Fountain Valley potluck on Sunday aims to break bread, set Guinness World Record
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The Guinness World Record for the largest potluck was set at a 2016 gathering in India that drew 3,264 people.
Organizers of the OC Around The Table potluck believe that records — and bread — are made to be broken.
The community-driven initiative is hosting a potluck at Mile Square Park at 3 p.m. on Sunday, and the hope is that it will make the record books.
The theme is “Unity Within Community.”
“If we’re not able to break [the record], we are going to continue,” said Mustafa Ulukaya, executive director of Lake Forest-based Pacifica Institute. “Breaking records is important, but it’s not only breaking the record. It’s kind of bringing people together, talking with them, eating with them, getting to know each other.”
Pacifica Institute, which seeks to spark intercultural and interfaith dialogue to create mutual understanding, is one of the main organizers of the event. The county of Orange, city of Fountain Valley, Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce, Orange County Interfaith Network and the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council are also involved.
Advisory board members for the event include state Sen. Tony Strickland, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Fountain Valley Mayor Ted Bui and former Huntington Beach Mayor Dave Garofalo.
Cuneyt Tegin, a local psychiatrist who is on the organizing committee, stressed that the event is not intended to be religious or political, but rather community-based and family friendly.
Tegin, who is Kurdish, said he helped organize a similar event, “The Big Table,” when he lived in Louisville, Ky.
Some of the other key organizers are from Turkey, including Okan Ustun, the owner of the Istanbull Grill in Fountain Valley.
“There are actually two aspects of this,” Tegin said. “We want our community to also open up more. If you are not sitting at the breakfast table, people of course will not know you.”
Ulukaya, who is also of Turkish descent, agreed.
“If we do something together, the integration will be much better,” he said. “Otherwise, if we are on the passive side, waiting for something to happen, we do not integrate. People tend to be in their bubbles, in their comfort zones, but we are trying to do something for the community at large.”
People interested in attending the potluck are asked to pre-register at the OC Around The Table website. Guests can also sign up to be hosts for a table, each of which seats six people.
Table sponsorships are also available for $50 per table.
The potluck, which will be held on the northeast side of Mile Square Park near Freedom Hall, will also have live music and family-friendly activities.
The goal is to have 600 tables filled, which would mean 3,600 people dining at the potluck. As of Thursday morning there were enough registered participants to fill nearly 400 tables.
Guests are asked to arrive promptly, by 3 p.m., as that’s when a Guinness World Records official will tally the number of people present.
Jynene Johnson, immediate past president of the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council, said the organization is excited to be involved with the potluck. She added that it’s about more than food.
“It’s the vehicle that brings us to the table,” Johnson said. “It’s a gathering tool. And if we use food that way, we can create more friendship, because people want to come together and eat. Especially when you’re doing it at such a large scale, it’s so monumental that you want to be a part of it.”
