Things to know about Hilda Baci and her Guinness World Record Marathon Cooking

Nigerian chef and entrepreneur, Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, is on her way to breaking the Guinness World Record for the “longest cooking marathon by an individual”.

This is coming after the chef hit the 85-hour mark on Monday morning, with less than 3 hours remaining to set a new world record.

The restaurateur kick-started the competition on Thursday at exactly 4 pm after she turned on her cooker.

She aims to beat the 87 hours 45 minutes record set by the current Guinness World Record holder, Lata Tondon, an Indian chef who made the feat in 2019.

The event, which is taking place at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos, is being live-streamed on YouTube, and several celebrities, including Nigerians, have defied the rain to cheer up the visibly tired chef up.

Baci hit the three-day mark on Sunday as several attendees cheered in support.

The cook-a-thon’s Instagram account, @hildabacicookathon revealed that the event is headline sponsored by GB Foods. Other sponsors include Arla Foods, BaigeWallet, Filmhouse, Jumbo, Uber, and Woodscope.

Baci is not new to cooking competitions, she was a participant in the maiden edition of the Jollof Face-off Competition in 2021. The talented chef made Nigeria proud by winning the competition and walking away with a grand prize of $5000.

20 Things to Know about Hilda Baci and her Guinness World Record Marathon Cooking

1. Her real name is Hilda Bassey Effiong. She is a young Nigerian chef from Akwa Ibom State. She owns a food brand in Lagos called “My Food by Hilda”
2. She will be cooking for 4 days non-stop.
3. She must stand to cook, she is not permitted to sit while cooking.
4. She’s not allowed to take coffee, stimulants, or any energy drink to artificially boost her energy and bodily strength while cooking.
5. She’s allowed to eat food, drink water or fruit juice, and take glucose.
6. The cooking is taking place at Amore Gardens, Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria.
7. She cooks round the clock, no sleep (Morning, afternoon, evening, and night. So, for 4 nights, she won’t sleep)
8. She has just 5 minutes rest per hour [meaning for every 1 hour, she is entitled to just 5 minutes rest or break, that’s an hour break in every 12 hours].

Other sources claim

She gets a 30-minute break every 6 hours, she spends the 30mins in a medical van which is just close by, within which she can nap, use the restroom, and also get a medical assessment or checkup by the medical team available on the spot.

9. Whatever she cooks is shared to the people at the venue for FREE. She is not selling the food.
10. She cooks different meals simultaneously. She is at liberty to cook any meal she likes. There are no restrictions as to what she can cook or not cook. The World Record title is about cooking within a time frame, not about what is cooked. As long as she is cooking, she is on track.
11. Every meal cooked and every plate served is recorded. She has cooked over 115 meals so far with almost 3,000 portions if not more by the time you are reading this.
12. She started the cooking on Thursday and is expected to complete the target time frame by Monday 15th May 2023 evening.
13. The current holder of the title Hilda seeks to break is an Indian chef Lata Tandon, who set a Guinness World Record for cooking for 87 hours and 45 minutes non-stop in 2019.
14. To break the record, Hilda Baci is attempting to cook for 96 hours, using extra 9 hours to break the world record as the first human on earth to spend such an amount of time cooking a marathon.
15. She tagged the cooking project “Cook-a-thon”, a phrase literally coined from the word “marathon”
16. She appears exhausted already, but the people around her are cheering her on to boost her morale. And they are available with her as she cook 247, even at night.
17. Most of the food items, ingredients, utensils, etc she used for this project are provided by her sponsors. So, the money expended on this project is not 100% from Hilda or her Food brand.
18. Uber, one of her partners is offering a 40% discounted ride to the venue for people who wishes to join and cheer her up at the venue.
19. Hilda’s mum is also a chef. She owes a food brand called “Calabar Pot”
20. She is 27 years of age.

Meanwhile, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has called Hilda Baci and commended her for representing the best attributes of the Dakkada philosophy.

The Governor was full of praise for her passion and determination to break the Guinness World record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.

“This is what our Dakkada philosophy is all about; the determination to dare and conquer what others thought to be impossible. We salute you for putting our culinary skills on full display and of course, our nationally and internationally celebrated cuisines.

You are an inspiration to millions of Nigerians, and especially our dear Akwaibomites. We are all solidly behind you as you embark on this inspirational moment. We look forward to hosting you soon” the Governor had told her.

The Cookathon has garnered attention both online and at the physical venue where celebrities are trooping in to support the chef.

Nollywood actor, Charles Okocha; actress, Kate Henshaw; singer, Tiwa Savage; media personality, Enioluwa, and many others appeared at the event.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also visited the venue on Sunday to cheer up Baci.

Filmmaker, Kevin Adetiba, wrote on Twitter, “REALLY rooting for HILDA BACHI. Don’t know her personally, but her drive, ambition, and resilience, inspires and motivate me IMMENSELY.

“Sending her prayers and the best vibes to PUSH THROUGH. She’s inspiring people she doesn’t even know. GO HILDA… YOU GOT THIS!!!”

Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, also lauded Baci for her “determination and focus.”

“The efforts being made by Hilda Effiong Bassey (Hilda Baci) to beat the current Guinness World Record for cooking for 4 days nonstop shows the true Nigerian spirit of hard work and resilience. I applaud her determination and focus on the goal, which is inspiring many Nigerian youths to live their dreams through hard work and dedication.

“I wish her well on this noble journey to pen her name in the golden book of history. -PO,” he tweeted on Sunday.

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