NANAIMO, B.C. — Vancouver Island University (VIU) students and faculty in the Culinary Arts and Professional Baking and Pastry Arts programs created the world’s largest Nanaimo bar this week using their own special recipe.
Aron Weber, Chair of the Professional Baking and Pastry Arts program, said students thought of the idea a few years ago when they were brainstorming ways to bring publicity to a business.
“We started looking at different ways to do that including a world record and obviously, being in Nanaimo, we decided to look up what was the world record Nanaimo bar,” said Weber, adding they were surprised to learn the title belonged to people in Ontario. “Right there, it kind of lit a fire in us that we needed to bring that record back to Nanaimo.”
The Nanaimo bar, a sweet no-bake confection consisting of three layers, is a fundamental offering throughout city restaurants and bakeries. In 2006, the Nanaimo bar was declared Canada’s favourite confection by a reader’s poll in the National Post. It was even made into a stamp by Canada Post in 2019.
Weber said preparation to create the record-breaking 1,100-pound bar started a week before. Carpentry students are making the frame for the bar. The base of graham-cracker crumbs, cocoa powder, nuts and coconut, and the middle layer of custard-powder-flavoured buttercream will be prepared ahead of the event and spread out on the forms while the chocolate topping will be poured last.
While the attempt throws another spotlight on the internationally recognized culinary and baking programs, it’s also being staged to encourage donations towards the purchase of new equipment to better train students and ensure the programs remain on the cutting edge of the industry.
“Our current ovens are decades old and nearing the end of their lifespan,” said Buddy Wolfe, Chair of the Culinary Arts program. “Through event sponsorship, we’re raising money to buy new ovens which will help students prepare for their exciting and challenging careers in the food industry.”
The record will be certified by two national organizations that represent VIU trades students: the Baking Association of Canada and the Culinary Federation of Canada.
