Nisei Week: 5th Annual Day - Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship - Nisei WeekNEW

On Saturday, August 20, the 71st Annual Los Angeles Nisei Week Japanese Festival hosts the 5th Annual Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship, an official Major League Eating (MLE) event, featuring 100-pound eating sensation Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas.

For the event, a deep field of MLE stars and a couple local amateurs will take aim at a $5,000 cash purse and a stomach full of delicious gyoza (Japanese potstickers). Competitors will have 10 minutes to eat as many Day-Lee Pride brand gyoza as possible. The event takes place at 1:30 p.m. at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) Plaza in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district.

Ranked fifth in the world by MLE, the Korean born Thomas is known for her ability to leave crowds mesmerized as she beats men over three times her size. Fresh off of her dominant performance at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Women's Hot Dog Eating Contest, Thomas will be looking to break Joey Chestnut's world record of 231 gyoza in pursuit of her first Gyoza Championship. She currently holds 24 eating records.

Thomas' main competition will be Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest runner up Pat Bertoletti (#2 World Ranking), "Notorious B.O.B." Bob Shoudt (#4), and MLE rookie sensation Matt "Megatoad" Stonie (#10).

Other contestants from the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest include 2010 Gyoza Eating Championship runner-up Erik Denmark (#7), Tim Brown (#8), local MLE star Damon Wells (#28), Michelle Lesco, and former OC Register High School Runner of the Year Stephanie Torres. Rounding out the professional field are rapper/entertainer Badlands Booker (#15), Brian Seiken (#40), Yasir Salem (#49), Shawn Kirby (#50), and 2010 Amateur Gyoza Eating champion Chikara Omine. Competing for charity will be the 2010 Nisei Week Queen and her court. For any aspiring competitive eaters, the 20th and final spot will be auctioned off at the start of the contest. T

he JACCC Plaza is located at 244 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, Calif., 90012. Event sponsors include Day-Lee Foods, Chop Suey Café, and Zojirushi. Admission is free but seating is extremely limited, so please arrive early. There will be plenty of standing room available.

All inquiries for event sponsorship, participation, volunteering, or attendance may be sent to the event organizer Cory Hayashi at cory.hayashi@gmail.com or call (714) 393-3229.

Contest information can also be found on Twitter (www.twitter.com/@EatMoreGyoza) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/GyozaChampionship).

The 2011 Nisei Week Japanese Festival will take place in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district from August 13-21. For a calendar of events and volunteer information, log on to www.NiseiWeek.org or call the Nisei Week Foundation office at (213) 687-7193. The Nisei Week Foundation was established in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to oversee and organize the Nisei Week Japanese Festival. The Foundation's mission is to promote Japanese and Japanese American heritage and traditions while bringing together the diverse communities of Southern California through arts and cultural education. It does this by producing the Nisei Week Japanese Festival, a nine-day event first held in 1934 and is today one of the longest running ethnic festivals in the United States.

Day-Lee Foods, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Meat Packers, Inc. NMP has been delivering quality meat products to the food service and general consumer markets for more than 50 years. Day-Lee Pride brand gyoza is available at Albertson's and Asian markets everywhere.

Date
August 20, 2011

Time
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm