Uniontown man holds cannoli-eating record
<TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>By
Mark Hofmann
DAILY COURIER
Sunday, October 5, 2008</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>How many cannolis can one man possibly eat in six minutes?
Brad Sciullo knows the answer: 20.
Sciullo is the world record holder of cannoli eating.
The 21-year-old Uniontown resident first became interested in the sport of competitive eating when he was only 14. But he couldn't legally compete until he turned 18.
"I did a lot of training and studied up on it," Sciullo said.
Sciullo was attracted to competitive eating, which has been around for 20 years, because of his love for food.
The fact that he's from an Italian family didn't hurt, either.
"Food can make any occasion and improve any situation," Sciullo said.
His first competitive eating event was in Georgia. It was for a waffle-eating contest. Despite doing well, Sciullo departed the contest the same way he entered -- an unknown in the competitive eating field.
"Nobody knew who I was," Sciullo said.
His second competition was held in Lancaster. It was a shoofly-pie-eating contest. He placed sixth, eating seven pounds of pie in 10 minutes.
Since then, the 5-foot-11-inch, 180-pound Sciullo has downed wings, pizza, hot dogs and even multifoods events -- including "The Buffet Bowl." In many of these events, he placed at the top.
In addition to being ranked No. 1 in cannoli eating, Sciullo also has beat the record for drinking a gallon of milk. He did it in 26 seconds, cutting the previous record in half.
"I try to do 10 competitions a year," Sciullo said. He sticks to a training regiment that begins weeks before competitions.
"The key to it is know what food you're going to eat," he says
To train, Sciullo will "eat super hard." This requires him to eat as much of a specific food as he can in 10-minute spurts. That's the normal allotted time eating competitions go by.
"We live our lives 10 minutes at a time," Sciullo said. Winning and losing can come down to a second of time or an ounce of food.
When Sciullo is two days away from a competition, he eats nothing but protein shakes, yogurt and other soft foods to keep his stomach as clean as possible.
Sciullo also has trainers from the Uniontown area. Orlando Carr videotapes and studies Sciullo and provides a strategy. Professional chef Joe Carei, owner of Pasta Lorenzo where Sciullo works as a chef's apprentice, also helps him train.
Sciullo takes vitamins and keeps monthly check-ups with a doctor.
Sciullo's training regiment has earned him the nickname "Brad Old School Sciullo." The intensity of how he competes has earned him the name "Brad the Lunatic Sciullo."
Sciullo said it's important when he's preparing for a competition that he get used to the texture of the food. He also must find the best rhythm to eat. When Sciullo can, he listens to music with a heavy bass.
"I have to be in the zone," Sciullo said. He said he often bites down to the bass of the music. "When I'm locked into the zone, I'm ready to roll."
Sciullo is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating.
"We have some kind of camaraderie," Sciullo said. "Dare I say, it's better than any other sport -- we're friendly to each other and we always call each other with tips."
Sciullo will always remember winning the cannoli-eating contest. In fact, after the contest he ate six additional cannolis while being interviewed by the New York Post.
"I don't feel sick after a competition," Sciullo said. "The adrenaline takes care of everything."
The next competition for Sciullo is pizza eating set for Times Square in New York City on Oct. 12. The record is 26 slices in 10 minutes.
Sciullo is in training by eating pizza from Pasta Lorenzo and strengthening his jaw by stuffing 40 pieces of bubble gum in his mouth and chewing it for 20 minutes once a day.
How many slices of pizza can one man possibly eat in 10 minutes? Brad Sciullo may know the answer.
