The 9th Annual Northeast Snacks Middleswarth Potato Chip Eating Contest takes place at Sabatini’s Bottle Shop.
Photo Credit — Northeast Snacks
Put your Middleswarth chip eating skills to the test in this food competition to celebrate our area’s beloved snack.
Photo Credit — Northeast Snacks
EXETER — Can’t get enough Middleswarth potato chips? Well, here’s your chance to put the chips where your mouth is. Northeast Snacks hosts the 9th Annual Northeast Snacks Middleswarth Potato Chip Eating Contest on Saturday, November 30.
Approximately 30 contestants will be challenged to eat the most amount of Middleswarth chips by weight within five minutes in what has become a riveting local tradition over Thanksgiving weekend.
Everyone starts off with a Weekender-size bag and at the end of five minutes, they weigh what’s left in the bag to determine the champion! The winner will receive an official Chip Champ trophy, ultimate local bragging rights and a Northeast Snacks gift certificate.
The event will be held at Sabatini’s Bottle Shop in Exeter on Saturday, November 30, with doors opening at 10 a.m. The contest will take place at 11 a.m.
Everyone is welcome! The event is open to the public, it is all ages and family-friendly but contestants must be 18 and older. A portion of participant ticket proceeds will be donated to a local animal rescue.
“This is our Christmas!” said Northeast Snacks owner Albert Martino. Northeast Snacks has been shipping chips and other regional snacks all over the country for around 10 years. The company’s goal is just making people happy while spreading some quintessential NEPA culture in the process.
“In our second year of operation, we decided to have a chip contest,” said Martino. “It’s always just a good time. We wanted to do something fun to bring people together.”
Martino said when he moved out to Phoenix, Arizona, he couldn’t get Middleswarth Potato Chips out there. So, when he came back to NEPA, he felt inspired to make local delicacies like these available for people all over!
Now, nine years into the contest and ten years into the business, people come from all over to compete in this nostalgic tradition, even from the out-of-state and as far away as the West Coast to honor this delicious chip.
The current record chip-eating record is 16 ounces in five minutes, and we will have to see Saturday if someone can break that this year! The majority of competitors eat around three to four ounces of chips and a few greats get over 10!
It’s harder than it sounds and Martino said that two minute mark hits hard! Everyone has their own strategy – some opt for plain chips over BBQ to make it easier, others wash it down with plenty of beer. But, really, this silly eating competition is all about everyone having a good time celebrating the community.
“What’s important is that they are all having fun,” said Martino.
Come out Saturday to Sabatini’s to see if you have what it takes to become the 2024 Chip Champion! Plus, it’s Thanksgiving Weekend, so what’s one more day of stuffing our faces?
