Malta Chef Breaks 3rd World Record With 52-Meter Chocolate Train

Andrew Farrugia isn't just breaking world records anymore. He's making it a habit.

The Maltese chef and culinary instructor just earned his third Guinness World Record with a breathtaking chocolate train stretching 52 meters long. That's longer than an Olympic swimming pool is wide, all crafted from rich Belgian chocolate.

Farrugia unveiled the masterpiece Monday at the Palazzo della Regione Lombardia in Milan, just ahead of the Winter Games in northern Italy. He didn't work alone—culinary students from Malta's Institute of Tourism Studies and Italy's CAST joined forces to bring the 3,000-kilogram creation to life over several months.

The chocolate train officially claimed the title for World's Longest Chocolate Sculpture. Farrugia's previous records include a 34-meter chocolate train displayed in Brussels in 2012 and a towering 13.52-meter replica of Dubai's Burj Khalifa in 2014.

This time, Farrugia brought his whole family along for the celebration. His wife and three children were there to watch the official measurement and see him accept the title.

"This is a special project," Farrugia said during the reveal. He's been teaching at ITS for 29 years and wore his school jacket proudly alongside badges for both hospice organizations.

The Ripple Effect

The chocolate train is doing more than breaking records. Students from both countries baked over 12,000 biscuits and chocolates ahead of the event, selling them to raise money for Hospice Malta and Associazione Cure Palliative ODV-ETS in Bergamo.

In Milan, students continued the fundraising effort by selling chocolate bars before Monday's big reveal. While the train sculpture itself isn't safe to eat after being exposed for so long, it won't go to waste—part will be melted for training purposes, and the rest will become animal feed.

The project brought together young culinary students across countries, teaching them not just the art of chocolate work but the power of using their skills for good. Farrugia now calls his team of students and colleagues "friends," a bond formed through chocolate and compassion.

The Mellieħa council celebrated their hometown hero on Facebook, calling his achievement "a proud moment for Mellieħa." After nearly three decades of teaching and inspiring the next generation of chefs, Farrugia proves that sweet success tastes even better when it's shared with others.