It was a monumental night for the Stevens Italian Club. In semesters past there have been “Cannoli Nights”, but never before has there been a Cannoli Night with a cannoli eating competition, exactly the purpose of the event hosted in BC-122 on Friday, February 28.
The revitalized “Cannoli Night” grossed a net total of well over 290 people who collectively ate all 900 cannoli, well before the event’s intended end at 8:30 p.m.. Instead, the event ran from about 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.. In response to the vast appetite for the Italian dessert, Stevens Italian Club President, Tommaso Di Gesaro declared that “next year, I promise you 2000 cannoli!” Based on the sheer quantity of attendance and rate at which cannoli are consumed, his promise might just hold true.
The main draw to the event wasn’t just the cannoli, however, it was also the thrill of competition. “It brings a competitive edge to it,” said David Thomasevich, the SIC Vice President. Thomasevich commented on how the competition expanded the number in attendance. Not only did people come to eat cannoli in vigorous competition against one another, but others ate cannoli while spectating on the competition.
The competition was well structured, with eight teams of five individuals each. Some of the teams were just groups of friends, while others were representatives of sororities and fraternities. In each competition, twenty of the fried sweets were presented to each team. One individual from each would start off eating the first four, and then tag out to the next member in the lineup. The first team to eat all twenty cannoli was declared the victor. In this particular competition, the Blue Team was the number one team with a time of four minutes and 25 seconds, just beating out team Delts for first place.
Once the teams were done, individual face-offs began. Instead of being a part of a relay race, each person was required to eat just four cannoli as quickly as they could. The two fiercest competitors were Yuriy Kaunzinger and Ian Marcellana, who clocked in at about 36 seconds with Marcellana finishing only half a second behind. When asked about the results of their face off, Kaunzinger explained “It was delicious, but emotionally draining.” Marcellana admitted “Yuriy is a great competitor, and he’ll make for a great teammate in Varsity Cannoli.” At press time, there is still no Stevens Varsity Cannoli Eating Team.
While the next Cannoli Night and Cannoli Eating Competition can be expected sometime next semester, all students can look forwards to the SIC’s next event, Make Your Own Nutella Pizza Night, coming up after spring break on Friday, March 21.
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