There are two things West Virginians know and love: Mountaineer football and pepperoni rolls. Of course WVU football has already received national recognition and the pepperoni rolls will get some this weekend.
On Saturday, the first ever Pierpont Pepperoni Roll Eating World Championship will take place at the WV Three Rivers Festival in Fairmont. The Major League Eating (MLE) sanctioned event will have many top ranked competitive eaters from around the world competing for the $2,000 top prize and a new world record. Contestants will have 10 minutes to consume the most pepperoni rolls possible.
Arriving in West Virginia for the competition are many heavy hitters from the world of competitive eating. The favorite in the event is MLE second ranked Patrick Bertoletti from Chicago, IL. Bertoletti stands just behind world-renowned eater Joey Chestnut and recently polished off an incredible 275 pickled jalapenos in only eight minutes. Also joining in the competition is tenth ranked Juliet Lee, weighing in at only 105 pounds.
George Shea, chairman of Major League eating, says he thinks West Virginians will like this competition.
“The pepperoni roll, to me, is a beautiful thing. You have the bread, which gives you the filling element. The pepperoni [which is] the flavor.”
The competition will begin at 4:00 p.m. in Palatine Park following the Amateur Pepperoni Roll Bake-Off.