Milwaukee Residents Compete in Paczki Eating Challenge

Fastest time to finish a traditional Polish pastry was under a minute

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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In honor of Paczki Day, a reporter from TMJ4 News in Milwaukee organized the first televised Paczki Day Eating Competition. The reporter bought six paczki from a local bakery and challenged passersby at the Milwaukee Public Market to eat one as fast as they could. While some struggled to finish the large pastry, others were able to inhale the sweet treat in less than a minute.

Why it matters

Paczki Day is a popular Polish holiday celebrated in Milwaukee and other Midwest cities with large Polish-American populations. The annual event features the consumption of paczki, a rich, fried doughnut-like pastry. This eating competition provided a fun, new way for the local news station to cover the beloved tradition.

The details

For the competition, the reporter from TMJ4 News purchased six paczki from Kurt Schulz Deli and Pastry Shop and brought them to the Milwaukee Public Market. He then challenged passersby to eat one of the paczki as quickly as possible. While some participants found the paczki to be too large and were unable to finish it, others were able to consume the entire pastry in less than a minute.

  • The Paczki Day Eating Competition took place on February 17, 2026.

The players

James Groh

A reporter for TMJ4 News in Milwaukee who organized the Paczki Day Eating Competition.

Kurt Schulz Deli and Pastry Shop

A local bakery in Milwaukee that provided the paczki for the eating competition.

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What they’re saying

“For this story, I wanted to come up with a new way to cover the Wisconsin holiday. That's why I decided to host my own eating competition.”

— James Groh, Reporter (TMJ4)

What’s next

The reporter plans to make the Paczki Day Eating Competition an annual event, challenging Milwaukee residents to see who can eat a paczki the fastest.

The takeaway

This lighthearted Paczki Day competition provided a unique way for a local news station to engage with the community and celebrate a beloved Polish tradition in Milwaukee.