KEY WEST, Fla., July 7 (Our Florida Times) — Kevin Renly won Key West’s World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship on July 4, finishing a 9-inch pie in 59.6 seconds with a strategy he said began by clearing off the whipped cream.
The annual contest is part of the Key Lime Festival and is run under rules that bar the use of hands and utensils, according to the Key West Chamber of Commerce. Contestants may use goggles or dive masks, and the chamber says the event can draw up to 25 competitors.
Renly said he figured out that the whipped cream did not have to be eaten first, so he got rid of it and flipped the pie over to get to the crust. He told CBS Miami that the plan was to “dive right in,” eliminate the whipped cream and work the crumb into a drinkable mix.
Fox News reported that Renly, a Florida Keys resident, had finished second in the contest in 2024 and 2025 before winning on his third try. CBS identified him as the operator of Southernmost Bees.
The chamber says the competition uses 9-inch pies topped with whipped cream and is held each year in Key West.
