INTERVIEW: Joey Chestnut, Major League Eater

“The DPMs are just off the hook.” Those are the words of an ESPN commentator in 2019 as Joey Chestnut downed his 23rd dog of a staggering 71 that earned him his 12th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest title. (That’s Dogs Per Minute, for those playing at home.) In July, he earned his 17th mustard belt, with the runner up trailing 30 hot dogs behind. Chestnut has earned worldwide recognition for his spot on the competitive eating stage, and is one of the fiercest competitors in Major League Eating.

We connected with Chestnut earlier this year to talk all things competitive eating, including how he trains, why he loves his job, and what drew him to Indianapolis.

Transcript below. this interview has been edited for space and readability.

Edible Indy: Joey, you’re a champion, world record holder, and a local here in the Central Indiana area for the last four and half years or so. What do you tell those who aren’t familiar with your  story?

Joey Chestnut: Well, it wasn’t planned. I started when I was in college, doing everything right, getting my engineering degree… I signed up for one contest. My friends knew I was the biggest eater. I didn’t brag about it. Honestly, I was a little bit hesitant. 

I remember it was a lobster-eating contest, and I’d never eaten lobster. As soon as it started, I fell in love with it. I love the whole aspect of the competition, and eating in front of people in a way that you just shouldn’t do. My whole life I’d try to eat calmly like everybody else. And now I can eat with urgency and in a primal way in front of everybody. And so I became a weekend warrior and it just got bigger and bigger. Eventually it took over everything. 

EI: And now you’re one of, if not the top competitors in the space. Does that still surprise you that people recognize you out in public?

Chestnut: Yeah, that was never a goal. I see myself as a competitor and just a normal guy who likes to eat. So the whole thing has been wild and so unexpected.

EI: The Nathan’s hot dog contest, Fourth of July, that’s everyone’s Super Bowl in a competitive eating competition. Is that still the case for you?

Chestnut: Yeah, it’s in my DNA. I love that contest. It’s energy, it’s electric. I hear over and over again, it’s part of people’s Fourth of July. 

EI: I know you had a year off of Nathan’s over the last year because of some partnership conflicts, so getting back to that in 2025, I’m sure was a nice moment for you.

Chestnut: Yeah, last year didn’t go as planned. It wasn’t a planned year off, but I stayed busy and we figured things out and this year it all worked out really well.

EI: You live here in Indy, and there’s a great local food scene. What do you like?

Chestnut:  There’s awesome surprises, especially in Westfield. There’s Chiba, the sushi is amazing. But then that’s just super local for me. I think there’s always been great restaurants here. They were just a little bit harder to find and now they’re a little bit bigger.

EI: St. Elmo’s is big in your heart. You have a record there. When you were a part of that competition and you won, what did that mean for you? 

Chestnut: Well, that’s a long story. I started coming to Indianapolis for the first time because of St. Elmo’s, that contest. And I think it was around 14 years ago. Every time I would come for that contest, I just loved this place. So really, that contest introduced me to the Indianapolis area. It made me fall in love with Indiana. 

And that contest is awesome. The fiery horseradish on top of, like, amazing shrimp…  It’s delicious. At first I thought it was, like, an acquired taste, but it’s so unique. 

EI: Is there a record that you have now that you know you could beat if you just went out and tried?

Chestnut: Years ago I did jalapeño poppers. And I don’t even really like jalapeños… I only did, like, 118… I wouldn’t be surprised if I could break that one without practice at all. But most of my records these days, they’re pretty sizable. I would love to break my 141 hardboiled egg record, but that would take some work. And the perfect conditions, and finding the rhythm. 

EI: What was that time frame?

Chestnut: That was eight minutes. I was so close to a perfect 12 dozen. I just slowed down a little bit. But yeah, that one would be a cool one to break, but it’d be hard.

EI: What’s next? What do you have in your sights?

Chestnut: I’m just taking things one day at a time. And I’m working with awesome brands. You mentioned Impossible; they’ve been great to work with. Nathan’s Hot Dogs—I’ve had a long relationship with them. I’m happy I’m working with them again. We’ll see where things go.

I’m maintaining my health. I plan to keep doing the competitive eating. Those are the things I love: I love traveling, and I love eating. I love beating the heck out of people. There’s nothing better. It’s a great feeling. As long as I can do those things, I’m happy.