Birds Take Bite Out Of Biggest Burrito

KENNEWICK - The hundreds of volunteers who gave of themselves to build what is unofficially the world's largest burrito had to overcome more than just threatening skies and tortilla-wrapping fatigue.

About halfway through the construction, sea gulls began swooping down on unattended sections of the 3.7-ton behemoth at Columbia Park.

Aluminum foil that had been wrapped around burrito sections as they were finished Saturday didn't deter the birds.

So the co-owner of a local Mexican restaurant that organized the event recruited volunteers to chase the hungry thieves away.

"They tried to eat our lunch," Lupe Barragan said.

And what a lunch it was.

Over two hours, the group managed to turn 6,500 tortillas, 2,500 pounds of rice, 2,500 pounds of beans, 1,500 pounds of cheese, 1,500 pounds of lettuce and 200 gallons of salsa into one mega-burrito.

It stretched 4,289 feet and 11 inches across some 600 tables set end-to-end on a grass field.

The previous world-record burrito was 3,700 feet, but it could be a while before the Guinness Book of Records verifies whether the Kennewick burrito indeed surpassed the other in size.

For Barragan, co-owner of the Tri-Cities area's Casa Chapala restaurants, that burrito-building effort was a way to thank the community that has embraced his restaurants for 12 years.

"I'd like to thank all of you," Barragan shouted to the army of burrito rollers after the job was finished. "Let's go eat!"

The volunteers began by donning hair nets and plastic gloves and lining up along the tables.

Pickups began slowly driving by on the other side of the tables with the ingredients. Then Casa Chapala employees unloaded the contents as fast as they could.

First came the 12-inch tortillas, which overlapped each other like roof shingles. Then came the beans, rice, lettuce, cheese, and salsa.

When all the toppings were in place, the rollers went to work.

Miranda Oliva went first. The 13-year-old folded the front end of the burrito, then grabbed hold of a three-foot section of tortilla, wrapping the contents as tightly as she could.

Oliva then grabbed hold of the finished product and held it together until more volunteers could wrap it in aluminum foil.

Despite the potential for glitches, the assembly line worked well. The air was cool and the wind brisk at times, but it didn't rain.

When they were done, only three unused tortillas were left.

Kennewick Mayor Jim Beaver hugged Barragan amid a throng of excited cooks.

"This says a lot for the community that they took the time and effort to come out and volunteer," Beaver said between bites of the finished product. "It's pretty exciting. Besides that, it's a good burrito."