LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Last summer, the world's top two Major League Eating (MLE) competitors, Matt “The Megatoad” Stonie (ranked #1 by MLE) and Joey “Jaws” Chestnut (#2), made history. They shoved handfuls of Japanese potstickers into their mouths at the annual Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship and both shattered the standing world record of 268 gyoza in ten minutes (set by Stonie in 2013) by more than 100 gyoza. Chestnut consumed a mind-blowing 384 gyoza—which adds up to about 15 pounds of potstickers (that's 1.5 pounds every sixty seconds)—and Stonie came in second with 377. This year, Chestnut will be vying to defend his title against Stonie, who very recently shocked the competitive eating world when he robbed Chestnut of what would have been his 9th consecutive win at the infamous hot dog eating competition in Coney Island.
On August 22nd, the 9th Annual Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship (the premier competitive eating event on the West Coast) will host the world's top competitive eaters, where they will devour as many Day-Lee Pride gyoza as possible in 10 minutes. Chestnut and Stonie will be competing for a $6,000 cash purse among a field of fellow MLE stars including Miki Sudo (#4), Erik Denmark (#6), Adrian Morgan (#7), Michelle Lesco (#8), Juliet Lee (#9), Juan “More Bite” Rodriguez (#10), Eric “Badlands” Booker (#12), Pablo Martinez (#13), Steve Hendry (#14). Husband and wife Rich “The Locust” LeFevre (#16) and Carlene LeFevre (#34), competitive eating pioneers who are still at it in their golden years, will also be putting down potstickers.
Part of the 75th Annual Los Angeles Nisei Week Japanese Festival, the eating championship is hosted by the Nisei Week Foundation and sanctioned by MLE and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). The main event will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) Plaza in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district. The JACCC Plaza is located at 244 S. San Pedro Street, LA, CA 90012. Admission is free; limited seating and ample standing room will be available.
“The Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship has always been a marquee event on our calendar,” said Sam Barclay from Major League Eating and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). “But I expect this year's event to be the most exciting yet. With sixteen ranked eaters participating, we simply have orchestrated the best field in the history of the event.”
Additional information for the Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship can be found online at Facebook and Twitter (@EatMoreGyoza).
About Day-Lee Foods, Inc.
Day-Lee Foods, Inc., a leader in authentic Asian cuisine, manufactures two frozen food brands for retail and foodservice customers: Day-Lee Pride, a line of 5 different types of gyoza (chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, and vegetable); and Crazy Cuizine, a line of premium-quality Asian classics such as Mandarin Orange Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Korean BBQ, and Chicken & Pork Potstickers.
About the Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship
The Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship is hosted annually by the Nisei Week Foundation at the Los Angeles Nisei Week Japanese Festival and sanctioned by Major League Eating (MLE) and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). Since 2006, the contest has quickly become a marquee event on the MLE calendar, attracting the best of the best to see who can eat the most Day-Lee Pride gyoza (Japanese potstickers) in 10 minutes. The current world record is 384 gyoza eaten by the 2014 champion, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut (currently ranked #2 by MLE).
About the 2015 Los Angeles Nisei Week Japanese Festival
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2015, the Nisei Week Japanese Festival is recognized as one of the longest-running ethnic festivals in the United States, the Nisei Week Japanese Festival is a nine-day event celebrating Japanese and Japanese American culture and history as an integral part of the City of Los Angeles. All proceeds benefit the Nisei Week Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The 2015 festival will take place in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district from August 15-23. For more information, a calendar of events, and volunteer information, visit www.NiseiWeek.org
