It was a race against the clock for hundreds of Loblaws employees across Canada this past weekend, as they took part in an attempt to break a world record for the most parmesan cheese wheels cracked simultaneously — a feat that included help from two determined workers at Phil’s Independent Grocer in Virgil.

In 2014, Loblaws broke the world record for the most wheels cracked at the same time with 1,209 wheels. To defend its title, 1,800 wheels was the goal attempted last Saturday.

Store volunteers Alayna Hollemans and John Vanderlee stepped up to the challenge, using specific knives and techniques to fulfill the record requirements. The Virgil store was one of more than 450 Loblaws locations to participate in the world record attempt.

The process also had to be recorded with a clock in the frame to ensure the crack time was the same across the country.

Hollemans said the crowd that gathered to watch the attempt wasn’t what made her nervous – it was keeping up with Vanderlee’s speed. Still, both volunteers were able to crack their wheels in about six minutes.

Phil Leboudec, owner of Phil’s Independent, said Hollemans and Vanderlee trained for two weeks using quarter wheels before the record attempt.

You have to use the traditional Italian method and tools for cracking parmigiano reggiano — parmesan cheese — for the attempt to count, Leboudec said.

“The parmesan is dried for at least 22 months […] but to do that there’s a very thick wax they put around it,” he said. “The hard part about cracking is you’ve got to cut through all that.”

The technique involves making small cuts on the surface of the cheese — a process known as scoring — to get through the outer layer. Then, the knives are placed at a specific angle to break through the initial cuts and crack the wheel open.

Because parmesan is known as the “King of Cheese,” successfully cracking a wheel is no easy feat.

“You have to be trained,” Leboudec said. “It’s not something you could just walk in and do.”

Part of the challenge is flipping the 80-pound wheel to work on each side. If there are only incisions on half of the wheel, the technique won’t work because the knife won’t be able to cut through both ends.

But even with this physical challenge, the clock ticking and the eyes of a small crowd on her wheel, Hollemans said the experience was really fun.

Other participating locations cracked more or less wheels, depending on the size of the store. The primary location of the record attempt was Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, where 20 wheels were cracked.

Leboudec said it’s fun to host an event happening across the country.

“There’s 1,800 people (referring to the number of wheels that were cracked) doing the same thing coast to coast at the same time,” he said.

After Hollemans and Vanderlee successfully cracked their wheels, samples of the cheese were distributed to store customers.

In a press release, Loblaws stated the purpose of the world record attempt is to highlight its selling of authentic parmigiano regginao.

As of Wednesday evening, the results of the world record attempt have not been publicly released.