Nigerian chef Hilda Baci has broken the Guinness World record for “longest cooking marathon by an individual”. She achieved this in the early hours of Monday when she surpassed the previous record of Lata Tondon, an Indian chef who set a record of 87 hours 45 minutes in 2019.
As at the time of writing this article, she has been cooking for over 88 hours and she intends to set a new world record of cooking 96 hours non-stop.
Born on September 20, 1996, in Akwa Ibom State, Hilda Baci is a multi-talented Nigerian TV producer, actress, head cook at FoodbyHilda.
She started the cook-a-thon competition on Thursday, 11th of May at exactly 4pm after she turned on her cooker. The cook-a-thon, which is taking place at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos, is being live-streamed on multiple social media channels.
The cook-a-thon has garnered attention both online and at the physical venue where many celebrities are still trooping in to support the chef. Celebrities that have visited the physical venue include Singer Tiwa Savage, Nollywood actor, Charles Okocha and actress, Kate Henshaw. Even, the Governor of Lagos State visited her, praising her effort.
Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, also lauded Baci for her “determination and focus.”
According to him, “the efforts being made by Hilda Effiong Bassey (Hilda Baci) to beat the current Guinness World Record for cooking for 4 days nonstop shows the true Nigerian spirit of hardwork and resilience. I applaud her determination and focus on the goal, which are inspiring many Nigerian youths to live their dreams through hardwork and dedication.”
Some of the rules for the cook-a-thon include the following:
- She must stand to cook, she is not permitted to sit while cooking.
- She’s not allowed to take coffee, stimulants, or any energy drink to artificially boost her energy and bodily strength while cooking
- She’s allowed to eat food, drink water or fruit juice, and take glucose
- She is not allowed to sleep during the cook-a-thon. She is, however, permitted 5 minutes rest per hour.
- Whatever she cooks is shared to the people at the venue for FREE
- She is at liberty to cook any meal she likes. There are no restrictions as to what she can cook or not cook.
This is not the first time Hilda is participating in a cooking competition. In 2021, she was a participant in the maiden edition of the Jollof Face-off Competition where she won the competition, waking away with the grand prize of $5000.
