Kobayashi Sets World Grilled Cheese Record At SXSW

The most acclaimed competitive eater in the world faced off against the most delicious lunchroom staple today at SXSW.

How many grilled cheese sandwiches can Japanese competitive eating champion Takeru Kobayashi put away in one minute? A whole lot more than some random volunteer from SXSW that he trounced like a hot dog bun soaked in lemonade on the 4th of July.

I spoke to Dan Rollman, founder of RecordSetters, a site dedicated to cataloging weird world records. Mr. Rollman happens to also hold the record for most bananas shoved into a pair of pants while still wearing said pants. Mr. Rollman said of Kobayashi, “certainly in the culinary realm, he’s my number one record-setter of all time.”

Mr Kobayashi, however, was not completely satisfied with his performance at the GroupMe-sponsored cheesefest. “I thought I could eat more,” he lamented. He did not train specifically for this event, although he does like the taste of grilled cheese sandwiches. His next big event will be the 4th of July hot dog eating contest, although not at Nathan’s, where he is persona non grata after a falling out with the organisation that hosts that event.

The short-lived winner who ate 3 sandwiches.