Race to Eat Most Cooked Cabbage in 3 Minutes

July 3 Cabbage Shed event certain to be a gas

By Lynda Wheatley | June 26, 2021

What would you be willing to do to support your local farms and farmers market? We’re pretty sure it can’t compete with the commitment five intestinally stalwart Elberta people are about to undertake: racing to ingest the most cooked cabbage possible in three minutes.

Yup. The Cabbage Shed restaurant — so named because its former life as a pre-shipment storage house for local cabbage and produce leaving by train and ship — is paying tribute to its “leafy” heritage with its first-ever Competitive Cabbage Eating Competition.

“We wanted a way to help support local farmers and the Elberta Farmers Market, and we thought this would be a fun event to do that,” says Tony Roethler, Shed co-owner and general manager.

Somehow, he and wife/co-owner Beth Roethler got Benzie County residents Jimmy “Jaws” Heniser, Joanne “Wild Thang” Bartley, Adam “Wicked Man” Witkop, JD “Keep it Coming” Kittleson, and Adam “Making Magic” Millsy to agree. The five competitors will start eating their hearts out at 3pm July 3.

Whoever manages to eat the most in three minutes wins $250; second and third will win $150 and $50 respectively. It’s free to watch their cruciferous feat — though donations to help promote and support the Elberta Farmers Market are encouraged — anyone in attendance is encouraged to stay for the after-party when summer favorite Cousin Curtiss unleashes his high-energy “rootstomp” music on the restaurant’s lower waterfront patio.

Can’t make the cabbage contest or Curtiss jams? You can still support the Elberta Farmers Market — featuring vendors that have grown and produced their own products in Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Manistee, or Wexford counties — at Elberta Waterfront Park 8am to noon every Thursday.