We love to take ‘official’ note of new Guinness World Records in the food realm here at the Fab Food Blog. This time, we’re focusing on what may be the most ambitious World’s Record effort ever…
13-time World Pizza Champion, chef Tony Gemignani oversaw the Princess Cruise Lines
effort to set the Largest Pizza Party Over Multiple Venues world’s record July 12…
It’s not just individual chefs, or even restaurants that glory in the glory of a Guinness World Record, these days. And the stunts folks are pulling, to get what may be the ultimate recognition, are grander than any single person could hope to achieve…
Community effort
More and more, world record attempts see a whole community uniting to hoist it’s collective flag. The objective, of course, is to publicize the locale as a food (and recreation) destination. But the latest such effort literally encompasses the whole world. And the title of the record category, alone, may constitute a record length.
Princess Cruises orchestrated this one earlier this month. On July 12, Princess ships across the globe coordinated to serve more than 60,000 slices of Pizza to cruise guests and crew members.
Chef Tony Gemignani, a 13-time World Pizza Champion, oversaw the whole operation creating two new signature pizzas to spike up the event.
Their reward was being declared the official holder of the current World Record for the Largest Pizza Party Across Multiple Venues.
By the numbers
What does it take to produce 60,000 slices of pepperoni pizza? Besides the efforts of dozens of cooks, coordinated across a fleet of kitchens, and a communications system only the Internet could support?
- 6,512 lb. / 1,553 kg of dough
- 1,393 lb. / 633 kg of pepperoni
- 2,323 lb. / 1,056 kg of cheese
The total cost of those ingredients – as I calculate them, based on the wholesale prices Princess organization would qualify for – would total (approx.) (C)$23,300 / (US)$17,475. Which seems a pittance to pay for such a huge advertising and promotion win! A 30-second TV commercial spot in prime time on a major network might cost you $500,000. This year, the same commercial on the Superbowl broadcast cost $5 million…
Multiple pizza records
I was aware of several other Pizza-related records. In the past, we’ve reported on the World’s Longest Pizza and the World’s Largest Pizza (by area). But the Largest Pizza Party category was totally new to me.
Some might call it a stretch, to memorialize a Pizza Party among the world’s greatest feats of daring-do. But why not?
Consider what it took to put the event together. And where else but on a fleet of cruise ships could you organize a crowd of 60,000 diners?
My take
As I’ve hinted here and there, above, the World’s Largest Pizza Party stunt was both a huge success for the Princess line, and an extremely inexpensive one to mount. Somebody should get a medal.
But how do they follow-up? Maybe re-name ‘The Love Boat’ ‘The Pizza Palace’?
~ Maggie J.