(All Photos: Reza Evol)
The challenge was serious. The competitors…surprisingly tiny, with what I assumed were tiny stomachs. Their goal: eat as many bowls of homemade gnocchi in 10 minutes as they can. Piola restaurant set up the challenge, along with Birra Moretti, and sweetened the contest with a vintage 1963 Vespa. For me, a bowl of good gnocchi is a pretty good prize as it is.
The gnocchi-eating competition packed teams of vocal supporters into Piola to cheer on their ambitious friends last Sunday. Along with a representative from Piola and Birra Moretti, I was asked to judge the event. I represent the gnocchi-lovers. What does one do as the judge of an eating competition? The winning results are usually obvious: who ate the most food? When I arrived I was told to watch the contestants as they ate; any food that was dropped on the table or the floor had to be eaten or they’d be disqualified. Anyone who vomits is also disqualified. I was on puke-watch.
10 competitors were each given a giant bowl filled with two kilograms of pillowy gnocchi. No host is more perfect for such an event than Furious Pete. A famous competitive eater and champion, he has five years of competitive eating under his belt. He looks like the muscly kind of weight-lifter who needs the extra calories. I asked him how he prepares for competitions. His trick is to maintain a mostly liquid diet a day or two before an event. He avoids having too many whole foods so that his body isn’t digesting it for long. Also, here’s a tip for buffet-eaters who want to get their money’s worth. Not eating beforehand only shrinks your stomach. To stretch it, Pete doubles his water intake 3 to 4 days before. His favourite competition food? “I love pizza when it’s really, really good. I can just keep eating it. And I’m really good at wings. I can eat 100 giant wings in 6.5 minutes,” says Pete.
Pete is a hero to competitive eaters, who flock to his Youtube videos to get training tips and strategies. Smart entrants in the gnocchi contest knew this. In fact, Steven Dorgo, a.k.a “The Clutch” — each had a competition name — is a 20-year-old fan of Furious Pete who watched his videos to prepare for the event. It paid off when he was crowned the winner, having eaten 2.418 kg of gnocchi in 10 minutes. What was this newbie’s strategy? “I knew I had to keep a steady pace. That was my logic; it’s like running. If you sprint, you’ll lose steam. If you keep a steady pace you’ll go further in the end.”
Coming in a close second: Jesse Kanukla, “The Out of Towner”, who had never eaten gnocchi before. And in third place: Brett Kane, “The Gnocch Out King”.
If you think you can match this record, Piola offers a Lucky Gnocchi Day on the 29th of each month with all-you-can-eat gnocchi for $14.99.
The winner____
