A waffle lot of work
Iron chef, of sorts, takes square aim at world record stacked against him
The world record for tallest stack of waffles was broken Saturday in some guy’s backyard in Denver.
Spencer Mccullough, a 23-year-old waffle wunderkind, had 50 pounds of waffle mix, two waffle irons and a dream. His breakfast-food fantasy was realized when — after hours of mixing, pouring, ironing and hardening in the oven — he produced a column of waffles that stood 67 centimeters, about 26 inches, tall — easily surpassing the previous record of 51 centimeters.
The media’s first inkling that Mccullough and company’s waffle-stacking production was a genuine grassroots movement came upon arriving at Mccullough’s home and seeing a piece of paper taped to the front door that read: “Waffle world record attempt around back.”
Mccullough wants to start working with small businesses, helping them break world records that align with their brand. He needed to practice breaking one, and he and Cory Trimm settled on waffle stacking. Mccullough also considered mattress stacking or dressing the most people to
look like Albert Einstein.
“We just thought (waffle stacking) seemed doable,” Trimm said.
“Around back” stood Denver land surveyor Dustin Hoaglin hanging out with his expensive, 3-D laser scanner.
Mccullough heralded Hoaglin as a “true hero” for taking time out of his Memorial Day weekend to measure the stack of breakfast squares so it could become Guinness-official.
“When I started calling around asking land surveyors to do this, I got a lot of laughs,” Mccullough said. “People were like ‘Uh, I have to do real work.’ But here we are.”
Hoaglin said he had family in town for his son’s graduation, so he found the morning measuring to be a reprieve.
“My wife kept asking me where I was going, and I said I was going to work,” he said.
While Hoaglin surveyed and Mccullough poured batter into his recently acquired waffle irons, Steve Garguilo broiled the cooked waffles to harden them into Jenga-like breakfast bricks.
Garguilo lives in Texas but received a text message from Mccullough, a friend from college, in March asking whether he’d like to be involved in a record-breaking mission involving waffles. Garguilo got on a plane with a plan to be the best waffle stacker in the land.
“I said the next time you send me a text like this, don’t phrase it as a question,” Garguilo said. “Phrase it as a statement. Say, ‘I’m setting a record stacking waffles, and you’re coming.’ “
Jennifer Laplante and Tyler Keigan brunched in Mccullough’s backyard amid the culinary chaos. The two didn’t know a soul in attendance, including the hosts. They just saw a Facebook post about it and found themselves in a stranger’s backyard eating pancakes, which were also on the menu.
“This is my first record breaking,” Laplante said. “It’s pretty great so far.”
As friends, strangers and a land surveyor broke bread and batter, the sound of music floating out of a phone speaker brought a hush to the crowd.
“Summon the Heroes,” an orchestral composition typically associated with the Olympics, began to play — and waffles were stacked until they could be stacked no more.
There were some wobbly moments that elicited shrieks and groans from the anxious crowd.
“My heart has been racing since waffle one,” Laplante said. “I want that written on my tombstone.”
Eventually, with the help of a beer-themed umbrella for shade and a lot of perseverance, the waffles reached a record-breaking height of 67 centimeters.
Afterward, Mccullough said he was still processing the event but was happy that people had a good time.
The official word from Guinness isn’t expected to come for several weeks, but backed by a laser scanner, measuring tape and land surveyor, Mccullough said he feels satisfied.
“I’m most excited that everyone got what they came for,” he said. “I feel like I delivered.”
“My heart has been racing since waffle one.”
Jennifer Laplante, who attended Saturday’s event