The Taste of Victory: Florida Man Devours Key Lime Pie, Takes Top Prize!
FLORIDA KEYS VIDEO ADVISORY July 4, 2025
Contact: Mary B. Haban, Florida Keys News Bureau Mary@fla-keys.com (813) 210-8585
Story: The Taste of Victory: Florida Man Devours Key Lime Pie, Takes Top Prize!
Locator: Key West, Fla.
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B-roll and photos of the Key Lime Pie Eating Contest in Key West, Fla. on July 4, 2025. SOTs with event organizer Liz Love, and key lime pie eating champion, Tom Luciano (pronounced Lucy-on-oh).
TRT: 2:45 Filename: KeyLimePieContest.mp4 Video source: Florida Keys News Bureau
Producer Note: Winner’s name pronounced Tom Luciano (LUCY-ON-OH)
Photos & Captions: Below
Key West, Fla. – Move over Coney Island, there’s a new champ being crowned and it’s got nothing to do with hot dogs. In fact, this victory is way sweeter, a little bit tart, and a whole lotta FUN!
In Key West, Florida, this July Fourth, the lure of the LIME...as in KEY LIME...was on full display. Hundreds of spectators packed the Southernmost City in the Continental United States to see who would claim the coveted Key Lime Pie Eating Champ title. And as you can imagine, the contestants delivered a show stopping performance, throwing any and ALL caution to the wind!
With hands behind backs and some wearing safety goggles, 25 hopefuls competed for the top prize; devouring the island city’s signature dessert — the key lime pie.
“There's no place I'd rather be on the 4th of July than in Key West eating a nine-inch key lime pie. It beats a New York hotdog every single time,” said festival co-director Liz Love.
Now in its 13th year, this tart and tasty tradition has been the centerpiece of Key West's annual Key Lime Festival, which runs five days and features everything from sip and strolls to the famous key lime pie drop from the top of the Key West Lighthouse.
The Key Lime Pie Eating Contest that attracts contestants from far and wide, including Chicago, Kentucky, Texas and Lake of the Ozarks. But it was a Florida man, with a unique technique, who emerged as the top dog!
“My strategy today was listening to my wife who told me to use my chin. open my mouth and just swallow . . . and less chewing,” said Tom Luciano (Pronounced LUCY-ON-OH), from Venice, Florida.
That advice paid off. He won the contest in just two minutes 46 seconds. But he’s not the fastest. That title is still being held by Trey Bergman. In 2018, the attorney from Houston, Texas devoured his dessert in just 40:57 seconds.
So, what’s is the winner going to eat tonight?
“I am going to have dessert tonight. I feel like I haven't had enough key lime pie yet,” Luciano said.
To find out more about this flavorful festival, visit KeyLimeFestival.com.
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Talk about color coordination! Contestant Jesse Ka takes a break from his quest to capture the top prize in Key West’s key lime pie eating contest on July 4, 2025. He joined 24 other contestants in the no-hands competition that highlights the annual Key Lime Festival. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
With fierce focus, J.B. Bernstein of West River, Maryland, dives face-first into a key lime pie during the Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in Key West, Fla., on July 4, 2025. The zesty, hands-free showdown is a highlight of the island city’s annual Key Lime Festival. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Goggles. Check! This accessory wasn’t just for fashion. Beth of Wheaton, Illinois (right), and Camryn of Magnolia, Texas, (left), sported them to compete in the Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in Key West, Fla., on July 4, 2025. The contestants dove head-first into Florida’s most iconic dessert in the messy, hands-free contest that headlines the annual Key Lime Festival, running through Sunday, July 6. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
And then there was one! Tom Luciano of Venice, Fla., raises his hands in victory after winning the Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in Key West, Fla, on July 4, 2025. The sticky showdown saw 25 competitors, including U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Lyndon Engle, left, and Duncan Barks of Key West, Fla., right, dive mouth-first into Florida’s most iconic dessert. The hands-free contest is a highlight of the island’s annual Key Lime Festival, which concludes Sunday, July 6. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Who’s the cream of this crop? It only took two minutes and forty-six seconds to find out at the Key Lime Pie Eating Contest in Key West, Fla., July 4, 2025. Contestants from across the country puckered up to plunge into nine inches of whipped, creamy lime and zest...all in an effort to claim the top prize. The event, which is part of the popular Key Lime festival that draws hundreds of spectators to the Southernmost city in the United States to see who can conquer this iconic dessert. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau).
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