Those who share a passion for pie and Florida’s tart and tiny citrus are invited to Southernmost Beach Café, 1405 Duval Street, where the 2025 World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship is to take center stage on Friday, July 4.
The 13th version of a tangy twist on New York’s classic Fourth of July hotdog-eating contest, the Key Lime pie showdown has grown into a tradition since its 2013 launch. Each year, up to 25 daring contestants plunge face first into an equal number of 9-inch whipped-cream topped Key Lime pies, racing against their competitors and the clock, with no hands allowed.
Last year’s champ, Hector Rodriguez of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, devoured his pie in an impressive 1 minute, 58.52 seconds. But the record to beat remains a blistering 40:57 seconds, achieved in 2018 by attorney Trey Bergman of Houston, who also claimed victory in 2017 with a time of 51:92 seconds.
Key West locals have seen their share of triumph too: Chris Shultz in 2022: 74 sec; David Johnson in 2019: 58.2 sec; Steve Carr in 2015: 78 sec; Tony Mantia in 2014: time not recorded and Gary Delos Santos in 2013; TNR.
“There are eating contests all over the world, but none match the mess—or the magic—of ours,” said Nadene Grossman Orr, Key Lime Festival Director/CEO of We’ve Got the Keys. "It’s the southernmost in the U.S.A. and the most spectacularly sloppy.”
Key Lime pies, declared the official state pie in 2006 by the Florida Legislature, are traditionally made with condensed milk, egg yolks and the juice of Key limes within a graham cracker crust and topped with whipped cream or meringue. Competition pies will measure 9 inches (23-centimeters); competitors may not use utensils or their hands, though goggles and dive masks are fair game.
The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship at the Southernmost Beach Café kicks off at 1:30 p.m. but the attractions begin at 10 a.m. with the opening of the Key Lime Vendor Village, and music, games and activities starting at 11 a.m.
The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship is the centerpiece event of the Key Lime Festival, a five-day celebration of Florida’s most sensational citrus, which runs from July 2-July 6.
Presented in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and We’ve Got the Keys, admission to the competition is free, cost to compete is $30 with online pre-registration, $50 day-of, and is open to those aged 18 and up. For registration links and a full calendar of events, visit http://www.keylimefestival.com.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.