It was a battle of State of Origin proportions with the Johnson’s Bakery pie eating competition coming down to a “pie off” between a visiting touch footballer from Queensland and Parkes’ Jake Adams on Friday.
Adams, who “just dropped into the bakery to buy his daughter a sandwich” on Friday morning devoured all comers to walk away with the $150 prize as part of owners Tracy and Greg Kearney’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
Twenty-one contestants devoured 68 pies between them with the winner Jake Adams and runner up Paul Vandermeer gobbling down five pies apiece.
They were joined in the final by Brad Davies, Josh Vanderstock, Ben Dorrington, Craig Zillman, Brad Gibson, Josy Penny, Simon McDiamard, Alex McHugh-Douglas, Paul Lovett and Elliot Kinsella.
Vandermeer and his team mates from the Redlands took a detour to the bakery looking to make some easy dough before “training” on Friday morning ahead of the Local Government touch football championships at the weekend.
Dooley Thomson, who acted as MC explained to competitors they were required to start with their hands behind their backs, they were allowed to use their hands when the eating started sauce was optional, and they needed to eat the pie as quickly as they could and finish with their mouth open and hands on the table.
The quickest and cleanest advanced to the next round with three heats held before a final consisting of 12 competitors.
The final was declared a dead heat with a “pie off” held between Adams and Vandermeer.
“No spewing,” Dooley Thomson told the competitors.
“If you do, too bad,” he joked.
In the “pie off” Adams stopped the clock at 18 seconds to take the coveted title.
The pie off kicked off a full day of celebrations at the bakery which included a lucky wheel prize draw and lucky door prizes as well as plenty of celebratory cake and great pies.
Parkes Champion-Post
