Vancouver Island University students preparing to create world’s largest Nanaimo bar

Baking and Pastry Arts Management Diploma Program student Shayla Jane Heslin holds up a Nanaimo bar. (VIU)

Students in the culinary and pastry arts programs at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo are getting ready to whip up the world’s largest Nanaimo bar.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 32 students in both programs were busy making the three layers of the Nanaimo bar, which will be assembled during a celebration event on Saturday.

“We’re sticking with the original kind of Nanaimo bar recipe from way back in the day. So we have walnuts in ours. There’s lots of butter,” says Aron Weber, chair of professional baking and pastry arts at VIU.

The bar will stretch 70 feet long, weigh approximately 1,100 pounds and serve around 3,500 pieces.

The world record attempt will not be certified by the Guinness World Records. Instead VIU says they will be using the Baking Association of Canada and the Culinary Federation of Canada to certify their record.

The current Guinness World Records holder for the largest Nanaimo bar is held by the Northwest Fudge Factory in Levack, Ont.

“It’s not a Guinness record, and it doesn’t meet the same standards of a Guinness record,” Northwest Fudge Factory tells CTV News.

Whether it is or isn’t, the world record event is a fundraiser for the programs to purchase and replace much-needed equipment.

“We have some well-loved ovens that we use in the programs and they’re kind getting close to the end of life, “says Weber.

The event is on Saturday, May 17, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Windsor Plywood Trades Discovery Centre (Building 108) on the Nanaimo campus.

Cutting and serving of the Nanaimo bar will be at noon.