Steve Hendry

Steve Hendry of Dixon, CA, is a young eater whose talents and method speak to this great nation's greater past. A past when men got to work on time, toiled with skill and dedication, then went home to families without the expectation of parental involvement or intimacy. A past when getting the job done was payment enough. A time before the Internet braggards—even string cheese. Call Steve Hendry a throw-back eater: He says little, eats a lot, then goes home with MLE's money in his back pocket. And that is fine with him. The taut six-footer from Dixon made his rookie 2012 season one to remember. He took the silver twice in Hooters World Wing Eating Championship qualifiers, losing without shame to veterans Erik "The Red" Denmark and "The Lovely" Juliet Lee in the discipline he calls his favorite. Proving his versatility in debris foods, Hendry also finished strongly at the Nugget World Rib Eating Championship, out-eating his nemesis Denmark by three-tenths of a pound. He also moneyed at the Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship. His mission for 2013 is to excel at our sport's highest level in the chicken wing and hot dog disciplines. Not that you'll hear it from him. Still waters, after all, eat deep.