Celebrity Chef breaks record for world’s largest funnel cake
TV film crew films making of 30-inch funnel cake at Kutztown Fairgrounds where the Pa Dutch treat was first introduced to public
The record for the world’s largest funnel cake was broken in Kutztown on Nov. 28.
Celebrity Chef Steve Mallie, with help from Kutztown’s Lester Miller and his grandmother Emma’s recipe, made the world’s largest funnel cake, measuring 30 inches across.
A TV show film crew from L.A. filmed the recordbreaking event in front of a crowd of locals gathered at the Kutztown Fairgrounds where funnel cake was first introduced to the public by Emma and Viola Miller at the Kutztown Folk Festival in 1950. Lester, age 83 on Dec. 2, has been involved with the Folk Festival since the 1950s and continues to lead a hoe down group of dancers every year.
The film crew’s development producer Paul Taylor, who couldn’t release the name of the TV show or the network until final approval, welcomed the crowd, surprised to see so many come out for the event.
“Chef Steve is a bit crazy and one of his favorite things to do is break food records. For the last couple of days, we’ve been spending time here in Kutztown, which is where funnel cake went from obscure dessert to nation-wide everybody loves it and everybody eats it dessert,” said Taylor to the crowd. “Why not try to make the biggest one ever? Because we can.”
Chef Mallie, owner of Mallie’s Sports Grill & Bar in Detroit, is known for making the world’s largest burger. He was challenged to make the world’s largest funnel cake.
“I love it. This is what I do, big food,” said Mallie. “I love bringing a crowd together, creating a fun atmosphere.”
As Chef Mallie and his assistants Paul Lawrence and Jamie Ingrime and Lester prepared the batter, a crowd gathered at the Kutztown Fairgrounds.
Joanne Englehart of Kutztown was among those to arrive early, “I love funnel cakes and I work at the Folk Festival. It’s nice to see our community out and about enjoying this occasion.”
New Kutztown resident Mara Beck, formerly of New Tripoli, agreed that seeing a world record being broken is a cool event to witness.
“What’s not to like about funnel cake? It’s delicious.”
Maggie Stange of Kutztown Community Partnership joined the crowd to watch history in the making.
“This is super fun. It’s a great turn out,” said Stange. “It’s a world record broken in Kutztown so it’s really exciting to see the town getting on the map for the world’s largest funnel cake. This is where funnel cake was created at the festival so that’s pretty big for us to take the record.”
The excitement and anticipation built as everyone waited for the oil to reach temperature. To help pass the time, Keith Brintzenhoff and Bill Meck entertained the crowd with Pennsylvania Dutch humor while the Miller Brothers sang.
The long-awaited moment arrived as Chef Mallie, Lester and others poured batter into the hot oil in an oversized vat. At the right moment, Chef Mallie and his assistants carefully flipped the funnel cake over as the crowd held their breath. Then, they placed the finished cake on a table and measured the funnel cake at a record breaking 30 inches across. With the crowd surrounding them, Lester and Chef Mallie raised their arms in victory.
“We did it and we did it on the first try,” said Chef Mallie. “There were definitely a few speed bumps that we ran into and we just thought our way through it and it actually worked out well. Everything kind of fell into place like a puzzle... We have a great team of people. We do big food, that’s what we do... I feel great now that we did it. I’m just waiting to get a piece of that funnel cake and enjoy the victory right now.”
“I think it went really well,” said Kutztown Folk Festival Director Steve Sharadin. “For those guys to hit it on the first time was really impressive and
I couldn’t be happier.”
Sharadin was also impressed by the turnout of the crowd gathered to watch the record-breaking event after a 24-hour notice via social media and word of mouth. Those in attendance included Kutztown University students and faculty, community members, and local high schoolers.
“This really says it all about Kutztown. This is phenomenal,” Sharadin said. “Kutztown and the Kutztown Folk Festival are recognized as being the first place, the first event to introduce funnel cake to the world. Funnel cake is a typical Pennsylvania Dutch treat. Here in 1950 at the first Folk Festival we served funnel cake to the public for the first time. Since then it’s just taken off.”
Sharadin noted that in the film crew’s quest to break the record for the world’s largest funnel cake, they recognized that funnel cake was first introduced in Kutztown by Lester Miller’s mother Viola and grandmother Emma at the Folk Festival in 1950, using Emma’s recipe.
“I think it’s quite an honor,” said Lester who was excited to be a part of the record-breaking event. Chef Mallie used Lester’s grandmother’s recipe. “I think it’s great. It’s something to see all of these people here.”
Prior to the event, Chef Mallie and the film crew spent time with Lester and his family.
“Everyone’s been so warm and welcoming,” said Mallie. “I’ve enjoyed my stay here and I’m actually not looking forward to going home because I’m having a good time. It’s nice that we didn’t let Lester down and we actually came home with a success. What a great day to bring everyone here to watch, in the hometown of the funnel cake, us bring the record for the largest funnel cake here. We were able to, with Lester’s help and a few other people, bring the world record home to where it belongs, where funnel cake originated. It’s a great day.”