The Guinness World Record (GWR) has officially recognised the attempt by Hilda Effiong Bassey, professionally known as Hilda Baci as the holder of the title for the longest cooking marathon (individual).
In a Twitter post, the organisation said, “After reviewing all the footage, we’re delighted to announce that Hilda Baci is the new record holder for the longest cooking marathon (individual).”
Furthermore, in a blog post announcement on Tuesday, June 13, on its website, GWR said that it was acknowledging, “after a rigorous verification process and a thorough review of the evidence”, Hilda’s extraordinary accomplishment, solidifying her status as the record holder.
Hilda’s feat, lasting 93 hours and 11 minutes, surpassed the previous milestone of 87 hours and 45 minutes set by Lata Tondon of India in 2019, propelling her into culinary stardom.
Hilda embarked on her journey on Thursday, May 11, captivating the world “Hilda’s cook-a-thon was in fact so popular that our website crashed for two days due to the immense volume of traffic we received from her legion of loyal fans,” Guinness World Records said.
She cooked over 100 pots of food during her four-day kitchen stint, originally aspiring to set a record of 100 hours, Hilda encountered a minor setback when she inadvertently exceeded her rest break early in her effort.
After reviewing all the footage, we’re delighted to announce that Hilda Baci is the new record holder for the longest cooking marathon (individual) 💫
Watch the video to find out the official time we’ve awarded Hilda and read the full explanation below 👇 pic.twitter.com/bf352ndxWO
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 13, 2023
According to the regulation guiding the competition, participants are granted a five-minute rest break for every continuous hour of activity, which can be accumulated if unused.
Consequently, nearly seven hours were deducted from her final total.
Another important rule is that all items must be consumed after cooking. To this end, she invited members of the Nigerian public to eat her freshly made meals; all leftover food was donated to the Festus Fajemilo Foundation.
In the post by GWR, She said she attempted the record to “put Nigerian cuisine on the map” and “to inspire young African women to chase their dreams.”
She added, “I also decided to break this record to truly push my limits and test my abilities,” she added.
The Nigerian chef prepared for the event by creating a 35-item menu “as a guide” for every meal that she would cook.
She also ensured that she had the necessary ingredients to make each recipe, with her team procuring more food items while the cook-a-thon was underway “based on what was needed to be topped up.”
The news of Hilda’s Guinness World Records recognition sent ripples of excitement throughout social media, as millions of fans in Nigeria and beyond enthusiastically celebrated her well-deserved achievement.
In 2020, an 11-year-old boy from Warri in Delta State, Chinonso Eche, emerged the youngest ever Nigerian to win a Guinness World Record for most consecutive football touches in one minute while balancing another football on the head.