Photo by Joey Febus
Manny “The Manimal” Cambra basks in the thrill of victory.
ANSONIA — Manny “The Manimal” Cambra, the gluttonous grinder from parts unknown (though it might be Bethel), once again won the City of Ansonia’s annual paczki-eating contest.
The Manimal downed 11 of the overstuffed donuts, then did a tumblesault into a boxing ring inside the Ansonia Armory to accept his paczki crown from Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti. Cambra previously won the eating competition in 2015, 2016, and 2021.
Also, he’s a super nice guy. Seek him out in the videos below.
“Mr. Ed” came in second place, wearing a shirt that read “Mr. Ed.” Josh Shuart, president of the Ansonia Board of Aldermen, came in third place in the annual contest. The Valley Indy will publish Mr. Ed and Shuart’s totals as soon as they are made available (we’re told 7 and 6 within the 5‑minute time limit, respectively).
Check out the City of Ansonia’s video of the event below.
By the way, paczki are like jelly donuts — but twice the size.
Eating the Polish pastry is a tradition on Fat Tuesday in various locales across the United States. It is religious in origin, as people would create the plump pastries to cook off lard and sugar, delicacies to be given up to acknowledge the start of Lent.
Click here to read more from a fancy pants website.
The annual eating contest was previously held at the great Eddy’s Bakery on Main Street in Ansonia, until the shop closed down in 2017. The business briefly resurfaced under new owners before closing again in 2019.
Tuesday morning’s event was held in the spacious Armory, which was renovated recently thanks to Griffin Health.
Special guests on hand Tuesday included Martina Beattie, a burgeoning pageant contestant who holds the title of ‘Miss Ansonia Petite.’ There were many local dignitaries on hand, including Seymour First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis and Derby Alderman Gino DiGiovanni.
Click here to check out photos from the event by Joey Febus, Anthony DelaNooch Mullin, and Patrick Buckley.
Photo by Anthony Mullin
(Left to right) The Valley Indy Avenger and Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti. See text below.
The Valley Independent Sentinel, a nonprofit liberal and/or conservative rag (depending on who’s angry), hired a freelancer — ‘The Valley Indy Avenger’ — to cover the event through a livestream on Facebook.
The Avenger went rogue and entered the contest — against the advice of both management and legal counsel.
He happily played the role of wrestling ‘heel’ for the event, accusing the organizers of rigging the event, stealing equipment, and accepting bribes.
All of the Avenger’s jokes bombed in front of the crowd, save for one accusing the city lawyer of talking too much. Does no one in the Valley remember Ivan Putski yelling ‘Polish Power’ back in the day?
The Avenger’s coverage happened in two livestreams. Part I was the run-up to the event, while part II features the actual competition and aftermath. FYI: there’s lots of ‘audio drift,’ which is the fault of both Apple and Meta, not The Valley Indy.
Click play to watch.
