SWEET, SOFT-SPOKEN Sonya Thomas - all 100 pounds of her - is so shy she fears people will think she's stuck up.
Thomas works from dawn to dusk, managing a fast-food restaurant. She covers her eyes during horror movies.
She can also down 552 oysters in 10 minutes.
Thomas, the world's No. 4-ranked competitive eater, has inhaled everything from okra to turducken.
But she's never had shoofly pie.
That will change June 23, at the World's Greatest Shoofly Pie Eating Contest, in - where else? - Lancaster.
The hugely hyped match-up is expected to draw 11 ranked competitive eaters, including No. 3 Pat Bertoletti and No. 5 "Humble" Bob Shoudt, the defending champ, who hails from suburban Philadelphia.
But don't count out Thomas, a feisty native South Korean nicknamed "The Black Widow," who holds 29 competitive-eating records.
In the rapidly growing competitive-eating arena, contestants down as much food as possible in a specified time, vying for cash prizes of up to $30,000 - and fame.
With the recent rise of young stars like Bertoletti and No. 2 Joey Chestnut, the ultra-competitive Thomas has slid in the rankings, a trend she'd like to reverse.
"I want to kill the males," says the 5-foot-5 Thomas, who lives in Alexandria, Va. "I want to beat them.
"The men, they have much pride. They don't like to lose to a woman."
Ardent fans find the petite Thomas especially intriguing, says Ryan Nerz, media manager for Major League Eating, the contest organizer.
"She's this pretty, dainty little thing that beats men at their own game," Nerz says.
"To some people, it's nauseating, but to me, it's a thing of physical poetry and athleticism."
***
Thomas, who turns 40 in July, grew up in South Korea, the daughter of a carpenter and a homemaker.
"My dad worked so hard," she says. "Our family was so poor."
Even as a girl, Thomas loved to eat. But her family couldn't afford meat, so she and her three siblings ate mostly rice and vegetables.
Pretty ironic for a woman who can now consume 161 chicken wings in 12 minutes.
In the mid-1990s, Thomas, who has a degree in hotel management, came to America in search of job opportunities.
"America is ... a lot of freedom," she says. "Anything you want to try, you can do it."
Thomas, who is single, manages the Burger King at Andrews Air Force Base. Her workday stretches from 5 a.m. to as late as 9 p.m., with one day off a week - theoretically.
In 2002, Thomas watched No. 1-ranked competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi down 50 hot dogs on TV.
She was fascinated.
But when she tried a test run, she couldn't even finish a single hot dog in a minute.
Thomas persisted, and in June 2003, she entered her first competitive-eating contest. She ate 18 hot dogs in 12 minutes - and won.
She quickly noticed a few things about her competitors: They were all men, and they all had nicknames.
Thomas briefly considered "Seabiscuit" (small but determined, like her) before settling on "The Black Widow."
***
Female competitive eaters are rare - the next ranked woman is No. 37 Juliet Lee, who will also appear in Lancaster.
People often wonder how a tiny woman like Thomas can eat so much. Her father worries that she will explode - literally.
Thomas, who believes her stomach can hold about 18 pounds, credits her petite figure to a fast metabolism and plenty of exercise. She rarely sits still and hits the treadmill for at least an hour several days a week.
Though Thomas prefers salads and sushi, most days she has to eat on the job. She often avoids her favorite Korean restaurants, where too many fans recognize her.
"When I go eat, I don't like the people bothering me," she says. "When I eat, I want to enjoy my food."
Thomas starts her day with coffee. After the lunch rush, she grabs a crispy chicken sandwich - hold the mayo - chicken tenders and king-sized french fries, washing it down with three or four king-sized Diet Cokes.
"Every day (it's) the same food," she says of the approximately 1,900-calorie midday meal. "It never changes."
***
Competitive eating, Thomas says, requires mental ability (self-confidence and focus) and physical skill (jaw strength and stomach capacity).
She doesn't have the time or desire to "train," but she sometimes works on her speed for a minute or two.
Hand speed, she says, is her greatest asset, helping her excel at labor-intensive foods like seafood and hard-boiled eggs.
She's not quite as speedy at swallowing. But she figures shoofly pie will slide down without much chewing. (Shoudt ate 9.25 pies in eight minutes.)
"I'm confident in myself," Thomas says. "I cannot wait for the competition."
Thomas says she feels better a few hours after an event. She has come close to getting sick only once - after downing 11 pounds of cheesecake in nine minutes.
Avoiding "exotic" food events, like frog legs and cow brains, also keeps her gag reflex in check.
Shoofly pie should be quite a showdown, with Bertoletti, a mohawked culinary student, the favorite, Nerz says.
"He's been pretty consistently beating Sonya," he says. "She doesn't take too kindly to being beaten.
"I think this is going to be one of the most exciting contests this year."
Thomas makes more money at competitive eating, but she likes the people too much to quit her day job.
She hopes to eventually save enough money to buy her own fast-food restaurant.
And become the No. 1 competitive eater in the world, of course.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
WHAT: The Third Annual World's Greatest Shoo-Fly Pie Bake-off & Eating Contest
WHERE: Rockvale Outlets, 35 S. Willowdale Drive, Lancaster
WHEN: Saturday, June 23, rain or shine
11 a.m. Baking contest judging
Noon Amateur eating competition
12:30 p.m. Professional eating competition
1 to 3 p.m. Meet-and-greet with the Philadelphia Eagles
DETAILS: The competitive eating contest features a $10,000 prize purse. Amateur eaters will vie for Rockvale gift cards, with the winner taking home $250. The bake-off winner will receive $500 worth of bakeware and kitchen products from Kitchen Collection.
REGISTRATION: For more information, call 293-9595. To register, visit shooflypiecontest.com.
CONTACT US:mschweigert@LNPnews.com or 291-8757
