Nigerian chef Hilda Bassey Effiong, also known as Hilda Baci, has achieved a historic feat by cooking non-stop for more than 90 hours, surpassing the previous Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time by an individual.
She started her cooking marathon at 4 pm on Thursday and plans to cook for 100 hours, setting a new record as the first person to cook for such a long time.
Hilda Baci has prepared over 100 different dishes, mostly Nigerian meals, such as jollof rice and akara. The food is being distributed to invited guests at the Amore Gardens venue in Lagos, where she is cooking. She is allowed one assistant at a time and can take a five-minute break each hour or accumulate them over several hours.
She has received a lot of support and encouragement from Nigerians online and offline, as well as from politicians and celebrities who have visited her or called her. Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was at the venue on Sunday and said he was proud of her. Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo also called her to congratulate her.
Hilda Baci is not new to competitive cooking events. In 2021, she won the maiden edition of the “Jollof Faceoff” competition, beating a Ghanaian rival in the final and claiming the crown for the best version of West Africa’s popular spicy rice dish.
She said her passion for cooking was inspired by her mother’s recipes and that she wanted to prove the strength of young people with the right platform and support.
Guinness World Records says it is reviewing the evidence before officially confirming her record. The current record holder is Indian chef Lata Tandon, who cooked for 87 hours and 45 minutes in 2019. She has sent a message of support to Hilda Baci.
