Strawberry enthusiasts from far and wide gathered under the Stingray Chevrolet Entertainment Pavilion for the Strawberry Shortcake Eating Contest.
Ten contestants, drawn from a bucket of willing volunteers, were adorned with bibs and determination as they anxiously waited for the event to begin, and their stomach capacity to be tested.
The rules were simple: devour as much of a gargantuan four-pound strawberry shortcake, piled high with fluffy sponge cake, strawberries and whipped cream, within the allotted time frame of 10 minutes. During the first several minutes of competition, contestants were allowed to use a utensil to scoop as much of the dessert into their mouths as possible but at a critical point in the competition, the forks came down as, caveman-like, eaters began using their hands to continue to shovel the berries, cake and cream into their mouths.
Each contender showcased their unique strategy, whether it be precision pacing or fearless gobbling. St. Petersburg resident Jeff Thomas, who used to live in Plant City, was an early favorite, as he devoured the dessert, even taking the time to lick the plate clean.
However, the task proved too much too fast as what went down…soon came back up (luckily there was a trash can nearby). Jane Strong, who visited the festival with Thomas, said he enters as many contests as possible. “He’s got a room full of trophies,” she said.
Unfortunately Strong and another contestant sitting next to him were disqualified because, although he ate the most, couldn’t keep it down.
After the judges weighed what was left on their plates, the winner, John Huffman, was crowned the new Strawberry Shortcake Champion, receiving a trophy adorned with a pig and, ironically, two tickets for free strawberry shortcakes at the St. Clement’s Catholic Church strawberry shortcake stand.
Huffman, who currently lives in Ohio, gave the tickets away. He didn’t want another bite of strawberry shortcake.
Ironically, he’s working on a market research project for the International Association of Fairs and Expositions about the correlation between fairs, food and education.
When he saw there was going to be an eating competition, featuring his favorite food, strawberries, he knew he had to volunteer. “I was hoping I would get picked because I’m finalizing my report to them and of course, a picture of me eating like a ridiculous person is going to be in the report,” he said.
He relied on “research” to come up with a winning strategy. “I’d like to thank Adam Richman and Joey Chestnut because they were my mentors,” he joked. “I watched them when they eat and that’s why I was drinking water and getting things wet.”
He thought a strategic mistake eight minutes into the competition would be his downfall. “I poured water onto my plate and I shouldn’t have done that because it added weight to the plate,” he said.
Even with a little spilled water, when all the plates were weighed, his was the lightest; he had eaten the most.
So, as his market research project is finalized, and he writes about the importance of creating teaching moments at fairs and festivals, about the health effects of food from farmers and ranchers and health and medical professionals, this Strawberry Shortcake Champion will never forget his moment in the spotlight at the Florida Strawberry Festival.
“This is one of those things you remember for the rest of your life,” he said.