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Taste of Fort Colllins for serious eaters |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Wednesday, 07 June 2006 |
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Page 1 of 4 Click here for video
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Characters with nicknames like “The Godfather,” “Joey Fingers” and “Slim Jim” will square off mob-style in a cut-throat eating competition at the 10th annual Taste of Fort Collins this weekend.
Each participant will be armed with Make Ends Meatball sandwiches that weigh in at a pound and a half to 2 pounds, and are made on the secret weapon — the Tommy Bun XL — from Eliot’s Mess.
Only one will win. And it won’t be pretty.
 “I’ve seen these sandwiches before and they’re damn big,” said Steve Hendriksen, aka Joe Fingers. Hendriksen of Fort Collins was one of eight who competed in a preliminary round last week, earning a slot for the final competition on Saturday.
 Though four participants from the preliminary round will advance, a few more will be hand-selected from the audience. The grand-prize winner will be rewarded with a free combo lunch for them and a friend each week through Labor Day.
Hendriksen has never participated in an eating competition prior to this, but said it has always been a life goal.
 Sean Politte, aka Two Toe Tony, said he wasn’t nervous at all for the preliminary round.
“I was just hungry,” Politte of Golden said. “I was broke and heard about this free eating contest. It was worth it.”
The guys were given 5 minutes to eat as much as they could with two hefty sandwiches in front of them.
 Ben Sykes, aka The Godfather, is a regular at Elliot’s Mess. Unlike Politte, he was a little nervous.
“I was definitely scared,” he said. “I almost puked once or twice.”
Sykes, of Fort Collins, ended up killing one and a half sandwiches — about two and a half pounds of food — in five minutes. He came in first in the preliminary round.
Close behind him was Colin Casper, aka Slim Jim. Casper, also from Fort Collins, said being skinny worked to his advantage.
 “Big guys can never eat as much,” he said. “I’m skinny. I’m starved.”
With some training, he said he could possibly beat The Godfather, because he was only a quarter of a sandwich behind.
“But it’s pricey to practice especially for a college student,” he said.
Eliot’s Mess is one of about 20 food venders participating in the Taste of Fort Collins. The sandwich shop, inspired by the speakeasies of the 1920s, organized the eating competition.
Jake Fitzsimmons, owner of Eliot’s Mess, opened the shop not quite a year ago. In fact, the restaurant made its debut at last year’s Taste of Fort Collins before it was even open for business.
“That was the first time anyone other than friends and family tried our sandwiches,” Fitzsimmons said. “We think it’s a great event. We still get people coming in who tried us there. I’m looking forward to feeding our loyal people there and introducing ourselves to new folks.”
Fitzsimmons, who had zero restaurant experience when he opened the shop, said he chose the theme because that time period is very exciting and sexy.
The storefront sandwich shop has tin ceiling tile, high back wooden booths and hex tile and plays black and white movies on a TV screen.
“I wanted to take it as far as possible without being cheesy,” he said. “I wanted a place with character without turning it into a sock-hop.”
So far, business has boomed and Fitzsimmons is considering opening additional stores.
At the Taste of Fort Collins, Eliot’s Mess employees will be making two different cold sandwiches on site.
Proceeds from the Taste of Fort Collins benefit the Special Olympics.
Each vender will have at least one item under $3, making the Taste of Fort Collins a hot place this weekend.
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