This year marked a huge anniversary for Raising Cane’s and Todd Graves. The founder and CEO of the chicken finger restaurant opened up his first location in Baton Rouge 30 years ago. This year also marks the 400th anniversary of the town of Salem, Massachusetts. So, for the fitting occasion, Graves set out to make world history with the heaviest jack-o-lantern ever.
Todd Graves and crew come together for history-making jack-o-lantern
Salem, Massachusetts, is widely referred to as the “Halloween capital of the world.” If there ever were a place for Todd Graves and Raising Cane’s to try to break the Guinness World Record for the heaviest jack-o-lantern, it was there. The 400th anniversary was a perfect opportunity to head to Halloween central just days before the holiday.
After judging the massive, immaculate 3,156-pound work of art, a Guinness adjudicator was thrilled to award the world record to Graves and all who were involved. That includes Ron Wallace, who grew the enormous pumpkin, and the carving team, consisting of Eric Jones, Monique Hawkins, and William Wilson.
“I’ve been collecting big pumpkins for over seven years, and a world record was the goal. The fun part is it’s all about team. It starts with Ron. When we were here, and we were in here getting the seed, she actually fell in the pumpkin,” Todd Graves revealed. “Monique went in with a dive roll into this big pumpkin, but it starts with him growing an amazing pumpkin, and then being willing to partner with us to do it somewhere where everybody can see it.”
This was a collaborative effort, from Raising Cane’s itself to the carvers, the growers, and more. That kind of teamwork reflects what Todd Graves has been about for the last three decades. “It’s having Ron grow the world’s heaviest pumpkin, and it’s having these amazing carvers come out and make it truly special, and then teach my daughter and I how to really carve into it,” he said. “But taking the vision we had, what we wanted for the pumpkin, you know, tying it into something special like Salem Witches.”
Everything on the pumpkin was edible, down to using beet juice instead of paint to put the finishing touches. When it’s all said and done, the giant, record-setting jack-o-lantern will be fed to “a whole bunch of happy pigs.” Eric Jones, who held the previous record for the world’s heaviest jack-o-lantern, revealed how it all came together.
He said, “This is the best pumpkin I think we’ve ever carved in terms of the material. The design process, we started working with Cane’s a couple of weeks before the carve, and we go through this just kind of creative process, shooting ideas back and forth, and it goes through a team there. Carry the elements of the Cane’s branding with a lot of skeleton stuff this year. Keep it whimsical and fun. But, of course, you’re in Salem. You’ve got to incorporate witches.”
Jones admitted that it can be tough setting the world record. Even if the pumpkin is huge, Guinness has strict requirements for world records. Just having a massive pumpkin was not enough. “You never know because the criteria is very strict. Guinness, they’re world-class,” he said. “They’re professionals. It has to be illuminated. It has to have eyes, nose, and mouth. You have to follow these guidelines. But Cane’s was on top of that.”
But before Jones and his inimitable crew get their hands on it, it has to be grown. And growing a historically large pumpkin, the first to ever surpass 3,000 pounds, is no easy feat. Not even for Ron Wallace, who’s been doing this for a very long time.
“You have to stick with it from when you start the seed in the middle of April until harvest,” Wallace said. “And if things are going off during the season, the growers still stick with it and come out the other end… It was a heck of a grow this year.” Wallace also noted he hopes these sort of pumpkins and events will inspire future gardeners.
What could possibly be next? Todd Graves and Raising Cane’s spent seven years working towards a record-setting jack-o-lantern. What could possibly top that? “Art’s never finished, it’s just abandoned. We’re not abandoning the dream to keep going bigger and better and more amazing,” Graves said with a smile. “Just wait. Just wait for what we’ve got coming in the future.”
