Speed eater Leah Shutkever is on a roll as she reclaims burrito record and sets two more
Speed-eater Leah Shutkever (UK) is back on the record-breaking menu!
With 42 records to her name so far, this serial (or cereal) record-breaker stopped by Guinness World Records HQ in London to take on some tasty challenges, including one that she was determined to reclaim.
Leah gave us an inside scoop on how her eating career began: “My origin story of breaking Guinness World Records titles is one that I’ll never get bored of.
“I had newly started up a YouTube channel doing food challenges, and I found an official record of fastest time to eat a Chocolate Orange, and I had a go, filmed it for YouTube, posted it, and thought nothing else of it.
“I was contacted by a TV show that was filming, Britain’s Favourite Chocolate, and they wanted me to officially attempt the record on a stage with an Adjudicator. I managed to break the record and I’ve never in my life felt a level of euphoria like it, and I’ve chased that feeling ever since.”
During her recent visit to GWR HQ on 4 August, Leah set three Guinness World Records titles for the most churros eaten in one minute, demolishing eight of the sweet treats, the most strawberries eaten in one minute by scoffing 613 g (1.35 lb), and finally, she reclaimed her title for fastest time to eat a burrito.
Leah had held the burrito eating record since 2019 and had most recently set it on 9 February 2022, when she ate one in 32.35 seconds on the set of Lo Show dei Record in Milan, Italy. Later that year on 22 October, another legendary speed eater, Miki Sudo (USA) beat Leah’s time by eating a burrito in 31.47 seconds. With her most recent attempt, Leah chopped 1.6 sec off her original time, polishing it off in just 30.75 sec.
Read about more speed eating records in our Food and Drink section.
She said: “I’ve been very fortunate in my career that many opportunities have landed on my desk, and I’ve been the right person with the right appetite to say yes to them.
“Competitiveness definitely plays into the ability to attempt and break a world record. I think personally, I am silly, bold, and brazen enough to put myself in the firing line for all sorts of things.”
National Eat What You Want Day takes place on 11 May each year, and coincidentally, is the day that Leah was born!
The former architect is a also fitness fanatic, and documents both her gym sessions, and foodie feats on her Instagram page.
She told us: “Fitness is my life and identity, it’s what I have always done, but competitive eating is my job, and I like to keep them both running equally in my life. I love going through life with people looking at me and having no idea what I do for a living.
“I was an overweight kid, and very early on in my life I learnt a lot about nutrition and fitness, I was into sports and kept active. In terms of eating, it all boils down to calories in versus calories out, and everything in moderation.
“Breaking records is one of the proudest experiences of my entire life and that is including having a degree in architecture. Achieving my degree was nice, but breaking record holds such a gravity that I can’t even explain.”
From graduating with an architecture degree, to becoming a record-breaking speed eater, Leah has carved out a unique career for herself. With an incredible 42 titles under her belt already, we can’t wait to see what she attempts next!