Qzina Specialty Foods has broken the Guinness World Record for building the largest chocolate sculpture. The sculpture, modeled after an authentic Mayan temple, weighs 18,239 lbs., surpassing the previous record set in Italy in 2010 by more than 7,500 lbs.
It took more than 400 hours to construct the solid chocolate sculpture. Built proportionally to an ancient Mayan temple, the chocolate pyramid is 6 ft. tall and its base measures 10 ft. by 10 ft. Qzina’s corporate pastry chef, Francois Mellet, was the lead architect on the project and Stephane Treand, MOF, helped with the intricate design elements.
“Breaking a Guinness World Record for building the largest chocolate sculpture will be Qzina’s greatest masterpiece yet,” Richard Foley, founder and chief executive officer of Qzina, said in a statement. “We studied Mayan pyramids at great lengths to create an exact replica of the Temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza to honor the original chocolatiers. It was important for us to create something memorable in celebration of our 30th anniversary and the grand opening of the Qzina Institute of Chocolate & Pastry.”
The chocolate pyramid will be displayed at the Qzina Institute of Chocolate & Pastry, Irvine, Calif., starting on June 4, when the institute and product showroom is officially open to the public. Qzina plans to destroy the chocolate sculpture on December 21, 2012, when the Mayan calendar comes to an end. The method for destruction is yet to be determined.
Read about the recent opening of the Qzina Institute of Chocolate & Pastry.