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Competition to benefit firehouses damaged by Hurricane Sandy
World champion competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi will coach members of the Island Park, Long Beach, Lakeview, Baldwin, Point Lookout and East Rockaway fire departments on the finer points of clam ingestion as they compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes at the second annual Long Island Clam Eating Contest at Peter’s Clam Bar in Island Park on Aug. 16.
The competition will benefit Long Island firehouses devastated by Hurricane Sandy. “Mr. Hustle” himself, baseball legend Pete Rose, will fire up the first responders at a kick-off reception the night before at Peter’s.
Kobayashi is one of the biggest stars in competitive eating, having garnered headlines around the world for his gut-busting consumption of all things edible, from hot dogs and meatballs to Twinkies and pasta. Largely responsible for promoting the sport of competitive eating around the world, Kobayashi will coach the firefighters as they try to equal or beat the current clam-eating world record: 26 dozen cherrystone clams in six minutes, which was set at Peter’s in 2010. There will also be a separate clam-eating contest at which members of the public can compete for prizes.
Peter’s is owned by the Dover Group, whose president, Butch Yamali, is an honorary member of the Island Park Fire Department. “Last year’s turnout was great,” said Yamali, of Merrick. “We helped the firehouses, and everyone had a good time... Everyone walked away with something.
“You know every one of these firehouses on the South Shore needs money. They lost everything in Sandy, equipment, trucks, uniforms,” Yamali continued. “I knew there were these eating contests, so this was a way to combine a contest and help at the same time. We had 14 participants last year; they even came from Brooklyn. This year we have Pete Rose coming, Kobayashi, even [Nassau County Executive] Ed Mangano is stopping by.”
When asked how many clams he ordered, Yamali said, “We have a walk-in refrigerator box we fill with clams. My supplier is going crazy; he’;s worried he won’t have enough, so he’s out ordering now. I think we go through thousands, and they’re all fresh.”
