Nigerian Chef Surpasses Indian Counterpart, Breaks Guinness World Cooking Record

Nigerian chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, has surpassed the current Guinness World Record holder.

With her feat, she’s poised to break the Guinness World Record for the “longest cooking marathon by an individual” after hitting the 87 hours 50 minutes mark.

The restaurateur began the competition on Thursday after she turned on her cooker at 4pm and surpassed the current world record holder on Monday morning.

If certified by the Guinness World Record, she will be displacing the current world record holder, Lata Tondon, an Indian chef who achieved the feat in 2019 with 87 hours 45 minutes record uninterrupted cooking.

Baci’s cooking marathon is currently ongoing at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos State.

In her ongoing record-breaking attempt, Nigerians, including several celebrities defied the rain to physically cheer up the visibly tired chef.

Baci hit the four-day mark on Monday morning.

The chef won the maiden edition of the Jollof Face-off Competition in 2021, pocketing a grand prize of $5000.

The Guinness Book of Records is a reference book that contains human and natural world records.

It was first published in 1955 by the Guinness Brewery in Ireland and has since become one of the world’s most well-known and frequently read reference books.

Individuals or groups must submit proof to the Guinness World Records team and go through a verification process to qualify for a world record listing.

The PUNCH earlier look at list of Nigerians that have broken the Guinness World Records in recent times:

1. Gbenga Ezekiel – Record for the most skips in a minute on one leg. (February 2023)

2. Divine Ikubor aka Rema – Record for ‘Calm Down’ as the first No.1 Hit on The Official MENA Chart, the world’s first regional streaming chart. (May 2023)

3. Bose Omolayo – The heaviest para power lift by a female in the -79 kg category with 144 kg (December 2021)

4. Chukwuebuka Ezugha and Victor Richard Kipo – The most consecutive football passes with the soles (team of two). (December 2021)

5. Folashade Oluwafemiayo – The heaviest power lift by a female in the -86 kg category with 152.5 kg (December 2021)

6. Chinonso Eche – The most football headers in a prone position in one minute, which is 23. (October 2021)

7. Vincent Okezie – The most consecutive backward handsprings with a football (soccer ball) between the legs. (March 2022)

8. Haruna Abdulazeez – The most American football touches with the feet in one minute (October 2020)

9. Peter Aho – Record for six wickets for five runs in 3.4 overs against Sierra Leone. (October 2021)

10. Bayo Omoboriowo – The largest photo book, which was measured at 60.84 m² (654 ft² 87 in²). (September 2021)