GALION — It was standing room only at Granny’s Kitchen on Friday afternoon as world renowned professional eater Randy Santel was at the restaurant to take part in a new eating challenge called “Risk it for the Biscuit.”
Santel has won over 800 eating challenges across the globe, winning challenges in all 50 states and 36 countries in his gastronomical endeavors.
On Friday, Santel was challenged with eating a giant bowl filled with about a pound and a half of home fries, a pound of biscuits, around four pounds of sausage gravy, 10 eggs with a pound of bacon to wash it all down. He gave himself 40 minutes to finish the gigantic portions of breakfast food, but in the end he didn’t need that long as he gulped the challenge down in just 10 minutes and 24 seconds. With this, Santel has won 819 eating challenges since he started.
Santel had lots of support and cheering going on, not only by owners of Granny’s Kitchen Terry and Harold Croyle, but by fans who follow him on YouTube and other social media outlets.
Terry said she was excited to have Santel choose Granny’s for an eating challenge, saying his company, FoodChallenges.com, sent out emails to them asking if they would be interested in doing a food challenge.
“We didn’t have a food challenge set up, but they worked with us to get one organized,” Terry said.
She noted customers are now invited to take part in the challenge at a charge of $20 and if they finish in the allotted time frame, they get the food for free, and win a t-shirt.
Santel said he has been taking part in eating challenges for nearly 10 years, noting March 2020 will be his decade anniversary. His globe-trotting eating activities started on a dare.
“In 2010 I won a national body transformation contest sponsored by Men’s Health Magazine and then to celebrate, my buddy and I did a 28-inch pizza challenge in St. Louis, Missouri and we won that in 48 minutes got $500 bucks and everything just spawned from there,” he said. “A month later I did a challenge of an 18-inch deep dish pizza and I won that — the first of more than 120 people — and I got a $450 check from that.”
Santel said professional eating has been his full time job since 2013. He noted he graduated in 2008 with a degree in construction management back in Missouri.
“I did that until 2013 and then I sold roofs to make enough money to fund the website (FoodChallenges.com) and my first European tour and I’ve been full-time ever since,” he explained. “I just finished up school again. I graduated with a degree in dietetics and I’m planning on my retirement in 2022. Then I’ll be a registered dietitian and I’ll convert all my social media over to helping people with nutritional weight management.”
When eating the Risk it for the Biscuit challenge, Santel chose to kneel instead of sit in a chair. He said this positions helps him get full use of his stomach, as sitting restricts your stomach.
A trio of young men traveled from Willard on Friday just to watch Santel face his latest eating challenge.
“We follow him on his YouTube channel and social media and this is the first time we’ve got to see him in public,” said Colton Montgomery.”I think it’s impressive how he can consume the massive amounts of food he does.”
“Like eight or nine pounds of food … that’s absolutely insane,” said Lucas Goines
“That, and he does food challenges daily,. That’s really impressive,” added Zak Keaton
Matt Echelberry, who works for the City of Galion, said city employees received a personal invite to come out and watch.
“We just wanted to be here to represent the city and get a couple pictures,” Echelberry said. “We wanted to show the city’s support for this. Granny’s Kitchen is a great local establishment and we’re happy they’re doing a challenge like this and Terry (Croyle) just does a great job out here.”
Professional eater Randy Santel was in Galion last Friday to take on the ‘Risk it for the biscuit’ food challenge at Granny’s Kitchen on Ohio 309.
Randy Santel, a professional eater from Missouri took on a food challenge Saturday at Grannys Kitchen and consumed the huge breakfast in less than 11 minutes.
