Cob World Record:

The "Vacuum" nailed down another Chicken Wing title at the Third Annual Spicefest in Ft. Wayne Indiana by consuming 2.91lbs of meat off the bone. The "Vacuum" again proves that he is among the best Wing Eaters in the United States by defeating a group of fine athletes. In addition, Lyle battled temperatures in the mid nineties and dry wings (however delicious). In a very close 2nd was Chris "The Juggernaut" Patton, also referred to as the "General of Chicken Wings" because he is a distant relative of General George Patton, finished with 2.85 lbs. Perhaps the biggest story of the day was Rookie phenom Ian "The Invader" Hickman who finished with 2.80 lbs of meat eaten off the bone. The "Invader" who hails from Lexington Kentucky, only previous experience was the "All You Can Eat Buffets" and Steak Houses in Lexington where he nearly earned himself a life time banishment because of his eating conquests. The "Invader" may have pulled off an upset if it wasn't for a rookie mistake of pouring water on his wings thus adding an additional weight to his totals. The Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders were on hand to escort the Food Warriors on stage and provide cheer and inspiration. Master of Ceremonies and Competitive Eating's #1 MC, Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman provided color and commentary during this championship event. The Spicefest is an annual event whose title sponsor, The Great American Spice Company is the world's largest spice store. Their were plenty of activities (live bands, bake-offs, raffles, Car show, etc.) to make this event a top notch festival. Also, their was a guest appearance by Ft. Wayne's own Fawn Leibowitz who appeared in National Lampoon's Animal House. Special thanks to Mad Anthony's of Ft. Wayne Indiana for providing the Wings and their hospitality to the Eaters during and after the contest. All proceeds of this event will go to the Hoosier Burn Camp in affiliation with the North East Indiana Burn Council which offers a camp experience for victims of burn injuries who are between the ages of 8-18.

Day two of the Spicefest featured The World Corn on the Cob Eating Championship where spectators were treated to a World Record performance by the charismatic and electrifying Dave "Coondog" O'karma who ate an amazing 31 cobs of corn in 10 minutes and finishing with a total of 4.1 lbs of corn eaten of the cob. In second place was Gahanna Ohio native Mark "The Vacuum" Lyle who ate 3.9 lbs of corn off the cob for 2nd place. In a surprise, Ft. Wayne resident Javier "Oh My Gosh" Gasnhrez finished third by consuming 3.41 lbs of corn off the Cob. Comedian & Writer Pete "Snickers" Lafucia amused the spectators by providing humor and commentary during the contest.

Final Results: The Great American Chicken Wing Eating Championship
Mark "The Human Vacuum" Lyle -Ghanana Ohio 2.91lbs; Chris "The Juggernaut" Patton-Blacklick Ohio 2.85 lbs; Ian "the Invader" Hickman-Lexington, KY 2.80 lbs; Bob Menefere- Ft. Wayne IN 2.37lbs; Joseph Jefferey- Ft. Wayne IN 2.08lbs

Final Results: World Corn Eating Championship
Dave "Coondog" O'Karma-Cuyahoga Falls Ohio 4.1 lbs; Mark "The Vacuum" Lyle-Ghanana Ohio 3.9 lbs; Javier "Oh My Gosh" Gasnhrez-Ft. Wayne IN 3.4 lbs; Ian "The Invader" Hickman-Lexington KY 3.3lbs; Chris"The Juggernaut" Patton- Blacklick Ohio 2.7 lb

AICE: A competitive eating organization with a heart ... as big as its stomach!