Guinness World Records is now able to formally certify that Hilda Effiong Bassey, also known as Hilda Baci, has broken the record for the longest cooking marathon (individual), clocking in at 93 hours and 11 minutes.
The 26-year-old Nigerian chef worked in the kitchen for four days, starting on Thursday, May 11, and finishing on Monday, May 15, producing almost 100 pots of food.
Hilda made an effort to set a record of 100 hours, but her final total was reduced by about seven hours as a result of an early miscalculation in which she overestimated the length of one of her rest intervals.
As with all ‘longest marathon’ records, the competitor is allowed a five-minute break for every hour of nonstop exercise. If not taken, these rest pauses might build up. Hilda could only rest or use the restroom during those brief intervals.
The previous benchmark, which Lata Tondon (India) set in 2019, was 87 hours and 45 minutes.
To “put Nigerian cuisine on the map” and “inspire young African women to pursue their dreams,” Hilda sought this record.
“I also decided to break this record to truly push my limits and test my abilities,” she added.
In order to prepare for the occasion, Hilda made a 35-item menu that she used “as a guide” for each meal that she would prepare.
She made sure she had everything she needed to make each recipe, and while the cook-a-thon was going on, her staff went out and bought more food “based on what was needed to be topped up.”
A live Instagram stream allowed millions of people in Nigeria and elsewhere to follow Hilda’s record attempt as it unfolded.
In fact, Hilda’s cook-a-thon was so well-attended that the massive amount of traffic from her devoted followers caused our website to go down for two days.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, and award-winning musician Tiwa Savage all paid Hilda a visit to show their support for her record attempt.
Several guidelines had to be followed by Hilda during her world-record-breaking cook-a-thon:
At any given time, there must be at least two products being cooked or prepped.
A sous-chef is allowed to help with preparation, cleanup, and cleaning of the kitchen, but the person setting the record must handle all the cooking.
The need that all foods be consumed immediately after cooking is one of the key guidelines of our food-related record attempts. In order to achieve this, Hilda extended an open invitation to all Nigerians to come eat her home-cooked meals. The Festus Fajemilo Foundation received all unspent food donations.
The purpose of this event, according to my team and I, was to feed the least fortunate and make it free for everyone, Hilda remarked.
Each batch of food Hilda made, she claimed, was large enough to feed 30-35 people, and “appropriate stock control was conducted” to prevent food waste.
Hilda made the decision to start her culinary career after earning a sociology degree from Madonna University in Nigeria. Her mother, chef Lynda Ndukwe, served as an inspiration to her.
After hosting the television programme Dine on a Budget in 2020, Hilda won the Jollof Face-off competition in 2021. Leslie Kumordzie of Ghana was defeated by Hilda, who was competing on behalf of her country Nigeria, to win.
She now holds the title of Guinness World Records as of 2023. Hilda, congratulations!
