LI Strawberry Shortcake Contest Champ Downs 23+ Lbs. In 8 Minutes

MATTITUCK, NY — They ate more shortcake than ever before: It was the sweetest of competitions Saturday as contestants vied to win the World Strawberry Shortcake Eating Championship, presented by Major League Eating, at the 69th Annual Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival.

The contestants competed to see who could down the most 1 lb. bowls of strawberry shortcake in 8 minutes — and this year, Geoff Esper of Oxford, MA, the #2nd ranked competitive eater in the world —took home the title for the third consecutive year and won the $5,000 first prize, eating 23 and 3/4 lbs. of strawberry deliciousness in 8 minutes.

It was a close race: "This was back and forth, back and forth," the emcee said. "James Webb of Australia was out early, well ahead, then he fell back and came back again. Geoffrey Esper came back, then he slowed down. It was too close to call until the very, very end."

So many of the best Major League talents turned out for the competition that the Mattituck Lions Club prepared an extra 100 plates of shortcake. But even that barely made a dent, the contestants ate more shortcake, in a shorter time, than ever before.

(Lisa Finn / Patch)

The competition was a nail biter, with some speculation that the competition might have to end earlier than 8 minutes, because the shortcake was running out. When the whipped cream settled, in the end, there were only 2 scant bowls left.

Esper remains the reigning champ: In 2023, Esper took home the title, consuming 21 bowls of sweet goodness in the allotted time.

Esper was the 2022 winner, as well, coming in at 18.25 bowls. Esper also won the competition in 2019, eating 17.5 bowls in 8 minutes.

Webb finished in second place, winning $2,500 and knocking back 20 and 1/2 lbs. of shortcake in 8 minutes.