Lerman Sets World Cloud Burger Record

Donald "Moses" Lerman, who has set consumption records in the matzo ball, ice cream and steak eating disciplines, recently traveled from New York to Duluth, MN, to win this year's World Cloud Burger Eating Contest.

The contest, featuring The Cloud®, a quarter-pound of ground hamburger made by the Rochester Meat Company, was held at Willys Garage in Canal Park in Duluth. It was sanctioned by The International Federation of Competitive Eating and was open to all those over the age of 18.

Lerman ate 11 1/4 Cloud Burgers and buns - nearly four lbs. of food - in 10 minutes to win the championship. Duluth Police Officer James Lesar placed second in the contest, eating a total of 8 Cloud Burgers and buns. Duluth Police Officer Jim Nilsson placed third with 7 3/4 burgers and buns.

A Cloud Burger Neat Eating ContestTM was also held for all those under the age of 13. Neat Eating Contests are not about speed and have no time limit; they test the style, manners and grace of the participants, who must finish a burger without getting condiments on their lips.

Many of the competitors secured individual sponsorships for each hamburger they ate. Grandma's Restaurant Company will join them in donating more than $1000 to the Twin Towers Fund, which was established by New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to assist the families of the members of the uniformed services of the New York City Fire Department and its Emergency Medical Services Command, the New York City Police Department, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York State Office of Court Administration and other government officers who lost their lives or were injured because of the tragedies of September 11, 2001.

Willy's Garage is a member of the Grandma's Restaurant Company, a multi-concept casual dining and retail business with 15 operations located throughout the state of Minnesota. Willys Garage is famous for its handcrafted pizza, split top hot dog and Fat Willys hamburger, as well as its unique auto garage-theme setting. Willys Garage is located at 355 Lake Avenue South in Duluth.

Rochester Meat, Inc. is a beef and pork processor that manufactures a variety of portion-controlled products including hamburger patties, steaks, and pork chops. As one of the largest suppliers to food service distributors nationwide, Rochester Meats consistently provides the highest quality of products on the market today, including The Cloud®, a signature 1/4 pound hamburger made with the highest quality meets to exacting standards.