He discussed the idea with Redner and began constructing a plan to make the idea a reality, he said. Redner contacted Kurt Kwiatkowski, the MSU Culinary Services corporate chef, who loved the idea, Magnini said.

“It was set up in partnership with the Izzone Campout,” Kwiatkowski said. “What better way to give them a little bit of free food, have some fun, break a world record and give MSU a little bit more recognition that it deserves.”

When the Izzone campout was canceled because of weather conditions, the MSU Student Alumni Foundation sent an email to all the registered students, encouraging them still to participate in the event and receive a free meal.

Both Redner and Magnini said the taco line was a great way to support MSU food products and showcase what the university is capable of accomplishing.

Using only MSU ingredients, the line contained 150 pounds of beef, 35 pounds of cheese and 50 pounds of pico de gallo.

“We made the tortillas in Brody. The beef is a special project between MSU and Michigan Beef Producers. The cheese is from the Dairy Store. And the pico de gallo is 100 percent from the Student Organic Farm,” Redner said.

There were several stamps of approval needed to move the project forward from both MSU and Guinness World Records, Magnini said. MSU chose not to have an official Guinness representative attend because of the “enormous” fee, he said. To fulfill the Guinness World Records requirements, culinary officials were required to record an exact measurement of the taco line.

In addition, a video had to be taken of the lineup and each individual taco had to be counted and documented. Several witnesses and MSU workers also were required to fill out forms documenting Friday’s event.

Now that the event is over, Magnini said the eight-month project was worth the effort.

“It’s really cool to think that eight months ago (the project started) off with a Facebook post … and now it’s a combination of hundreds of people helping out and really making it a reality,” Magnini said.