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Gigantic Spam musubi created in Clarksville breaks world record, benefits hungry




Volunteers put the final touches on the 1,120 pounds of Spam, rice and seaweed-covered musubi before breaking the Guinness world record for the largest sushi-type Spam snack.  SUBMITTED 

Volunteers put the final touches on the 1,120 pounds of Spam, rice and seaweed-covered musubi before breaking the Guinness world record for the largest sushi-type Spam snack.  SUBMITTED 

Spam musubi, a $3 dish on the menu at Kimo’s Hawaiian Bar and Grill on Franklin Street in downtown Clarksville, needed a bigger plate last week when its musubi dish was enlarged to 1,120 pounds, breaking a world record that benefitted two area nonprofit organizations.

The Dec. 31 creation of the rectangular sushi-like dish of rice and Spam layers, all wrapped in seaweed, was part of an effort to break the Guinness world record of 628 pounds of the popular Hawaiian snack, according to Loaves and Fishes board chairman Tamara Long.

“We had to put it all together,” Long said. “Then it had to be weighed and certified in order to break the record. The musubi ended up being about 4 feet wide, 8 feet long and about 1 foot tall.”

Chefs from Kimo’s Hawaiian Bar and Grill were up early in the morning to prepare the ingredients, according to Long.

“Kimo’s had first planned to hold the event at the Downtown Commons,” Long said. “But the weather was making that difficult, so we decided to have it in our new, soon-to-be-opened facility on Crossland.”

Workers finalize finishing touches prior to the musubi being weighed for the Guinness World Record.  SUBMITTED

Workers finalize finishing touches prior to the musubi being weighed for the Guinness World Record.  SUBMITTED

The new building for Loaves and Fishes is at 825 Crossland Ave., which plans to open possibly within the next two months, Long said.

The soup kitchen at Loaves and Fishes in Clarksville feeds the hungry six days a week and distributes food to area agencies through volunteer efforts. Loaves and Fishes serves about 45,000-50,000 meals annually on site, with a special focus on feeding the homeless.

Kimo’s used the event to raise funds for both Loaves and Fishes and Yaipak Outreach of Clarksville, another nonprofit organization that serves the homeless.

“There were other events taking place in the building as the musubi was being put together,” Long said. “There was a silent auction to help raise funds as we worked.”

Spam the Love was promoted as a Kimo’s Hawaiian Bar and Grill event, joining forces with Waterdogs Scuba & Safety, the Downtown Commons, Q-Realty and @artlinkclarksville to create the opportunity to impact and serve the community.

The Clarksville Rotary Club, the Austin Peay State University’s track and field team, Austin Peay’s Pi Kappa Alpha, local Boy Scout troops and the Hawaiian Civic Club provided volunteers.

Kimo’s Hawaiian Bar and Grill co-owner Dar Place said musubi is a common Hawaiian snack that he decided could be used in a influential way.

“I wanted to do something to help the community,” Place said. “I felt attempting a world record with a large food item would benefit feeding a lot of people.”

Place planned last week’s event, along with the other co-owners, his wife, Cindy, and son-in-law, Chris Jeter.

“A lot of businesses came together and donated the ingredients of rice, Spam, the wood for the forms used to build the musubi and their time,” Place said. “They also donated several items we used to raise money in a live auction.”

Workers put together, like a sandwich, the layers of rice topped with 150 pounds of Spam and 5 pounds of seaweed.

“After hours of work and weighing the large musubi, it was dismantled and given to Loaves and Fishes, so that we can use the ingredients in future recipes,” Long said.

The auction netted about $3,000 in donations for both Loaves & Fishes and Yaipak Outreach.

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