Nigerian chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey, known by her professional name Hilda Baci, is on course to break the Guinness World Record for the longest individual cooking marathon. Baci has already surpassed the current record of 87 hours 45 minutes set by Lata Tondon of India in 2019, after hitting the 87 hours 50 minutes mark.
Baci commenced her cooking feat at 4 p.m. on Thursday, 29th July, and has been cooking non-stop ever since at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos State. To verify the record, Baci’s feat must meet the stringent Guinness World Record standards.
Baci’s current record-breaking feat has galvanized Nigerians, including numerous celebrities who have shown up physically to cheer her on despite the rain and her visible exhaustion. Baci’s cooking marathon is poised to raise the bar of culinary achievement in Nigeria and the world.
Baci had earlier won the first edition of the 2021 Jollof Face-off Competition which came with a grand prize of $5,000. Her current culinary marathon is her latest attempt at breaking into the Guinness World Records. Established in 1955 by Guinness Brewery in Ireland, the Guinness Book of Records has become one of the world’s most frequently read reference books.
To qualify for a world record listing in the Guinness World Records, individuals or groups must prove their feat and go through a verification process handled by the Guinness World Records team. Baci is currently in the record-breaking phase of her marathon cooking endeavor.
Several Nigerians have broken the Guinness World Records in recent times. These include Gbenga Ezekiel, who achieved the record for the most skips in a minute on one leg in February 2023, and Rema, whose song ‘Calm Down’ became the first No.1 hit on The Official MENA Chart, the world’s first regional streaming chart, in May 2023. Other Nigerians on the list include Bose Omolayo, Chukwuebuka Ezugha and Victor Richard Kipo, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, Chinonso Eche, Vincent Okezie, Haruna Abdulazeez, Peter Aho, and Bayo Omoboriowo.
Chef Hilda Baci’s ongoing culinary marathon could soon become the newest addition to Nigeria’s long list of Guinness World Record feats. Baci’s marathon cooking effort has undoubtedly raised the bar for culinary achievement, and Nigerians are rooting for her victory.
