How does eating 20 custard-filled cannoli in under an hour sound?
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Six men battled it out at Pasticceria Massimo Papa's annual Cannoli Day in Fairy Meadow on Sunday, which saw hundreds gather to snag themselves cut-price cannoli and watch the much-loved eating contest.
As stacked plates of fresh cannoli were brought out to the competitors, their eyes widened, realising what they'd just gotten themselves into.
![Francesco Mauro (left) is the reigning Cannoli King. Picture by Adam McLean. Francesco Mauro (left) is the reigning Cannoli King. Picture by Adam McLean.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/123146343/483ce21c-835c-4a09-8aec-540cf0d80f38.jpg/r0_0_5748_3832_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A group of girls could be heard from the crowd saying "daddy's gonna vomit" as they watched their father, Mark Musumeci, eat his way through 20 of the perfectly crusted desserts.
However it was Francesco Mauro of Berrima who came out on top, bagging himself $150 and the title of Cannoli King.
Sicilian-born pastry chef Massimo Papa arrived at work at midnight to prepare 15,000 cannoli for his favourite event of the year.
And as the doors of his patisserie swung open at 8am, he wasn't sure if that amount was enough to serve the customers - and competitors - who were waiting in a line that snaked down the street.
"Cannoli is one of the things made in Sicily that everyone loves ... everyone loves it here too," he said, adding that by about 1pm, 9,500 cannoli had already been sold.
"I don't know if 15,000 is going to be enough."
![Mark Musumeci came second in the cannoli eating competition. Picture by Adam McLean. Mark Musumeci came second in the cannoli eating competition. Picture by Adam McLean.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/123146343/7d611b07-61af-42f1-8502-6a00a67e9631.jpg/r0_0_5149_3433_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Now in its eighth year, the much-loved Cannoli Day brings hundreds through the patisserie's door to eat vanilla custard, chocolate or ricotta cannoli.
"All year our customers come and today is a way to say thank you to everyone, because they've been so good to us all year round," Mr Papa said.
"It doesn't matter if we don't make money ... it's my way to give a gift back."
Mr Papa said the secret to his perfectly crunchy shells and creamy filling is in the century-old recipe he learned from the late pâtissier Nino Cali in Sicily.
"I always keep the tradition," he said.
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