Source: africanentertainment.com
Yesterday. Tuesday, Hilda Baci, a Nigerian chef, was officially recognized as holding the record for the longest cooking marathon by Guinness World Records.
After carefully examining all the available data, Hilda has been awarded the record, according to a statement on the Guinness World Records website.
“Following a thorough review of all the evidence, Guinness World Records can now confirm that Hilda Effiong Bassey, better known as Hilda Baci, has officially broken the record for the longest cooking marathon (individual), with a time of 93 hours 11 minutes,” GWR wrote.
Remember that over 100 pots of food were prepared during the four days the 26-year-old Nigerian chef worked in the kitchen, starting on Thursday, May 11, and continuing through Monday, May 15.
Hilda intended to achieve a record of 100 hours, but her final total was reduced by nearly seven hours since she unintentionally overstayed one of her rest breaks early in the endeavor.
As with all ‘longest marathon’ marks, the Guinness World Record states that the competitor is allowed a five-minute break for every continuous hour of exercise.
Although they were the only times Hilda may use the restroom or sleep during the endeavor, these rest breaks can add up if not used.
The previous benchmark, which Lata Tondon (India) set in 2019, was 87 hours and 45 minutes.
Hilda, meanwhile, had said that she attempted this record to “put Nigerian cuisine on the map” and “to inspire young African women to chase their dreams.”
“I also decided to break this record to truly push my limits and test my abilities,” she added.
Hilda prepared for the event by creating a 35-item menu “as a guide” for every meal that she would cook.
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.
“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,” GWR stated.
The immediate past 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.
During her record-breaking cook-a-thon, Hilda had to follow by a number of regulations, one of which was that there had to be two things cooking or being prepared at all times.
The second guideline states that a sous-chef may help with preparation, cleanup, and kitchen maintenance, but all cooking must be done by the person attempting the record.
“One of the most important rules of our food-related record attempts is that all items must be consumed after cooking,” GWR noted.
To this end, Hilda invited any and all members of the Nigerian public to come and eat her freshly made meals. All leftover food was donated to the Festus Fajemilo Foundation.
“My team’s and my goal for this event was to make it free to all and to feed the less privileged,” Hilda said.
According to Hilda, each pot of food she cooked was big enough to serve 30-35 people, and “appropriate stock control was conducted” to avoid any wastage of food.