Florida restaurant set new world record for longest Cuban sandwich

House of Hope and Old Havana Cafe raised about $40,000 for the charity by making a 400-foot-long Cuban sandwich, which Martin County officials measured and declared a world record.

Donations, sponsorships, sandwich sales and sandwich-builder entry fees from the Sept. 12 event at a Palm City park contributed to the money raised, as well raising awareness about hunger during Hunger Action Month.

“We met our goal to break the record,” House of Hope CEO Rob Ranieri said in a news release. “More than that, we proved once again that Martin County cares deeply about its people and will take action to help those in need.”

House of Hope and Old Havana Cafe built the world’s longest Cuban sandwich

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Robert Nicholas, trustee of presenting sponsor Doris M. Carter Family Foundation, helps build the sandwich alongside members of the House of Hope Board of Directors. (PROVIDED BY HOUSE OF HOPE MARTIN COUNTY)

The Doris M. Carter Family Foundation sponsored the event and pledged to match every donation up to $15,000.

The event was free for spectators, but it cost $10 to buy a part of the sandwich and $20 for a BOGO — buy one for yourself and give one to someone in need. What wasn’t sold was donated to the nonprofit’s food pantries and partner soup kitchens.

“We had hundreds of people involved, from the sandwich builders, grill pressers, health and safety supervisors, sponsors and folks from all around the community who came out to support us,” said Martin County Commissioner Edward Ciampi, who helped sponsor the event.

House of Hope provides basic needs and life skills such as food, clothes, money, classes and coaching in education, health, nutrition, job readiness, the arts and more.

“We know there are individuals and families in our area who are never sure of where their next meal will come from or how they will afford groceries,” Ranieri said in the release. “That’s a situation we address through House of Hope every day.”

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Longest Cuban sandwich world record set in Martin County

The event, called Bite Into History: The Longest Cuban Sandwich Ever Made, was held at the Lance Cpl. Justin Wilson Memorial Park at 2050 S.W. Mapp Road.

It took 20 volunteers 25 minutes to finish the sandwich, with different teams building 20-foot-long segments. The previous record was 365.9 feet, set in 2024 in Tampa on behalf of the nonprofit New Beginnings of Tampa.

Such records aren’t sanctioned by an authority such as Guinness World Records, since they’re more for fun, fundraising and raising awareness for nonprofits. It would have cost $18,000 for Guinness to record the Cuban sandwich, according to Jesus “Chuchi” Rivero, owner of Old Havana Cafe Cuban restaurant on Ocean Boulevard in Stuart.

This was not the first record set in the county. Others include records for barefoot backward water-skiing, oldest competitive pool player, most consecutive bunny hops on a unicycle, most cans crushed by a unicycle in one minute and multiple fishing records.

Valeria Bartra is TCPalm’s food reporter. Contact her at valeria.bartra@tcpalm.com, 772-978-2246 or follow her on Instagram @vbartrajourno.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida restaurant set new world record for longest Cuban sandwich