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Cannoli Contest in Little Italy Attracts Eating Pros

By Della Hasselle | September 17, 2010 12:14pm | Updated on September 17, 2010 12:16pm

By Della Hasselle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

LITTLE ITALY — Competitive eater Dave "US Male" Goldstein put his sweet tooth to good use on Thursday when he scarfed down 13 Sicilian pastries Thursday at Little Italy’s annual San Gennaro Cannoli-Eating Contest.

Goldstein, New Jersey resident, eked out a narrow first-place win, besting last year’s winner "Crazy Legs" Conti who swallowed 12 ¼ cannolis, officials said.

Competitors had six minutes to eat as many of the ricotta-filled treats, which pack a whopping 500 calories apiece, as possible.

"Crazy Legs" Conti ran into some trouble towards the end of the eat-off, when he upchucked some creamy filling, much to the disgust of the contestant next to him.

"Cannoli-eating is a very hard discipline," George Shea, the announcer who helps run Nathan’s Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest, explained. "It’s got a very hard shell and its extremely soft on the inside. It makes it hard to eat so many of them."

"US Male" Goldstein, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed.

"I feel great," he said. "I’m very hungry still. They only weigh a couple of pounds, so I’m going to go enjoy some sausage and pizza and other food that the festival has to offer."

"I might even have some more cannolis."

Goldstein attributed his iron stomach to his disciplined competitive-eating technique.

"I did the Joey Chestnut shake," Goldstein said after the contest, demonstrating a trademark wiggle named after one of his competitive-eating colleagues. "It helps things go down easier."

Only in his second year of competitive eating, Goldstein is a relative newcomer to the sport. Some of the contestants, however, were seasoned gorgers.

Conti, who has been in eating contests for nine years now, says his biggest feat was eating 459 oysters in 10 minutes.

Pennsylvania residents Sean "Flash" Gordon took third place with 11 cannolis and Larell Marie "The Real Deal" Mele came in fourth with 10 ¼.

The Feast of San Gennaro festival is a week-long event, featuring a parade through Little Italy on Saturday and a religious procession on Sunday. The celebration is a salute to the Patron Saint of Naples.