World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship set for Fourth of July

World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship set for Fourth of July

On Tuesday, July 4, competitors and their fans will gather on the beach of the Southernmost Beach Café, 1405 Duval Street, for the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, a tart and wildly popular tropical spin-off on New York City’s traditional Fourth of July hotdog-eating contest.

Founded in 2013, up to 25 contestants compete in a timed race to consume a 9-inch Key lime pie, topped with whipped cream, without using their hands. Winners claim a trophy and championship belt, along with sweet fame and glory.

To date the fastest recorded winning time is a blistering 40:57 seconds, achieved in 2018 by attorney Trey Bergman of Houston, TX. Berman also triumphed in 2017 with a time of 51:92 seconds. Five Key West-based residents have won in past years: Chris Shultz in 2022: 74 sec; David Johnson in 2019: 58.2 sec; and Steve Carr in 2015: 78 sec. There are no recorded times for 2013 winner Gary Delos Santos or 2014 winner Tony Mantia, though Mantia reports, “Half of it was in my nose for a week.” The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship at the Southernmost Beach Café competition kicks off at 1:30pm but festivities and attractions, including a Key lime vendor village, open to the public at 11:00am.

The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship is a facet of Key West’s five-day long Key Lime Festival which runs from June 30-July 4 and is presented in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and We’ve Got the Keys. Admission to the Championship competition is free; cost to compete is $25. For registration links and a full calendar of events, visit http://www.keylimefestival.com.

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