> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Cheesiest art thou amongst women - URL: https://www.smdp.com/cheesiest-art-thou-amongst-women/ - Published: 2005-02-05T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T06:04:02.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Environment, Venice, #archive-import *Virgin Mary sandwich should provide some food for thought* *By LESLIE JONES Special to the Daily Press* Gluttony will soon meet reverence on Venice Beach. The first annual World Grilled Cheese-Eating Championship is honoring the renowned Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich, which will be on display at 1 p.m. next Saturday, Feb. 12 at Muscle beach. The sandwich will be on display during the eating contest. Diana Duyser, its original owner, will attend and tell the sandwich’s story. The Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich has become a veritable pop culture icon in the past several months. The sandwich reached celebrity status due to the burn on its bread that is believed to bear resemblance to the Virgin Mary. Duyser sold the sandwich on eBay to GoldenPalace.com, an online casino, for $28,000. Duyser believes the sandwich brought her good luck during 10 years of owning it. She hoped the new owner would share the sandwich with the world. “We intend to do just that,” said Richard Rowe, CEO of GoldenPalace.com. Since the sandwich was posted on eBay it has received 1,700,000 viewers. GoldenPalace.com now has the sandwich on national tour. Proceeds from memorabilia sold on the tour go to charity and tsunami relief efforts. Drew Black, spokesman for GoldenPalace.com, said reactions to the sandwich vary greatly — some claim the sandwich looks more like Michelle Pfeiffer than the blessed Virgin. Others are true believers. Some will kneel before the sandwich and make the sign of the cross, or touch their lottery tickets to the sandwich’s plastic encasement. The sandwich has remained mold free, though it was stored with no preservation — a fact that adds to its mystery. Some of the top-ranked eaters in the world will be competing at the grilled cheese championship for a $10,000 prize. All those competing are members of the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFCE). Sonya Thomas, No. 1 ranked eater in America will attend. At a mere 105 pounds, Thomas is known for ingesting 36 dozen Louisiana oysters in 10 minutes, 11 pounds of cheesecake in nine minutes, and 46 hamburgers in eight minutes. The grilled cheese competition is one of more than 70 events that the IFCE conducts each year. There are more than 3,000 veteran and rookie athletes that comprise the competitive eating community. The athletes travel throughout the country seeking top titles in competitive eating. “This is more than just an eating contest, it’s a pilgrimage,” said George Shea, the chairman of the IFCE. The sandwich will be on display Feb. 10-11 at the Los Angeles Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum before it makes its appearance at Venice Beach on Feb. 12. This won’t be the first time GoldenPalace.com receives some unconventional promotion: During the Super Bowl XXXVIII, a man streaked to mid-field with “GoldenPalace.com” painted on his chest and back. At the 2004 Olympics, another man leapt into the Olympic pool wearing only a tutu, also with “GoldenPalace.com” printed on his chest and back. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/020505-02_02.jpg) will appear on Venice Beach next weekend in the form of a grilled cheese sandwich. (Photo: Photo Courtesy The Virgin Mary) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 5, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/020505.pdf?ref=smdp.com)