PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2023

Top, Bob Tieman of Peru is all smiles shortly before attempting Tony’s Butt Buster Food Challenge. Right, more than 35 minutes later, a miserable Tieman taps out of the challenge

F or years, Tony’s Butt Shack BBQ & Catering in Hollowayville made a solid name for itself throughout the Illinois valley. Satisfied customers kept coming back again and again for the smoked meats, bulging burgers and heaping sides – all not only plentiful but delicious. Then came 2022, when the tiny town operation snagged global-stage attention. Tony’s Butt Buster Challenge – gobble seven pounds of grub in 45 minutes – has prompted visits from professional eaters and sparked hundreds of thousands of social-media clicks among competitive-eating fans. But online videos and photos don’t do justice to the massiveness of the challenge, said co-owner Tony Vacarro. “When we bring it to the table, it looks nothing like the picture,” Vacarro said. “It is overwhelming once you actually see it in real life. “I think they second-guess themselves immediately at that point.”

DISH AND DRINK

THE GLUTTONY GAMES

Tony’s Butt Shack in Hollowayville has earned quite a following with its lip-smackin’, competitive-eatin’ contests

BY PHIL LUCIANO

12 MAY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE