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At Philly’s second annual Veg Fest this past weekend, five herbivores went head-to-head in an epic eating contest. The challenge was this: all the Tofurky dogs they could consume in two minutes.

The winner and grand champion was Jeff Poleon, co-owner of Philly’s famous (vegan) Dottie’s Donuts.

“This was my third veggie dog eating contest I’ve ever done. The motive was to get Dottie’s name out there and see if I could win three times in a row,” Poleon told LatestVeganNews.com.

He ate two-and-a-half dogs and buns. Word from the other contestants was that the buns were pretty hefty, too, which made things tougher.

“The previous two contests I’ve done were quantity competitions, this was my first timed contest so it was harder—especially because we did not have water,” he explains.

When asked if he’d prefer a donut or hot dog eating throwdown, he went with the dogs.

“I would personally take savory over sweet any day. I think the sugar rush of a donut eating contest would be more difficult then a hot dog eating contest.”

Vegfest was Dottie’s first major public appearance, says Poleon, and they sold over 1,300 donuts.

“Could not be happier with the experience. Thanks to everyone who helped organize the fest and thanks to Blackbird Pizza for sharing a table and tent with us,” he adds.

Dottie’s sells wholesale to a laundry list of local establishments in Philadelphia, but their long-term goal is to have a brick-and-mortar donut shop, probably  in West Philly.

This was the first year for the Tofurky eating contest, but it’s expected to happen annually from here on out. So, better get to chowing down on veggie dogs if you want to take home top honors next year.

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