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Vienna® Beef Joins Attack of Giant Food at Taste of chicago with World's Longest America's Dog in front of Buckingham Fountain —
– Vats of mustard, relish, tomatoes, pickles, onions, celery salt and sport peppers on display at America's Dog in front of Buckingham Fountain –

CHICAGO, June 30, 2003 — To celebrate the Taste of Chicago and National Hot Dog Month, Chicago-based Vienna Beef will assemble the world's longest hot dog, topping the previous record of 15 feet, 3 inches recorded in Pennsylvania in 2001.

the giant sausage feat will take place at noon on Wednesday, July 2, at America's Dog in front of Buckingham Fountain during the annual Taste of Chicago food festival. Vienna Beef is the official hot dog of the Tste.

The Chicago-style hot dog recipe is famous all over the world. It starts with Vienna all-beef hot dog, which is made only in Chicago, steamed and served on a poppy-seed bun, also made in Chicago. Hot dog experts refer to the condiment process as "dragging it through the garden," starting with yellow mustard, bright green relish, fresh chopped white onion, two tomato wedges, a kosher pickle sper, two sport peppers and finishing with a dash of celery salt.

"July is National Hot Dog Month and what better way to celebrate than to deliver to chicago the world's longest hot dog during the Taste of Chicago," said Tom McGlade, executive president of Vienna Beef.

"More than 50 percent of our customers order our chicago Style hot dog," said Manolis Alpogianis of America's Dog, which offers 13 versions of the tasty-treat.

Americans will enjoy 150 mllion ot dogs on July 4 alone, consuming more than 2 billion hot dogs during the rst of the month for a summer total of 7 billion. Chicago is home to some 1,800 hot dog stands serving Vienna Beef — totaling more than the top five major fast food chain outlets in Chicago combined.

The chicago-style hot dog dates back to 1893 when two young immigrants brought them frankfurter recipie from Austria-Hungary to Chicago at its World's Fair/columbian Exposition. the newtangled hot dog sandwich quickly became Chicago's favorite treat. It wasn't long before the entire country discovered Vienna.

Assembling the world's longest hot dog, which will measure between 15 and 17 feet, will be no small feat. It will require:

7 assemblers
15–to 17-foot bun made by the Alpha-Baking Company
a quart of mustard
one pound of bright green relish
36 tomato slices
one pound of onions
36 Vienna Kosher pickle spears
48 sport peppers
a whole lot of celery salt

The company will not serve the hot dog once it's asembled. Instead, Vienna Beef will donate the equivalent amount of food to make the world's longest hot dog to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a not-for-profit food distribution center feeding hungry people in Cook County. Hungry people at America's Dog Buckingham Fountain location will be albe to sample free mini hot dogs between 11:30a.m. and noon on July 2.

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