Guinness World Records has released an official statement following the recent feat achieved by Nigerian chef Hilda Baci.
Baci, a Nigerian and an Akwa Ibom State native, surpassed the record for the longest cooking time by an individual, with a 100-hour record time. Baci beat Indian chef, Lata Tondon, who had completed the task in 87 hours, 45 minutes, and 00 secs in 2019.
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The statement, released on their official website read; “She’s hoping to snap up the record title for the longest cooking marathon (individual) which currently belongs to Lata Tondon (India) with a time of 87 hr 45 min.
“Hilda began cooking on Thursday and continued through to Monday, reportedly whipping up 55 recipes and more than 100 meals in a whopping 100-hour stint.
“Officials on our records team look forward to reviewing the evidence and hope to be able to verify Hilda’s efforts as a new record very soon.”
According to the British reference body, one of its spokespersons said they “are looking forward to receiving the evidence for its Records Management Team to review before we can confirm the record is official.”
On April 19,2023, Nigerian chef, Hilda Effiong-Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci announced her desire to compete in an arena that no Nigerian had ever competed; thereby making her the second African woman to compete and attempt to surpass a previous holder in “The Guinness World Record title for the longest cooking marathon by a single individual.”
Backed by her team, Bassey in an earlier press briefing noted that she would cook tons of Nigerian dishes for 96 hours non-stop.
Beating a previous record of 87 hours, 45 minutes of non-stop cooking by the current world record holder (as certified by GWR), Chef Lata Tondon from the small town of Rewa, in Madhya Pradesh, India in 2019 however, was not going to be an easy feat.
Tondon, popularly regarded as the “Iron Lady” broke the 2018 record of 68 hours 30 minutes 01 seconds set by Rickey Lumpkin of the United States of America.
Tondon who is the first woman to hold the global title in 2019 was said to have cooked 1,600kg of food grains, 400 vada-pavs, 250 sandwiches and other food items for four marathon days. Over 20,000 visitors, including orphanage children, persons with disabilities and aged persons who attended the event, ate the food, according to a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism.
The chef proved to be an environmental activist when she encouraged her supporters to purchase over 17,000 young trees and planted them to conserve nature.
Before Bassey, a Chef from Kenya, Maliha Mohammed emerged as the first African woman to make an attempt to break the GWR records for a cooking marathon.
The Punch reports that Mohammed who was 36 as of 2019 worked with a team of 40 to break the 2018 record of 68 hours 30 minutes 01 seconds set by Rickey Lumpkin of the USA.
Online publication, Standard Media noted Mohammed prepared tons of local and international cuisines.
However, she failed to set a new record.
Bassey, 27-year-old graduate of Psychology began her quest to break the world record five years ago.
For the well-known content creator and cooking instructor, the desire to break the world record started initially as a “claim to fame”. The daughter of a chef, Hilda during a press briefing organised in Lagos before the start of the competition noted that she had been obsessed with the book of the Guinness World Records from a younger age and had grown up with a strong desire to have her name in it.
The cook-a-thon which was held at Amore Gardens, Lagos saw Bassey showcasing her culinary skills.
The cook-a-thon attempt was broadcast live on Youtube, and Instagram live.
According to Bellanaija, Hilda who cooked in a cooking set shielded with a glass frame wasted no time in impressing the audience as she kicked off the Cookathon on its first day. Showcasing her versatility in the kitchen, she expertly prepared a delightful selection of local delicacies, Hilda prepared various local recipes including Party Jollof, Coconut rice, Native Rice, Peppered Fish, Turkey Stew, and more.
She was allowed one assistant at a time and can take a five-minute break each hour, or the equivalent over several hours.
Friends and celebrities such as Big Brother Naija stars, Seyi Awolowo, Elozonam were among the stars who turned up to support her on the first day of the cook-a-thon.
Other well-meaning Nigerians were also at the venue to support Baci.
According to Pulse.ng, Some of the highlights from the cook-a-thon was the yoga class on the morning of the third day which was facilitated by Tobe Ifeanyi, and a speech from Baci’s mum at 47 hours when Baci needed motivation. Her mom, a top chef herself, is the owner of Calabar Pot, Abuja.
