Nigerian chef sets new record after cooking non-stop for four days

For four days, Nigerian celebrity chef Hilda Baci cooked.

She started on a Thursday, on May 11, and did not stop till Monday, resting for just five minutes every hour.

She cooked nearly 100 pots of food out of over 50 recipes that showcased the best of Nigerian cuisine.

At the end of it all, the 26-year-old chef, TV host and actress emerged with the new world record for the longest-ever cooking marathon.

The Guinness World Record committee confirmed her record nearly a month after it reviewed footage from her cook-a-thon.

Her official time was 93 hours and 11 minutes, beating the old record set in 2019 by Indian chef Lata Tondon of 87 hours and 45 minutes.

“When I found out, I cried, prayed and screamed. Then I called my mum, and we cried some more,” Ms Baci told CNN after Guinness recognised her achievement.

“I am so happy,” she said. “Everything and all the hard work was worth it. I said I wanted to be a record holder, and now I am.”

Ms Baci was actually in her makeshift kitchen for 100 hours, but she was reportedly penalised by Guinness for an “error in her scheduled rest breaks”.

She told CNN that she nearly gave up on her first day.

“The first day was the most difficult. I was ready to give up six hours in,” she said.

But she said she felt “like a miracle happened, and somehow I got to this”.

She was allowed one assistant at a time. Cold compresses were applied to her head, and she was given foot massages during her breaks. A medical assistant was also on hand to check her vital signs.

Ms Baci told CNN she went for the cook-a-thon world record to put Nigerian food on the map.

She cooked mostly Nigerian meals, including her signature jollof rice, a much-loved dish south of the Sahara and along the coast of West Africa that is typically made with long-grain rice, tomatoes, onions, spices, vegetables and meat, and seasoned with Nigerian-style curry powder.

“She’s opening the door to the African food market and showing all the youth out here that if you can dream it, you can achieve it,” Nigerian actor Damilola Ogunsi said.

Ms Baci has said she got her love for cooking and the skills for it from her mother.

She honed her cooking chops while working as a manager for Breaking King, a popular breakfast company in Nigeria.

That led to a career in television. She hosted the cooking segment on a popular morning show, and then another one that gave her a chance to interview celebrities.

In 2021, she represented Nigeria in a “jollof face-off” among Africa’s top chefs, and came out on top.

She has since been known as the “jollof queen”.

She leaned on her newfound fame to set up a restaurant and food delivery service, Food By Hilda, in Lagos.

She has also been giving cooking classes, facilitating workshops and tapping into social media to promote Nigeria as a foodie’s destination.