A man who jokingly sought a $10 crowdfunding donation in order to make his first potato salad on Saturday threw a huge party, in celebration of the fact that his efforts ended up raising more than $55,000.

Zack Brown, 31, drew thousands to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday for an event that started as a bit of fun but became PotatoStock 2014.

In July, the web designer put himself at the mercy of the world via the website Kickstarter, on which he asked for a few bucks to buy the ingredients for potato salad and pointed out: “It might not be that good. It’s my first potato salad.”

The project promptly went viral, landing Brown spots on TV news and attention from publishers and chefs. Within a month – the lifespan of his internet fundraising project – he had netted $55,492.

In June, Kickstarter loosened its rules to allow proposals seeking funding for projects to go public instantly, without being reviewed by administrators. Brown took advantage by launching his quirky idea. As donations poured in, he even found himself feted by the Idaho Potato Commission, which took him on a trip to the state, to drive a tractor and harvest potatoes.

“I had never seen a potato come out of the ground before. It was incredible,” Brown, an Ohio native, told the Columbus Dispatch.

As a co-owner of a web design company, Brown spends most of his days indoors, staring at a computer screen. The commission encouraged him to stride into a potato field and pull up spuds with his bare hands, and with companies such as Hellmans, the mayonnaise giant, sponsored the event on Saturday, donating enough supplies for Brown and a host of volunteers to make 300lbs of potato salad.

Anyone who donated more than $3 was promised a special sample if they attended the event in Columbus. PotatoStock promised food trucks, live bands, radio DJs and sponsored razzamatazz, with free entry.

Brown has joined with a local charity, the Columbus Foundation, to create an endowment to benefit local charities fighting hunger and homelessness. He started the effort with $20,000 and intends to add proceeds donated at Saturday’s party.

Publishers are reportedly interested in talking to Brown about a book on how to conquer online fundraising.

“You never know what’s going to take off,” said Justin Kazmark, a spokesman for Kickstarter, on which 44% of projects reach their goal. “This was just the internet being the internet.”

Donations apparently spiked after Brown began offering t-shirts with the slogan “I just backed potato salad” on them, in return for a gift of $35.