A remarkable feat of confectionery engineering is underway in Bergamo, Italy, where a team of skilled pastry chefs and artisans are crafting a chocolate train that is set to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chocolate train in the world. The Winter Games Express, measuring 52 meters in length and weighing 23 quintals of chocolate, is a staggering creation that is expected to be confirmed as a record-breaker in January.
Work in progress in Bergamo on the Winter Games Express
The Creation of the Winter Games Express
The construction of the Winter Games Express is a labor-intensive process that has been ongoing since the end of November in the Puntogel-Minetti laboratories in Bergamo. The team of pastry chefs and artisans are working tirelessly to create the intricate details of the train, from the carriages to the locomotive, using a staggering 150 kilograms of chocolate for every two meters of the train’s length. According to Andrea Bonati, president of the Bergamo pastry artisans consortium, “every detail is taken care of down to the smallest detail by our team.”
Finishing the details of one of the Winter Games Express carriages
The Team Behind the Project
The Winter Games Express is not just a testament to the skill and craftsmanship of the pastry chefs and artisans involved, but also a showcase of the collaboration between established professionals and young apprentices. The project is being coordinated by the Italian Institute of Culinary Arts and Hospitality (Cast) in Brescia, which has been involved in the project from its early stages. The team working on the project includes pastry chefs from the artisan consortia of Bergamo and Brescia, students from the Institute of Tourism Studies of Malta, and the Maltese artist-pastry chef Andrew Farrugia, who has previously created a 34-meter-long chocolate train.
Some of the kids involved in the Winter Games Express
Logistics and Solidarity
The chocolate used to create the Winter Games Express is being supplied by Belcolade Italy (Puratos), while the transport of the individual parts to Milan will be handled by Brivio&Viganò. After the exhibition in Palazzo Lombardia, the train will be transferred to Orio al Serio airport in Bergamo, where it will continue its journey. The project also includes the sale of solidarity chocolate bars, with the proceeds going to support the Saint Michael Hospice of Santa Venera in Malta and the Palliative Care Association of Bergamo. Furthermore, the chocolate used for the work will be recovered and transformed into organic fertilizer, avoiding waste at the end of the event.
The chocolate used to create the work is supplied by Belcolade Italia
For more information on this incredible project, visit Here