Young competitors dive into pie at California State Fair in Sacramento
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The California State Fair hosted a pie-eating contest with youth-age divisions.
- Winners in all three divisions earned $50 gift cards and local bragging rights.
- Winners like Jason Wong and Matthew Ampersand cited focus and preparation.
As the golden hour settled over the California State Fair, Sebastian Gonzales dove chin first into a banana cream pie, licking both his fingers and the plate clean, in just 1 minute and 30 seconds. Near him were rows of other partially-eaten pastries and a wide-eyed lineup of young consumers.
On the Promenade Stage, three divisions of nearly 10 competitors tested their sweet tooth Monday evening, hoping to snag a $50 gift card and bragging rights. The kids division, ages 5 to 11, was tasked with demolishing a singular slice, or one-fourth, of an entire pie. Teens, ages 12 to 17, took on half of a pie. Adults, ages 18 and older, had to consume the entire dessert.
During the competition, some ate quickly — yet civilly — with a provided plastic spoon, while others opted for their bare hands.
Gonzales, 10, won the kids division with the latter strategy.
He was escorted to the competition by his mother, Irene, who competed in the adult division. Irene explained that competitions like this give Gonzales an opportunity to be competitive outside of sports.
Sunglasses on, Gonzales came with a simple game plan for conquering the slice.
“I’m just gonna use my whole face,” he said.
After claiming victory against his peers, Gonzales asserted that he plans to come back to next year’s fair to claim back-to-back victories.
Bespectacled and wearing a vest sequined with the American flag, balloon sculptor Dennis Forel, also known as Balloonacy, was the event’s master of ceremonies. Forel pointed participants to the tin buckets behind their seats in case they felt an “urge to regurge.”
Jason Wong, 17, won the teenage division of the competition in just 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Encouraged by his friends and cousins to compete, Jason went into the bout with nothing to prove.
“I didn’t pace myself,” Wong said. “I was focused on my game, didn’t look at anybody and just went after it.”
He planned to use his $50 Save Mart gift card to buy a “nice steak” for his family.
The evening’s final chow-down champion was fedora-wearing Matthew Ampersand. As the theme from the Rocky movie blared from nearby speakers, Ampersand, 45, used his YouTube-informed eating strategy to squash the competition.
“I watched videos on competitive eating and sought strategies that worked out,” Ampersand said. “You get big spoonfuls but swallow them first before adding another spoonful, and I think that was key. A lot of people also chipmunk and shove their mouth full of food, which I did.”
Having never competed before, but wholly invested in novel experiences, Ampersand quelled his nerves for the 2 minutes and 40 seconds he needed to finish his pie.
After winning, he planned on getting a giant corn dog. Dessert, apparently, was just the appetizer.
