Man Devours 17 Burgers in Avenue at White Marsh Contest

Gluttony was no sin at The Avenue at White Marsh Thursday afternoon. In fact, it won a 24-year-old Canadian $1,500 in cash and prizes.

Competing against 15 other men in Z-Burger's 2011 Independence Burger Eating Championship, Pete Czerwinski packed down 17 burgers in 10 minutes.

"It feels good to win. It always feels good," said Czerwinski, known internationally as "Furious Pete."

Community members who watched the event received free Z-Burger milkshakes and burgers. This was the first year the event was held in White Marsh. Two previous contests have been held in Washington, D.C.

White Marsh resident Karen Raab attended with her two young sons. "We've been watching Man vs. Food, and so when we found out they were having this, we had to come," Raab said. "They loved it."

Competitors included professional eaters, as well as Baltimore-area students, a bartender, a member of the military and a bouncer—although none of the local contenders passed the dozen-burger mark.

Czerwinski, a 6-foot-2 amateur bodybuilder, has won dozens of international eating contests, from watermelon to pizza to chicken wings.

During the contest, he tore burgers in half before dunking them in water and stuffing them into his mouth.

"I just try to make it as wet as possible. I try to swallow as fast as possible," Czerwinski said.

"He goes into beast mode," said his girlfriend, Melissa Cvjeticanin, who cheered him on during the contest.

"I used to tell people it made me more attracted to him," she said with a laugh.

The following prizes were awarded:

First place, $1000 cash and $500 in Z-Burger tokens

• Pete Czerwinski, Ontario, Canada

Second place, $750 cash and $250 in Z-Burger tokens

• David Brunelli, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Third place, $300 cash and $200 in Z-Burger tokens

• Dale Boone, Atlanta, Georgia