INDIANAPOLIS — With his left hand, Joey Chestnut scooped the popcorn kernels like a steam shovel while the right hand poured liquid like a waterfall to ease the route down his esophagus with the crowd at Victory Field chanting “Jo-ey! Jo-ey!” and the clock ticking down from 8 minutes.
As announcer Scott Allan proclaimed, “You’re killing it!” the world’s greatest eater’s cheeks briefly ballooned as if they might explode. In a rush of swallowing, zero seconds left, fans rising to their feet with vigorous applause, Chestnut did it again.
New world record: 32-plus popcorn servings. “Jo-ey!”
The man can eat. Operators of all-you-can-eat buffets lock their doors if they see Chestnut approaching.
On Tuesday night, as a promotional prelude to the Indianapolis Indians’ 3-2 victory over the Rochester Red Wings in AAA International League baseball play, the 15-time July 4 hot dog eating king of Coney Island branched out to another food group and triumphed once more.
Not that Chestnut has been limited to hot dogs (with buns, no condiments) all along. The No. 1-ranked competitive eater can be summarized as someone if you put the plate of food in front of him, he will empty it. You name the cuisine and Chestnut will take the time not to savor it, merely to swallow it as quickly as the human body can. Gourmand, not gourmet.
When it comes to Nathan’s hot dogs, ballpark popcorn, chicken wings, matzo balls (yes, ethnic eats, too), slices of pizza, St. Elmo’s shrimp cocktails (really), mac and cheese, brats, funnel cake, corned beef sandwiches and pumpkin pie, Chestnut has set 56 speed eating world records. Essentially, if you serve it, he will come.
Others can eat fast and stuff great volumes into their mouths under the pressure of a ticking clock, but Chestnut is the GOAT, the greatest of all time, in this peculiar, esoteric specialty of putting his mouth where his mouth is.
Not that Chestnut is particularly boastful. He was gracious to individuals in print, radio and television interviews at the park and equally so with fans who requested selfies and autographs.
How the 48-year-old came to include Victory Field as one of his approximately 20 annual competitive stops is that he lives here now. California born, his ongoing tour of the nation’s hot sauce and hot food destinations convinced him this is the best place to be, so in April 2021, he moved to Westfield.
His appearance at Victory Field was consistent with the grand tradition of can-you-top-this nature of minor league baseball promotions.
“That’s the beauty of the minor leagues,” Indians Director of Communications Cheyne Reiter said. “You can think outside the box.”
In this case, many boxes. Indians concessions popcorn sell for $5.99 a box. Chestnut’s support crew gathered them by the armful and placed them on a table situated between home plate and the pitcher’s mound for this pregame contest.
The popcorn mark was held by Matt Stonie, who once interrupted Chestnut’s Coney Island hot dog streak. Chestnut needed to devour 28 servings of 24 ounces in 8 minutes for a new record.
Pregame, Chestnut seemed totally relaxed. He cuts his brown hair in a neat trim and was wearing a baseball shirt reading “Circle City” in front with his last name emblazoned on the back along with the number 76. The numeral represents his record total of dogs ingested in 2021.
Competitive eating criticism takes two forms, one being it is unseemly for a small number of individuals to inhale so much food when others in this world go hungry. Another asks whether it is healthy to eat so much so fast.
“I go to the doctor quite a bit,” Chestnut said.
He has the pipes checked and is assured he is not damaging the overall system.
Chestnut is one of four brothers and said he always outate everyone in the clan. He weighs 240 pounds.
“I love to eat. I’m a chubster,” he said.
He didn’t look it, the weight seemingly well-distributed over his 6-foot-plus tall frame. He does not order the whole side of a menu in a restaurant, often eating simply.
“I still love a hot dog at a baseball game,” he said. With onions. The day before, in New York, “I had a really good meatball sandwich.”
Frequently recognized because of his starring role on July 4, Chestnut said, “It’s happy people.” George Shea, the straw-hat-boater-wearing emcee of the Coney Island contests, is a maestro introducing the contestants. Chestnut does not feed him biographical info.
“He doesn’t tell me how to eat, and I don’t tell him what to say,” Chestnut said.
Carrying a handmade sign supporting Chestnut’s popcorn quest was Jackson Hastings, 8, of Plainfield, who scored an autographed popcorn box. He was accompanied by mom, Heather, who wore a popcorn T-shirt, and dad, Travis. Jackson conceded he likes popcorn — but hot dogs more.
Before the show, Chestnut said, “I’m a little bit nervous.” Popcorn is a funky substance. The kernels have air in them and can be sharp. Chestnut soothes his stomach by drinking coffee.
Chestnut took his position behind the popcorn table, making sure a row of water glasses was within easy reach and a bowl holding the first batch of popcorn was ready. Later, assistants opened more boxes and loaded the bowl.
Standing nearby, Allan introduced Chestnut and provided play by play and color commentary.
“He’s now 12 servings in,” Allan reported. “This guy’s a machine eating this popcorn up here.”
As baseball players inched onto the field to warm up, Chestnut guzzled to the last second, ingesting the last of 32.24 popcorn servings.
Sweat trickled down the side of his face.
“Man, that was tough,” Chestnut said.
About 2 minutes in, a piece of popcorn briefly stuck in his throat and scared him. But he ate his way out of the conundrum.
“My mouth is like raw now,” he said.
Playing hurt, he got the new record, though, and the Indians’ Reiter was smiling.
“Shattered it,” he said. “Smoked it.”
Someone asked Chestnut what was for dinner.
“Beer,” he said.
Joey Chestnut deserved whatever drink he chose to wash down his hefty salty appetizer.