Fresno Marie Callender's hosts first 4th of July pie eating contest: 'Dream come true'

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Marie Callender's connected Fresno's Cedar Avenue and Shaw Avenue is the archetypal determination successful the past of the institution to big a Fourth of July pie-eating contest, filling bellies and handing retired currency to observe America's Independence Day.

Rich Shields, the wide manager astatine Fresno's Marie Callender's, says helium was visiting New York erstwhile helium came up with the thought to big a pie-eating contest.

"A mates of years ago, Fourth of July, I was retired successful New York successful Brooklyn implicit by Coney Island watching the Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest," Shields said. "It conscionable made consciousness to benignant of showcase retired beauteous pies and kinda bash the aforesaid thing."

General Manager astatine Fresno's Marie Callender's Rich Shields

After calls with Marie Callendar's corporate, Shields discovered that helium was the archetypal wide manager to travel up with the idea. He rapidly got the greenish airy to big the event.

Shields and his unit acceptable up chairs, canopies, tables, water, panchos, and astir importantly pies. According to Shields, the rules were simple:

• Competitors could not usage their hands to devour the pie, lone to portion water
• Competitors were each fixed 4 pies to devour and a five-minute clip limit
• Competitors could get much pastry if they decorativeness the 4 pies successful beforehand of them

The victor would beryllium decided by weighing what each rival had near implicit aft the contest: whoever had the slightest magnitude of pastry near would win. Shields says each rival had implicit 8 pounds worthy of pastry successful beforehand of them.

First, second, and third-place currency prizes were awarded and competitors could support immoderate pastry they had near over. The lawsuit saw competitors astatine each antithetic levels of competitory eating, including first-time competitors and eating veterans.

"We had 40 motion up," said Shieds. "We did person a mates driblet out, truthful I deliberation we're going to extremity up with 38."

Non-competitors could bask a peculiar promotion of $5 disconnected each pastry arsenic they cheered connected the contestants. Once the contention was underway, contestants stuffed their faces successful hopes of winning the expansive prize, throwing caution to the upwind with the tone of Independence Day successful their hearts.

"I was conscionable successful the portion arsenic soon arsenic I woke up this morning; I started listening to Eye of the Tiger," contestant Clifford Cromer said. "This is simply a imagination travel true. I've been grooming for this my full life, antheral - God bless America."

Pie eating rival Clifford Cromer

Pie eating rival Clifford Cromer

Pie eating rival Clifford Cromer

When winners were yet announced it was Fernando Fernandez who came retired connected top, eating 5.3 lbs of pie.

Fernandez says it was his archetypal contention and helium wasn't definite he'd done capable to win, particularly since the contestants astir him seemed to person done a lot.

"I consciousness similar I didn't triumph that, to beryllium honest," Fernandez said.

Fernandez walked distant with $500 and a Fourth of July to remember.

Management astatine Marie Callender's connected Cedar Avenue and Shaw Avenue program to bring the lawsuit backmost adjacent twelvemonth for anyone looking to instrumentality location their ain portion of success.