Cuban sandwich eating contest pits Bay Area couple against each other

Lloyd Sowers
·2 min read

YBOR CITY, Fla. - Dinner time for a Bay Area couple competing in a Cuban sandwich eating contest this weekend is anything but normal.

Nick Wehry and Miki Suto are normal parents with a small son named Max. They seem like a typical family until it’s time to eat. That’s when they turn into fierce competitors.

"In every contest we do, I want her to do amazing, and place second place to me," Wehry joked.

READ: Port Richey power couple prepares to compete in Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Fourth of July

They are both international eating champions. When they're not eating, Wehry is a sales manager for a supplement company and Suto is training for a new career as a dental hygienist.

<div>Nick Wehry and Miki Suto have both won competitive eating contests.</div>
Nick Wehry and Miki Suto have both won competitive eating contests.

This weekend they’ll be at the J.C. Newman Cigar Factory in Ybor City. It’s a place famous for rolling cigars and creating Tampa’s signature sandwich, the Cuban.

As part of a Founders Day celebration, there is a Cuban sandwich eating contest, which means it's game on for this couple. Suto says it won’t be easy.

READ: Buying the ‘world’s oldest cigars’ helps J.C. Newman Cigar Company keep Tampa tradition alive

"So you have all these textures and flavors that make the sandwich delicious," she explains. "But it also makes it hard for us because we have to work around multiple textures and flavors."

<div>J.C. Newman Cigar Factory is holding a Cuban sandwich eating competition as part of its Founder's Day celebration.</div>
J.C. Newman Cigar Factory is holding a Cuban sandwich eating competition as part of its Founder's Day celebration.

It’ll be especially tough on Wehry, who doesn’t like pickles. If you get sick, you're disqualified and that’s why Suto smells a win.

READ: Ybor’s iconic Silver Ring Café reopens in Tampa nearly 40 years after closing: ‘It’s so nostalgic’

"I’m lulling him into a false sense of security so I can take home the inaugural Cuban sandwich eating belt and title," she said.

<div>Nick Wehry and Miki Suto will square off at the Cuban sandwich eating competition in Ybor City.</div>
Nick Wehry and Miki Suto will square off at the Cuban sandwich eating competition in Ybor City.

In this relationship, it's all about bragging rights and who can stuff their face fastest in the crazy world of competitive eating.

The Founder’s Day Celebration at J.C. Newman is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. There will be food trucks, cigar factory tours, and, of course, the big Cuban sandwich challenge.

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