Joey Chestnut, Matt Stonie to vie for taco crown in San Jose
Joey Chestnut and Matt Stonie — the nation’s two most famous competitve eaters and San Jose guys to boot
— will be the mouths to beat Saturday as they vie for the crown of taco-eating champion at the Silicon Valley Music and Taco Festival.
The 2 p.m. contest is an officially sanctioned Major League Eating event, and MLE announcer Sam Barclay is also scheduled to be there to provide the bite-by-bite coverage. Chestnut holds the record at 126 tacos, while Stonie’s best is 103 tacos — so far. The contest is open to eaters at various levels, though, so maybe San Jose can produce a third champion-caliber muncher.
The third annual festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at St. James Park, with 12 bands including La Santa Cecilia, La Misa Negra and Super Diamond scheduled to play. There’ll also be a mechanical bull, lucha libre wrestling and a silent disco. The food offerings include a variety of Mexican fusion cuisine along with traditional favorites. And the San Jose Downtown Association is hosting a free showing of the Jack Black comedy “Nacho Libre” in the park following the festival on Saturday.
“It’s a great day to get out and mingle with your neighbors and listen to amazing music,” said Jorge Sanchez, the owner of downtown restaurants Chacho’s and Deluxe, who is co-producing the festival.
Tickets are $10$30, with VIP admission available for $40$60. Kids 12 and under are free with adults. Get more information at svtacofest.com.
SHARKS GO FOR A SLICE >>
The San Jose Sharks have named the Pizza Factory as the team’s official pizza, and no doubt you’re asking “Who?” The 30-year-old, nationwide chain has just one location in San Jose on Meridian and Foxworthy avenues, but starting in September, they’ll also be serving pizza on the concourse at SAP Center.
Of course, the whole point of a sponsorship like this from the business perspective is exposure — how many South Bay residents were aware of Avaya before they put their name on the Earthquakes stadium (or for that matter, SAP)? But Pizza Factory will also do its part by helping with some of the Sharks’ community initiatives. They’ll help educate kids about the negative impact of bullying and will serve as a presenting sponsor of a special game night to drive positive social change, as well as being an active partner in the team’s “Hockey Fights Cancer” campaign in November.
Do I wish it was a locally-based company like Pizza My Heart? Sure. But I heard they at least were part of the conversation and preferred to put their resources toward employees instead of a sponsorship. Besides, the surf-based chain is already the official pizza of the South Bay, as far as I’m concerned.
JAPANTOWN BLOOMS >>
Bay Area orchidist Bruce Rogers, author of “The Orchid Whisperer,” will open the San Jose Orchid Exhibition with a preview-night book-signing on Friday. The celebration at Wesley United Methodist Church in Japantown continues through Sunday, with some of the world’s premier orchid growers having rare and exotic species and original hybrids on display and for sale.
The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Get more details at www.brucedavidson.solutions/events.