Nick Stipelcovich, crawfish eating champion
Louisiana Lou
Thursday, December 09, 2004
From staff reports
http://www.nola.com/obituaries/t-p/index.ssf?/base/obits-24/1102577131324510.xml
Bar owner Nicholas "Nick" Stipelcovich Jr., world record holder for
crawfish eating and a multiple champion of the Breaux Bridge Crawfish
Eating Festival, died Saturday. He was 54.
The grandson of an oyster fisherman and a resident of River Ridge, the
fun-loving Stipelcovich owned and operated Gennaro's Restaurant & Bar on
Metairie Road and the Triangle West Bar on Jefferson Highway in River Ridge.
Stipelcovich won the "Cheers" Bartender of the Year Award for being the
bartender who raised the most money for multiple sclerosis through his
Triangle West tavern and raised money for other charities through
auctions of celebrity memorabilia.
He was inducted into the National Bartenders Hall of Fame by Bartender
Magazine and was featured in many publications, including National
Geographic and Louisiana Life magazines. He also appeared on cooking and
food radio and television shows.
He was a member of the Metairie Road Business Association and the
International Federation of Competitive Eaters, where he was ranked 49th
in worldwide competition and known as "Crawfish Nick." He also was a
real estate broker.
He was most proud of his eating record at the Breaux Bridge festival. In
1994 Stipelcovich, ate 55 ¾ pounds of crawfish in 45 minutes, a record
that still stands and is noted on the festival Web site.
"It's just a matter of getting 'em in as fast as you can," Stipelcovich
said. "It's all speed, combined with technique and concentration."
Stipelcovich is survived by his wife, Janis Tilton Stipelcovich; his
daughter, Nicole Jolley of Mobile, Ala., and two sisters, Carolyn Todd
and Diane Carragan, both of Metairie.
A Mass will be said today at noon at L.A. Muhleisen & Son Funeral Home,
2929 Metairie Road. Visitation begins at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Garden
of Memories.
MWB
Nick Stipelcovich
That's a good Cajun name.
Mark
Hoodoo
> He was most proud of his eating record at the Breaux Bridge
festival. In
> 1994 Stipelcovich, ate 55 ¾ pounds of crawfish in 45 minutes, a record
> that still stands and is noted on the festival Web site.
> "It's just a matter of getting 'em in as fast as you can," Stipelcovich
> said. "It's all speed, combined with technique and concentration."
That "55 ¾ pounds" must be the weight of whole mudbugs before
ripping the exoskeletons apart to properly peel, pinch, eat, and
suck the head of each individual crustacean. Otherwise, if this
one guy ate that much weight in meat alone, the number of mudbugs
needed to be cleaned before the contest would be astronomical.
--
Oh, smell your harmonica. Go on, smell it son." - Johnny 'Guitar'
Watson