Vancouver Island University students are making the world’s largest Nanaimo bar

NANAIMO — Students at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C., have been busy in the kitchen assembling the world’s largest Nanaimo bar.

The sweet treat was unveiled to the public at noon on Saturday, and is 21.3 meters long, 0.9 meters wide and weighs nearly 500 kilograms.

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Aron Weber, chair of the professional baking and pastry arts program with VIU, said students got the idea a few years ago when they were brainstorming ways to generate publicity and excitement for a business.

Weber said they looked up world records and found that the largest Nanaimo bar was made by a family in Ontario, and considering the B.C. city has so much pride around the bar, it inspired the students to bring the record home.

The current Guinness World Record for the largest Nanaimo bar was set in 2020 by a chocolatier from Levack, Ontario, with a 240-kilogram bar.

Weber said it’s like a dream come true that students and faculty are working together to create the largest bar, which will be on display at Windsor Plywood Trades Discovery Centre on campus and later cut into thousands of pieces to share with the public.

“Everything we do here, like, what a great learning experience for our students, too,” said Weber, “It’s not every day you get to build something so huge.”

The bar project has also brought faculty members and students together. Weber said four alumni who initially came up with the bar idea years ago have also come back for this event, with two of them coming all the way from Scotland.

“They are all very successful in the baking industry and we’re super proud of them,” said Weber, adding that he is thankful for all the support.

The bar recipe includes 125 kilograms of butter, which is equivalent to the weight of a baby elephant, 91 kilograms of confectioners’ sugar, 77 kilograms of graham cracker crumbs and 68 kilograms of dark chocolate.

VIU said in a statement that the Nanaimo bar is a world-renowned dessert, and it was featured on the menu when U.S. President Barack Obama hosted a state dinner in 2016 for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife in Washington, D.C., and it has received the stamp of approval from Canada Post in 2019.

Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said the bar is much more than a “sweet, mouth-watering dessert.” He said it’s “an icon of the city.”

“It only makes sense that the largest Nanaimo bar ever made is put together here, many thanks to these talented VIU students for beating the record right here at home,” said Krog.

The goal of the event is more than just setting a new world record. It will also raise money to buy new ovens for the university’s culinary arts and professional baking and pastry arts programs, since the current ovens are nearing the end of their lifespans.

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.

Weber said they also don’t plan on any leftovers.

“If there are any leftovers, we will be donating it to the food bank,” said Weber.

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