Culinary students in B.C. are attempting to build the world's largest Nanaimo bar
On May 17, they'll attempt to make the world's largest Nanaimo bar, a chocolatey dessert that has long been a staple of the region's culinary identity.
The idea was born a few years ago when students in the baking diploma program brainstormed ways to foster a locally inspired business.
The project gained a competitive edge when the students learned that the current record for the world's largest Nanaimo bar wasn't held in its birthplace, but in Levack, Ont. There, in 2020, the Gorham family made a 240-kilogram, 2.4-metre-long Nanaimo bar.
"We're very proud of our Nanaimo bar here, and it kind of lit the spark that we should bring that record back to Nanaimo and do it at the university," Aron Weber, head of the baking and pastry arts programs at VIU, told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal.
The Nanaimo bar was first conceived in Nanaimo around 1952 by three women shortly after the Second World War. It's typically made up of three layers: a crumbly base of wafer, coconut, and nuts; a custard icing middle; and a smooth chocolate ganache topping.
It was first dubbed a "Nanaimo bar" in 1953 by Vancouver Sun columnist Edith Adams, and it later gained national fame when it was featured in the Expo '86 cookbook.
To beat the current record, VIU's team plans to create a massive bar weighing in at a staggering 500 kilograms, or nearly 1,100 pounds. It will stretch over 21 metres in length — about the length of a blue whale — and measure nearly one metre wide.
How will they make it?
This is no small task, but the students have been hard at work in the days leading up, perfecting their technique and preparing for this giant undertaking.
"We've done lots of experiments and tests on how long it takes for the glaze to set up, temperature-wise, all those things are being considered," said Weber.
"It's kind of a great opportunity for students to learn all the little things you need to think about when you're trying to do something of this scale."
Over the last few days, the team of about 50 students have been assembling the base and custard layers.
Carpentry students have also been brought in to help construct the large frame, which is placed on a table to hold the dessert.
On the day of the event, they'll be "sandwiching it all together" and pour the final layer — over 200 pounds of glaze — on top to complete the Nanaimo bar, says Weber.
"We will be pouring the chocolate on it in one motion."
Local community pride
Making the giant bar is about more than just breaking a world record, says Weber.
They'll be raising funds to replace old ovens used in VIU's culinary arts and professional baking and pastry arts programs. The current ovens are nearing the end of their lifespan and need to be replaced to continue providing students with top-tier training.
The community has rallied around this event, and even creating a mascot named Nani the Nanaimo Bar to help generate excitement.
The unveiling and construction of the giant Nanaimo bar will take place at the Windsor-Plywood Trades Discovery Centre on VIU's campus. After, the massive dessert will be cut into 3,500 pieces and shared with attendees, with some saved for the local food bank.
The event will also serve as a homecoming for the four original students who first came up with the idea for the giant Nanaimo bar a few years ago.
Though they've since graduated and are now working in the industry — ranging from Scotland to Vancouver and Ladysmith — these alumni will return to see their dream come to life.
"They're all doing excellent in the industry, and we're super proud of them," said Weber. "It's their idea that got us into this, and we're thrilled they can come back and be a part of it."
Weber invites everyone to come by and sample the bar, encouraging them not to hold back.
"I do encourage people on Saturday to overindulge cause we're going to have a 70-foot-long one," he said.
"We are hoping for a good turnout."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
9 minutes ago
- CTV News
Volunteer Manitoba summer 2025 outlook
Winnipeg Watch Ashley Seymour, executive director of Volunteer Manitoba talks about the need for more volunteers this summer at different organizations.
CBC
10 minutes ago
- CBC
More people with disabilities are in temporary housing despite N.S. plan
There's been a surge in the number of Nova Scotians with complex disabilities stuck in temporary housing, according to recent figures released by the province. This rise in what are called "temporary shelter arrangements," or TSAs, operated by for-profit and non-profit agencies has occurred despite a plan by the province to decrease their use over the past two years. The Department of Social Development describes the temporary housing as being needed whenever a person with a complex disability is in urgent need of housing, and options for a permanent home have been "explored and exhausted." Usually, the person is placed in an apartment, with one-on-one care, but without a long-term plan to improve their lives. "The infrastructure to shift away from the temporary model is slow. It's not happening as quickly as anticipated," said Harman Singh, director of Breton Ability Centre — a non-profit agency in Sydney, N.S., that houses people with disabilities, which has been asked to oversee eight people in temporary shelters. 5-year plan The province introduced a sweeping, five-year reform plan for the care and housing of people with disabilities in 2023. It was the result of a landmark court decision that found there was systemic discrimination against people with disabilities. The plan called for a sharp decrease in the number of people with disabilities in temporary housing arrangements by 2025 but the opposite has occurred. The recent government update on the plan, referred to as "The Remedy," indicated there were 89 people in the temporary arrangements in early 2024, but as of April 1 this year, there was a 49 per cent increase to 146 people. This contrasts with the plan's target of reducing the number of people in temporary housing by 40. Singh said Breton Ability is gradually closing down its larger facility with 68 residents but has been asked to increase temporary shelter arrangements. Some of the arrangements are lasting for years, she added. The lack of permanent solutions isn't working well, as it makes it difficult to attract staff or to spend money needed to ensure the housing arrangements are suitable, she said. For example, Singh said in one case her agency has been housing a person in a temporary apartment since 2021, but it has been unable to invest in much-needed upgrades due to uncertainty about whether they are expected to stay there permanently. If the arrangement were permanent, "we could look at long-term renovations to the house, seek grants from different departments and we would look to raise funds to make the backyard more suitable ... we would look at all these different factors and make it better," said Singh. Delays in hiring, training staff Data released to The Canadian Press through the Freedom of Information Act from January 2024 to last month show the majority of temporary shelter arrangements were provided by five private-sector agencies for 94 people. They received $34 million in 2024, and $20 million for half of 2025, according to the documents. Some people in TSAs cost about $150,000 to up to about $500,000 annually, the records say. However, a separate freedom of information response from the Department of Social Development to The Canadian Press for the same period says there were no records of "audits or reports on safety and quality of care" done on these private agencies. They also said they wouldn't provide estimates of how long people are remaining in the TSAs. In its recent annual report on the plan, the province said it wasn't meeting deadlines for decreasing the numbers because there had been delays in hiring and training staff to oversee the conversion of the system. The department said in an email Friday that so far 24 of the 146 people in the temporary shelter arrangements — about 16 per cent of the total — have been assigned staff to plan their future care and placements in the community. Maria Medioli, director of the provincial disability support program, said in an interview Thursday that the five-year plan — which has committed over $200 million in spending over the first two years — is the first major effort to deal with the TSA issue. Medioli said some of the growth in TSA numbers has been the result of people with "deeply complex issues" being discharged by a care home or a hospital without any destination, and the alternative is homelessness. Asked about oversight of service providers, Medioli said the department receives financial statements from the private-sector service providers but doesn't "generally audit providers unless there is a reason." She added there has been one complaint of financial irregularities by a private-sector provider that is being investigated, but no complaints of safety or quality problems. "I don't like them [TSAs]. They are temporary.... It was done in an emergency and we didn't have the infrastructure to make it anything but temporary. Through the [plan] we're building that infrastructure," she said. Growing numbers a concern However, Kim Long, vice chair of the Disability Rights Coalition, said in an interview Thursday that her group is concerned by the growing numbers. "I'd like to know where [the government] is in the process of establishing a baseline of health and safety.... The thing that we're most concerned about is what is that experience [of living in a temporary shelter arrangement] like?" Long said her advocacy organization wants to hear directly from families and people in temporary shelter arrangements, to learn how the arrangements work and "what they are experiencing." "We need to hear in order to get the full story behind the numbers," she said.
CTV News
39 minutes ago
- CTV News
Emancipation Day event brings people together to reflect on history of Black communities
A gathering in Dartmouth, N.S., over the weekend brought community members, scholars, and leaders together to reflect on the significance of Emancipation Day, which falls on Aug. 1. The Dartmouth Heritage Museum hosted an 'Emancipation Day Social,' which featured a panel of guest speakers and open discussions about the legacy of slavery, the history of Black communities in Nova Scotia, and the ongoing fight for racial equity. Aug. 1, 1834, marks the day the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire, formally ending slavery in most British colonies — including Canada. Among the speakers was Canadian Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard, a longtime advocate for African Nova Scotian communities. She said Emancipation Day is not only a moment to honour the past, but also a call to action. 'What's really important at this juncture of our history is that we own all of our history,' she said. 'And when we own all of our history, it means owning the fact that some of our ancestors were enslaved. And it's also owning the fact that our ancestors were never compensated for that brutal enslavement.' Emancipation Day People gather at an Emancipation Day event in Dartmouth, N.S., on July 27, 2025. (Vanessa Wright/CTV Atlantic) Bernard added that events like these are key in bridging the past and present, especially for communities like North Preston, East Preston and Cherry Brook, which were founded by descendants of Black Loyalists and people who were enslaved. 'It's an opportunity for people to come together to talk about the history of the Preston Township, its relationship with the City of Dartmouth,' she said. 'It's a time for us to reflect on the past, but it's also time for us to sort of consider what are some of the things that are happening right now, and how do we best prepare for the future?' Organizers say this year's gathering was focused not only on commemoration, but also on ongoing conversations about systemic change, community empowerment, and reclaiming historical narratives that have long been left out. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
