By COLlive reporter
Hebrew Academy Orange County in Huntington Beach, California competed to break the world record of the largest potato latke.
The final latke came in at 312 pounds and consisted of 250 pounds of potatoes and 360 eggs, fried in 60 gallons of oil. The latke was fried in a pan that was an ellipsoid shape with a measurement of 10 feet by 8 feet.
The Hebrew Academy put together a dream team, with each member sharing their expertise in making the project a success. The team included food preparation expert Bob Rosenberg, who owns a string of IHOPs and his master chef Benito Roman, expert metal fabricator Ralph Labelson and propane expert Shmuel Newman.
The effort was led by project manager Steve Greenspan with Nelli Greenspan in charge of PR and Marketing. Their combined knowledge and expertise comprised the ideal dream team to take on this monumental project.
The entire process started at 8:30 am on December 14, when the witnesses/judges lined up and the preparation began along with the mixing of the ingredients. All 300 students of the Hebrew Academy got involved by helping prepare the ingredients. Under the direction of a nutritionist, they all donned caps and put on gloves as they excitedly helped prepare the batter.
The middle school students used the latke project as a lesson in math calculations and shapes. Their teacher took them through a process of determining size and weight in a complex formula. The latke came in at 5.2 square meters, surpassing the existing record of 4.6 square meters.
Many hours later, the latke came out of the pan in one beautiful sizzling, browned piece and was divided up amongst all the students, faculty, and parents who came to celebrate as one family while lighting the school’s giant menorah. The latke was big enough to feed in excess of 500 people.
The latke was certified as the world’s largest by the Guinness World Records listing. It was a moment for celebration at the Hebrew Academy on Chanukah. This combined effort resulted in a world record latke for a world-class school, the Hebrew Academy.
Yay! Someone finally managed to create a world record with a Mitzvah! And I was used, such a zechus!
May we continue to teach things through a Mitzvah!
Love, the latke (and all my Latke friends!)
Menachem and Goldie👏🎈💐😜💥💥💥
Congrats. Luv bubs
this doubles as largest kugel in the world too probably !
Yay for Rabbi Yitzchok Newman & his amazing school.
We’re shepping Nachas for the The Hebrew Academy of Orange County.
Love The Kessler’s 🤗
You da bomb! 🙂