MAIN STREET, ST. THOMAS — The attempt by Brady Sweet to break his own Guinness World Record for largest calzone on the planet has been successful. In the process, he has brought the record home to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The team started preparations at 3 a.m. Sunday, Mr. Sweet told the Consortium. “It was so much hard work, it took literally three months to make this happen," he said.

Logistical challenges included figuring out how to construct such a behemoth calzone all in one piece, as required by Guinness World Record rules. This record-breaking calzone, weighing in at almost 400 pounds, is almost double the size of the folded pie Mr. Sweet made in 2014, when his name was first added to the record books.‌

Instead of waiting weeks for the Guinness World Records team to verify his achievement from third-party photos and measurements, as was the case for his last attempt, Mr. Sweet decided to have an official from the organization on hand to adjudicate the proceedings. “This time, we pulled out all the stops, and we actually had the Guinness lady flying in the day before, and she'll be here on site the entire day, and she's actually going to present us a plaque and officiate the award the day of,” he told the Consortium last week.

That decision helped add to the air of excitement on Sunday, as scores of Virgin Islanders thronged to see the 35-foot calzone go through the specialty oven that had been sent down for this specific purpose. After the approximately 1-hour cooking time, patrons eagerly queued to “taste a slice of history” as written on a sign at the event, spending $10 for each slice of the record-breaking calzone.

‌Proceeds are being directed to the St. Thomas - St. John Humane Society. Mr. Sweet was overwhelmed by the positive response from the community to his record-breaking and fundraising efforts. “Look at this, look at the line!” Cafe Amici’s owner declared, before turning away to help with the cutting and distribution of the end result of this latest labor of love.