Location: New Orleans, LA
Rouses Markets and Major League Eating returned to New Orleans for the third annual Crawfish Eating World Championship on Saturday, April 14, 2012. Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, a resident of Alexandria, VA, secured her third straight Rouses Crawfish Eating Championship by downing 3.30 pounds of crawfish from the shell in ten minutes. She was able to fend off a challenge from New York’s Crazy Legs Conti and Baton Rouge’s Adrian Morgan. The event drew a large crowd to the Rouses stage, which was located near the Old U.S. Mint during French Quarter Festival in New Orleans, LA.
Each year, Rouses Markets boils Louisiana crawfish and serves their famous dish to the thousands of festival goers attending the four-day French Quarter Festival. This year’s Crawfish Eating World Championship was the company’s third, and it drew Major League Eaters from all around the country. Competitors must peel the crawfish, extracting the meat from the shells. Crazy Legs Conti, an oyster-eating specialist from New York, took second place with 2.8 pounds of crawfish from the shell. Adrian Morgan, a moon pie-eating champion from Baton Rouge, LA, placed third with 2.45 pounds.
“Once again, this event boiled down to hand speed and technique, Sonya is a world class eater who has never lost a contest in New Orleans,” said Richard Shea, president of Major League Eating. “The crowd was huge and they displayed true southern hospitality, cheering for Sonya as if she were a New Orleanian.”
The Rouses contest ran 10 minutes. Competitors were presented with an unlimited number of trays, each heaping with five pounds of Rouses famous boiled crawfish in the shell. Crawfish are classified as a ‘debris food’ by Major League Eating, which means each competitor’s crawfish are weighed before and after the event. The winner went home with the coveted Rouse’s Crawfish Cup and the lion’s share of the $2,000 cash purse.
Rouses conducted two under card events prior to the Crawfish Eating Championship. New Orleans Firefighters and Police faced off first, fighting for an amateur title and bragging rights. A second round featured members of the fourth estate, pitting media personalities and reporters against one another in a quest for gustatory glory. Additional information is available at www.ifoce.com.
About Rouses: Rouses is one of the largest independent grocers in the United States, with 38 stores in two states and 5,400 team members. It has consistently been voted “Best Supermarket,” and “One of the Best Places to Work.” Rouses was founded in 1960 by the late Anthony J. Rouse, Sr. Today it is operated by a second and third generation of the Rouse family.
FULL RESULTS 1-Sonya Thomas - 3.3 lbs Rouses Crawfish in 10 minutes - $1,000 2-Crazy Legs Conti - 2.8 lbs - $500 3-Adrian Morgan - 2.45 lbs - $300 4-Damien Boykin - 1.7 lbs - $200 5-Nathan Biller - 1.65 lbs 6-Buddy Prejean - 1.4 lbs 7-Steve Smith - 1.3 lbs 8-Nick Bauer - 1.15 lbs 9-Kobi Bauer - 1 lbs 10-James Howell - .65 lbs
CLICK HERE for more information on Rouses Supermarkets.
CLICK HERE for more information on The French Quarter Festival.
Follow Rouses on twitter @RousesMarkets
Follow The French Quarter Festival on twitter @FQFestNOLA.
Become a fan of the MLE Facebook Page
For instant results to all Major League Eating Contests, follow @eatingcontest