Hilda Effiong Bassey, a Black woman from Nigeria, is the new Guinness World Record holder for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. The 26-year-old nabbed the new title for cooking for 93 hours and 11 minutes. Baci is also known online as Hilda Baci. She embarked on a mission to break the record that was previously set by Lata Tondon from India. Tondon’s record was 87 hours, 45 minutes and she set the record in 2019. The Guinness World Record committee confirmed Baci’s title nearly a month after the GWR reviewed footage from the cookathon according to CNN.
An Impressive Feat
Baci kicked off her cooking marathon on May 11, wrapping up her cooking time on May 15. She completed the cooking feat in Lagos, Nigeria. The chef received immense support from Nigerians as well as well wishers from outside the country. Thousands of Nigerians gathered at her cooking station to cheer her on. The former President and Vice President of Nigeria also sent her congratulatory and encouraging messages. During her cooking marathon, Baci cooked over a hundred meals that fed over 2,000 guests who came to support her.
Making It Official
The Guiness World Record team awarded Baci her record for longest cooking time Tuesday.
The team made the announcement their official website and social media pages.
“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,” the official press statement read.
Baci had initially planned to go for 97 hours and later aimed for 100 hours. The official calculations from the Guinness World Records team however, brought her time down to 93 hours, 11 minutes. The Guinness World Records team spent a number of weeks confirming Baci’s record.
The Lagos-based chef has made a name for herself over the years. She owns My Food byHilda, a restaurant in the bustling city of Lagos. In 2021, she won a highly contested “Jollof Faceoff” competition. The contest brought chefs from around the African continent together to cook their best version of Jollof rice, a famous West African spicy dish.