The smell of mushrooms baked, steamed, broiled, simmered and everything in between wasn’t the only scent amidst a large crowd at this past weekend’s Kennett Square Mushroom Festival. If you made your way to the end of State Street where the Special Event Tent resided, one sniff would arouse feelings of intensity. A large crowd had gathered to witness 12 brave food loving souls as they participated in The Mushroom Festival’s first ever Fried Mushroom Eating World Record Contest.
Some hailed from Kennett Square, others ventured from the streets of New York boasting extensive eating resumes. Announced one by one, their fans cheered louder than a high school football crowd. Each contestant had eight minutes to devour as many fried mushrooms as they could from Buona Foods in hopes that their bellies held down the largest weight.
Three woman and nine very intimidating men kept their foodie focus throughout as the cameras flashed and the commentator hyped. When it was all said and done, a weigh down was in order between two close calls. Jamie “The Bear” McDonald proved victorious by devouring an astounding 5.5 pounds of fried mushrooms in eight minutes!
The event, sponsored by Buona Foods and organized by The Mushroom Festival, was truly an amazing occasion to witness. However, as unique as it was there was plenty more to see, taste and experience.
PA Eats crew found an occasional moment to break away from their photo booth fun and explore. We ventured through the Mushroom Exhibit and meandered by as vendors served up one of a kind mushroom munchies. Talula’s Table was a popular stop of the day as fest goers amassed to get a taste of their delightful mushroom risotto. Other culinary crafters like Byrsa Bistro, La Michoacana Homemade Ice Cream, Portabello’s, El Ranchero and Half Moon were also serving their fair share of magnificent mushroom infused items.
With endless cuisine options, crafts, demonstrations, book signings, farm tours and more, it’s a bit of a challenge to tackle it all in one day which is why PA Eats recommends a two day attack for the full festival experience.
Whether you decided to make a weekend of it or sadly missed this year’s Mushroom Festival due to a previous engagement, remember it’s a wonderful annual event and they certainly welcome you back to the The Mushroom Capital of the World next year for more fungi fun!
Get all the information you need for 2013 and many years to come at mushroomfestival.org.
