Record Breaking

"How long does it have to stay up for the record to be broken?" 

"The top looks like it's leaning." 

"There's no way that last piece is going to balance."

I heard these doubtful remarks reverberate through the anxious crowd as I watched Chef Ciril Hitz, Chair of Johnson and Wales' Baking and Pastry Department attempt to break the world record for the tallest bread structure yesterday.  Chef Hitz began planning this day months ago, but his nerves seemed surprisingly calm through the hours he spent constructing the tower yesterday.  TLC brought in their filming crew to document the assembly for a special they plan to air in the coming months.  I won't lie.  I tried to strategically place myself in hopes that I'll be in the special, so I'm crossing my fingers that it actually worked.

Around 8 am yesterday morning, a team of students began wheeling carts of ornately decorated dead dough into the lobby of the recreation center.  I was working in the lobby distributing refreshments to prospective students and parents between their information sessions, and this job provided me with front a front row seat for the assembly.  Unfortunately, the bulk of the construction was hidden behind folding walls, but there was a balcony overlooking the production area, so I was able to snap a few pictures from above before filming began.  Below is a shot of Chef Hitz showing the film crew where the base of the structure will be placed.  You can see the undecorated bread columns on the tables to his left and behind him.

Construction took nearly 6 hours, and I had to leave in the middle for a few hours but was able to return for the record breaking moment.  The structure at this point was around 16.5' tall, so it was easy to see the assembly over the folding walls that were set up.

Here's a shot of Chef Hitz placing the record-breaking piece which brought the total height of the structure to 18' 5".  That's one HUGE bread structure!

I haven't ever made a bucket list, but I think that witnessing a world record being broken would be a pretty cool thing to have on that list.  I suppose I can mark it off now though!  It was too crowded with people and ladders for me to get a decent picture of just the structure, but I plan to get one in the next few days so look for it in my album later in the week.