At the largest Polish Festival in Macomb County, Michigan, the 1st Annual Pierogi-Eating Contest was held on Saturday, July 9, 2011, at the American-Polish Century Club grounds in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
In a violent display of mass consumption, Matt Holowicki of Plymouth, Michigan not only beat the competition with 49 pierogis eaten in the ten-minute span, but also broke the national record of 42 pierogis held in California last year.
The winner, Matt Holowicki thanked all of his supporters, and as an automatic entrant into next year’s contest vowed to return. He was later seen in the dessert line for nalesniki.
Pierogi-eating contests are traditionally held at Polish festivals throughout the U.S.. Prizes at this event for the top three devourers were: trophy and cash prize for the champ, cash only for second and third place finishers.
The eligibility requirements : eat as many pierogis(potato/cheese filling) as possible in any style(with water, if desired) within the allotted time of 10 minutes and no condiments. The weight amounted to 12 pierogi’s per pound. Judges were on hand to assure adherence to all national contest rules.
