LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On August 16th, the 8th Annual Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship will challenge eaters to devour as many Day-Lee Pride gyoza (Japanese potstickers) as possible in 10 minutes. The premiere competitive eating event on the West Coast, the 2014 Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship will be an epic showdown between Joey "Jaws" Chestnut (ranked #1 by Major League Eating [MLE]) and Matt "Megatoad" Stonie (#2).
In a major upset last year, Stonie defeated Chestnut and set a new world record of 268 gyoza—two more than Chestnut ate in 2012. The two will be vying for gyoza championship glory and competing for a $6,000 cash purse among a field of MLE stars including Miki Sudo (#4), Marcos “The Monster” Owens (#16), Pablo Martinez (#17), Juan “More Bite” Rodriguez (#18), Eric "Badlands" Booker (#22), and Chestnut's bride-to-be Neslie Ricasa (#34). Competing for charity will be the 2013 Nisei Week Queen Lauren Naomi Iwata and her court.
Part of the 74th Annual Los Angeles Nisei Week Japanese Festival, the eating championship is hosted by the Nisei Week Foundation and sanctioned by MLE and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). The main event will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 16, at City Parking Lot #7 (160 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012, near the cross streets of Temple and Alameda) in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district, a short walk from the Metro Gold Line.
Hungry spectators with an appetite for delicious Japanese cuisine can purchase their very own plate of potstickers and Mandarin Orange Chicken bowls at the Day-Lee Pride and Crazy Cuizine food booths. For ramen lovers, the Ramen Yokocho Association's Ramen Matsuri (Festival) will showcase the West Coast's top ramen shops.
Admission for both the Gyoza Eating Championship and Ramen Matsuri is $5 per person.
Additional information for the Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship and festival can be found online at Facebook and Twitter (@EatMoreGyoza).
About Day-Lee Foods, Inc.
Day-Lee Foods, Inc., a leader in authentic Asian cuisine, manufactures two frozen food brands for retail and foodservice customers: Day-Lee Pride, a line of 5 different types of gyoza (chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, and vegetable); and Crazy Cuizine, a line of premium-quality Asian classics such as Mandarin Orange Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Korean BBQ, and Chicken & Pork Potstickers.
About the Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship
The Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship is hosted annually by the Nisei Week Foundation at the Los Angeles Nisei Week Japanese Festival and sanctioned by Major League Eating (MLE) and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). Since 2006, the contest has quickly become a marquee event on the MLE calendar, attracting the best of the best to see who can eat the most Day-Lee Pride gyoza (Japanese potstickers) in 10 minutes. The current world record is 268 gyoza eaten by the 2013 champion, Matt “Megatoad” Stonie (currently ranked #2 by MLE).
About the 2014 Los Angeles Nisei Week Japanese Festival
First held in 1934 and recognized as one of the longest-running ethnic festivals in the United States, the Nisei Week Japanese Festival is a nine-day event celebrating Japanese and Japanese American culture and history as an integral part of the City of Los Angeles. All proceeds benefit the Nisei Week Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The 2014 festival will take place in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district from August 9-17. For a calendar of events and volunteer information, please visit www.NiseiWeek.org.
