Cade Neal and 27 other brave eaters lined a long table at Sabatini’s Bar and Bottle Shop in Exeter.
They had a choice: regular or barbecue potato chips. Most, like Neal, chose barbecue.
“It’s got to be barbecue,” Neal said. “They’re going to cut you up either way so you might as well eat the tastier one.”
When the timer started, bags were busted open and the crunching began. Dozens of onlookers were there to cheer them on.
These weren't just any snackers, and not just any chips.
They crowded around the table for the Middleswarth Potato Chip Eating Contest, a 10-year tradition in Luzerne County held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The contest draws snackers and spectators to see who can eat the most in five minutes.
Middleswarth, a brand of potato chips produced in Snyder County and found only in Pennsylvania,
has gained a cult following. Fans — including homesick Pennsylvania ex-patriates — scramble to buy them at stores in the state, as well as through online retailers.
'My mouth is bleeding'
Bill Beggs, who grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania but now lives in Delaware County, has competed four times.
“It’s mass chaos,” he said. “The goal is to get a bag and a half down in 5 minutes. By the last two minutes, it’s a grind.”
Tristan Fry set a record this year, winning the contest for the fourth time.
“I got 16.15 ounces,” he said. “Feeling pretty good. My mouth is bleeding.”
His strategy is to crunch the chips with his hands before putting them in his mouth.
“Start shoving them in, take a sip of water,” he said. “You don’t really chew, you let your hands do the chewing, you just swallow.”
‘They get into it’
“As the years go by, we see a lot of repeat people, and a lot of familiar faces,” said founder Albert Martino. “And it’s become a family event.”
Martino owns NortheastSnacks, a company that ships Middleswarth chips and other snacks all over the country.
He invited local podcast host Brian DiMattia to emcee the event.
“The best thing is they get into it,” DiMattia said. “We’re blessed to be in Northeast Pennsylvania in the food culture that we have.”
The Old Forge native hosted the first Old Forge pizza eating contest this year and hopes to bring more food events to the region.
“The turnout and the support for events in Northeast Pennsylvania is what drives Northeast Pennsylvania to be what it is,” he said.
