Competitors and spectators will converge July 4 on the beach of the Southernmost Beach Café, 1405 Duval St., for the 2024 World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, Key West’s popular tropical takeoff on New York City’s traditional Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest.
Founded in 2013, up to 25 contestants compete in a timed race to consume a 9-inch Key lime pie, topped with whipped cream, without using their hands. Winners claim a trophy and championship belt, along with sweet fame, glory and bragging rights for a year.
Last year, Joshua Mogle of Altoona, Iowa, triumphed with a winning time of 3 minutes, 35 seconds. The fastest recorded winning time is a blistering 40.57 seconds, achieved in 2018 by attorney Trey Bergman of Houston, Texas. Berman also triumphed in 2017 with a time of 51.92 seconds.
Five Key West residents have won in past years: Chris Shultz in 2022, David Johnson in 2019, Steve Carr in 2015, Tony Mantia in 2014 and Gary Delos Santos in 2013.
“While there’s any number of eating competitions held throughout the year, we believe ours takes the cake (so to speak), not only as the southernmost event, but as the most spectacularly sloppy,” said Nadene Grossman Orr, Key Lime Festival director and president/CEO of We’ve Got the Keys.
Key lime pies are traditionally made with condensed milk, egg yolks and the juice of Key limes within a graham cracker crust and topped with whipped cream or meringue. Competition pies will measure 9 inches; competitors may not use utensils or their hands, though goggles and dive masks are permitted.
The contest kicks off at 1:30 p.m., but its Key Lime vendor village opens at 10 a.m. Other festivities, games and attractions start at 11 a.m.
The contest is a highlight of Key West’s five-day Key Lime Festival, which runs July 3-7. Admission to the competition is free; cost to compete is $25 and is open to those aged 18 and up. Registration and a full schedule of events are at keylimefestival.com.
