By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – We’ve all been there before.
You order a pizza, have one or two or three slices and then sit back in stuffed satisfaction as your hunger begins to roll over. But sooner or later, that half-empty box of pizza comes calling, seducing you into just a few more bites of deliciousness. For the five contestants of the Italian Fest’s first-ever pizza eating competition, however, the pursuit of their stomachs were chasing glory instead of indulgence.
Sponsored by Pizza Napoli, the new addition to Bradford’s annual ‘I-Fest’ came as the feature event of the final slate of festivities. In the two days prior, the event, which took over the majority of the Tops parking lot in downtown Bradford, had been in full swing, featuring Italian cuisine, games, activities and a litany of live music.
“We are doing great. We’re on track for another record year,” said Festa Italiana president Mary Ann Colestro-McCalla, who’s been on the event committee for over 15 years. “We had the best opening night we’ve ever had so that gave us a little cushion and now we’re coasting into our last day. We’re feeling pretty good about it.”
Finding some rays of sunshine, the final day of I-Fest opened early with an 11 a.m. fashion show put on by Small Town Girl Boutique. Then at 1 p.m., with the crowds piling into the large white tent that served as the main stage, the pizza eating contest got under way.
Sitting in front of the stage, Mary Beth Aiello, Kip Cobb, Bill Schroll, Jeff Carson and Alex Colosmo – the day’s five challengers – took their places. Throwing on red and green smocks and staring down at the pizza boxes laid out in front of them, they readied their stomachs. The winner would be crowned by whoever ate two full pizzas first or whoever ate the most slices in 15 minutes.
The lids opened and the race began.
Battling against the hot cheese and pepperoni, Colosmo hit the ground running, pulling away to an early lead as he outpaced his four opponents down the line. Fresh on his heels were Cobb and Schroll, who crept from behind as they housed slice after slice. However, midway through the competition, a wall appeared.
“I started out fast because I knew no one was finishing one pizza, let alone two, so I was like, ‘it’s a numbers game now. I have to start fast and try to carry my lead,’” said Colosmo. “After about the fourth slice, I was like, ‘uh-oh.’ But I powered forward.”
Cramming crusts and chomping cheese, the pacing slowed and as the time ticked down, there was no catching Colosmo. Holding his eighth of the hour, one that proved too much to finish, his two-slice advantage was a firm enough of a cushion to earn himself the championship.
“I’m full to be honest with you. I was a little fearful of standing up because I didn’t know if it was going to come right back out,” Colosmo joked after taking the crown. “Hopefully I can put some beer in my stomach. Celebratory drinks.”
For his effort, Colosmo earned a $40 gift card to Pizza Napoli, as well as the bragging rights of being Bradford’s undisputed Pizza Champ. Behind him, Cobb finished in second place, Schroll finished in third and Aiello and Carson brought up the rear with two consolation finishes. All earned varying prizes from the competition.
As the quintet laughed and high-fived, taking their leftovers into the crowd, music from the Cavaliers filtered throughout the tent and out into the festival. As the final hours of the celebration marched on, they would do so to the soundtrack of Marshmallow Overcoat and Nerd Gone Wild, before culminating in the closing act: a barrage of fireworks to signal another success at I-Fest, not only for the Italian Club, which hosts the event, but also for Bradford.
“This is a community event. All the proceeds, we give back to charity every year. This isn’t a money maker, this is a charity event,” said Colestro-McCalla. “A lot of people come to Bradford for this. A lot of people have their class reunions, family reunions because this is their home spot. It’s really great.”
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