CLEVELAND, Ohio — Widely regarded as the world’s #1 competitive eater, Joey Chestnut is a household name — synonymous with Nathan’s Famous Independence Day hot dog eating contest, if not hot dogs themselves.

Chestnut holds several competitive eating world records, including for the “World Apple Pie Eating Championships” held at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick in 2013. He downed a record 4.375 pies in eight minutes that day, during the venue’s “Johnny Appleseed Festival” 40th anniversary celebration.

He returns Sunday, September 24, at 2 p.m. for the festival’s golden jubilee apple cider donut-eating contest. At Mapleside, Chestnut will square off against four “civilian eaters” with 100% of the proceeds going to the Remarkable Youth Foundation—a new non-profit helping children and young adults.

Cleveland.com caught up with Chestnut during a break in his training to talk shop:

Q: You are returning to the area this weekend for Mapleside’s 50th Anniversary contest. What do you remember about the venue and Northeast Ohio as a whole?

A: Mapleside is a perfect family atmosphere. The whole area is cool. I went to a Cavaliers game last time I was there. Cleveland is amazing. Clevelanders have great energy. I’m looking forward to being back.

Q: How does a legend like you train for competitive donut-eating? Does it differ from how you would train for pie—or anything else, for that matter?

A: I ended up eating 13 pounds of pie in eight minutes. This challenge is faster at five minutes. Last time, I was eating against professionals; this one is a little more casual. I’ve never done a contest like this one, but I take it seriously and still get nervous. The composition of the food often informs how I train; sugar, dairy and fat content steer my regimen.

Q: What world records are you gunning for in the next year or so?

A: Sushi would be a fun one. And this year we grew a lot of tomatoes at my home, so maybe a tomato and burrata? A more homemade “healthy” record would be a little different.

Q: How are your relationships with your primary care physician and gastroenterologist? Pretty solid?

A: Absolutely. My biggest splurge is having what I call a “concierge doctor,” who wants regular bloodwork done—just not immediately after a contest— to look at my numbers and tell me if things are off. So far, all has correlated well. [laughs]

Q: They must love you! Those numbers would look worrisome immediately after a contest, I bet. What are those visits and conversations like? How do they differ from a typical patient’s visit?

A: I don’t tend to worry. I’m not superstitious. I think worrying about that can lead to self-sabotage. They just do a good job of helping me look after my health, given my profession.

Q: Ever thought about getting your gastrointestinal tract insured—like the late guitarist Jeff Beck, who insured his fingers for millions of dollars? You’re a Fourth of July institution, after all—

A: Not really. I roll with it. That kind of worrying and stress would be unhealthier than eating like I do.

Q: Wait, what? I mean, you once lowered your core body temperature in an ice cream competition—

A: I had a different doctor back then. Pushing harder than everyone else, I ended up with freezer burns on my hands and in my mouth. Eating ice cream fast is weirdly unpleasant at best and miserable at worst. Everything hurts. You’re just smashing yourself against the cold. Brain freeze is almost secondary.

Q: With that in mind, are there times when even the idea of food absolutely turns you off?

A: I wouldn’t say I’ve been turned off. Only a couple of foods have ever really bothered me. I did a crabcake eating contest in 2006 and dude, it was super-hot outside. You could smell them, and everyone was on the edge of getting sick and disqualified. But we all made it through. I’m back on the crab train. [laughs] The other one was kimchi. American kimchi is way different from Korean, in terms of fermentation. But it is still one of the best things on a hotdog. It’s like super-sauerkraut.

Q: So, no food aversions then? Where the idea of eating for sustenance turns your Olympic stomach?

A: No. I love food. When I’m on a super high-fiber diet and must eat healthy and clean, trying to keep things moving, that can get rough. Boring. But as far as just normal eating? I love it. That’s what makes me great at this. And I still get excited about where to do my “cheat day” when I’m not in a contest.

Q: Wow! Do you have any advice for aspiring “gastronauts” who want to follow in your footsteps?

A: Be willing to try new things, keep doors open. If [this is] something you’re into? Go for it. Competitive eating is something you can fall in love with. Believe it or not, this has made me healthier. I had to get healthy to push myself harder. It’s not all just gorging all the time. There’s a lot of prep beforehand.

Q: What will you do in retirement, when your body inevitably says “no more” to competitive eating?

A: Retirement? Geez, dude! I’m not even 40 yet [editor’s note: November 25, 2023 looms]. I think, it’s one of those things that will be a part of my life for a long time, even if I’m not competing any longer. A big meal is a reward. A good appetite is healthy. I’m sure gonna try and turn it on occasionally.

Q: When I told the newsroom we were talking, the one question everyone wanted the answer to was: does Chestnut “purge” or “process” after competing?

A: Most of the time, I process. It’s the only way to get better. But occasionally, when food isn’t settling? Purge. I only get sick when something is wrong. It’s about slowly building tolerance. First time I ate 20 hot dogs, I was bloated. Took a while to recover. Now, I do 70.

Q: I love hot dogs, but I think the Guardians’ Hot Dog Derby is more my speed. I couldn’t do 70.

A: Once you’ve convinced your body you can do it, it’s all a psychological game—like marathon runners who run 26.2 miles. Some people can do it, some can’t. And some graduate to run ultra-marathons!