The Nigerian chef Hilda Effiong Bassey, also known as Hilda Baci, has finally been recognized by Guinness World Records (GWR) as the new holder of the record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.
The 26-year-old Nigerian chef worked in the kitchen for four days, starting on Thursday, May 11, and finishing on Monday, May 15, producing almost 100 pots of food.
“Following a thorough review of all the evidence, Guinness World Records can now confirm that Hilda Effiong Bassey, better known as Hilda Baci, has officially broken the record for the longest cooking marathon (individual), with a time of 93 hours 11 minutes.”
Baci attempted to break the record by working for 100 hours, but she lost over seven hours when realized she had taken longer than intended for one of her rest breaks.
A statement by Guinness added that “as with all longest marathon records, the participant is permitted a five-minute rest break for every continuous hour of activity. These rest breaks can be accumulated if not taken. They were the only times Hilda could use the bathroom or sleep during the attempt.”
Baci attempted this record to “put Nigerian cuisine on the map” and “to inspire young African women to chase their dreams.”
“I also decided to break this record to truly push my limits and test my abilities,” she added.
Hilda prepared for the event by creating a 35-item menu “as a guide” for every meal that she would cook.
She ensured that she had the necessary ingredients to make each recipe, with her team procuring further food items while the cook-a-thon was underway “based on what was needed to be topped up.”
Millions of people in Nigeria and elsewhere followed Baci’s quest to break the record by watching her journey on an Instagram live stream, which shook the social media globe.
In fact, Baci’s cook-a-thon was so well-attended that the massive amount of traffic from her devoted followers caused the Guiness World Record’s website to go down for two days.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, and award-winning musician Tiwa Savage all paid Hilda a visit to show their support for her record attempt.
Several guidelines had to be followed by Hilda during her world-record-breaking cook-a-thon:
There must be at least two items being prepared or cooked at any time.
A sous-chef is permitted to assist in prep work, washing up, and cleaning the kitchen area, but all the cooking must be done by the individual attempting the record.
One of the most important rules of our food-related record attempts is that all items must be consumed after cooking. To this end, Hilda invited any and all members of the Nigerian public to come and eat her freshly made meals. All leftover food was donated to the Festus Fajemilo Foundation.
“My team’s and my goal for this event was to make it free to all and to feed the less privileged,” Hilda said.
According to Hilda, each pot of food she cooked was big enough to serve 30-35 people, and “appropriate stock control was conducted” to avoid any wastage of food.
After graduating from Madonna University, Nigeria, with a degree in sociology, Hilda decided to embark on her culinary career. She was inspired by her mother, Lynda Ndukwe, who is also a chef.
Hilda went from success to success, hosting television show Dine on a Budget in 2020, before winning the Jollof Face-off competition in 2021. Representing her native Nigeria, Hilda beat Ghana’s Leslie Kumordzie to claim the victory.
Now, in 2023, Hilda Baci is officially a Guinness World Records title holder.
