Chef from Chicago takes grits-eating crown

BOSSIER, La., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A professional chef from Chicago won this year’s World Grits-Eating Championship in Louisiana.

Patrick Bertoletti put away 21 pounds of grits in 10 minutes, beating out such well-known eaters as Timothy "Eater X" Janus, of New York, who ate 20 pounds, Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., who made it through 19 pounds, and Sonya “The Black Widow“ Thomas, of Alexandria, Va., at 18.5 pounds, The Shreveport (La.) Times reported. Bertoletti, 21, a relative newcomer to the world of competitive eating, has racked up an impressive number of wins in areas as varied as strawberry shortcake and jalapeno peppers in less than two years.

"I surprised even myself today -- beating Joey Chestnut, my good friend and arch-rival, in a contest that tested our stomach capacity like no other," Bertoletti said.

Bertoletti was the favorite to win going into Saturday’s competition at the Louisiana Downs race track. Chestnut, who became an international celebrity, with his upset victory over Takeru Kobayashi of Japan in Nathan’s Famous hot-dog eating contest in New York was the crowd favorite.