On Nov. 1, Nonni's Italian Eatery, 172 N. Main St., will attempt to break the current standing world record for the largest meatball ever created. The record is currently held by the “Jimmy Kimmel Live Show,” who set the record on Sept. 24. The meatball weighed in at a whopping 198.6 pounds.
Nonni's will attempt to shatter that record. “This is no small feat,” said owner and chef, Mathew Mitnitsky, as Guinness World Records is very specific about the requirements. First of all, the giant meatball must be completely edible; it must also maintain the classic ingredients that make up a traditional meatball; the recipe must be submitted in both pounds and metric conversions; lastly, the final weigh-in must be performed by state approved “weights and measures” personnel in order to ensure accuracy.
So, the big question that everyone keeps asking is: How do you cook a giant meatball? “Well, I wish I could tell you but I'm afraid that needs to be kept a secret for now. The one thing I will say is that it takes approximately two days to cook,” says Chef Matthew.
The festivities will begin at noon on Sunday with several events scheduled such as the “meatball challenge” where we see how many meatballs you can consume in 15 minutes. Kids of all ages will also enjoy the “meatball ladle run” where a team of two will be challenged to run meatballs across the room and place them into a pot of sauce. Finally, there will be the “mama mia spicy meatball challenge,” where contestants will challenge themselves to a graduating heat of fiery meatballs. Prizes will be given out to all the winners.
At 2 p.m. the main event will take place. Chef Mathew and his team of top meatball specialists will “roll out” the meatball for the record attempt. Guinness World Records will be here for the weigh-in.
Music, beverages and more games will continue until 3 p.m. Admission is free.
Once the event is over, the meatball will be donated to the Friendly Kitchen.
For more information, call Nonni's at 224-0400 or visit nonnisitalianeatery.com.
