On Tuesday, Guinness World Records made an exciting announcement, declaring Hilda Baci as the new record holder for the longest cooking time by an individual. However, there was a slight adjustment made to Hilda’s time due to a mistake she made during one of her rest breaks early on in the attempt. The GWR deducted almost seven hours from her final total, which was originally aimed at reaching 100 hours.
The previous record of 87 hours 45 minutes was set by Lata Tondon from India in 2019. Hilda’s impressive cook-a-thon caught the attention of many, resulting in a surge of traffic that overwhelmed the GWR website, causing it to crash for two days.
After carefully reviewing all the evidence, Guinness World Records officially confirmed that Hilda Effiong Bassey, widely known as Hilda Baci, had successfully broken the record for the longest cooking marathon (individual). Her final recorded time stood at 93 hours 11 minutes. Hilda, a 27-year-old Nigerian chef, embarked on her cooking journey on Thursday, May 11, and continued tirelessly until Monday, May 15, preparing over 100 pots of food throughout the four-day feat.
Hilda’s record attempt took the world of social media by storm, attracting millions of followers in Nigeria and beyond who eagerly followed her progress through an Instagram live stream. The GWR expressed that Hilda’s cook-a-thon was so popular that their website experienced a two-day crash due to the immense volume of traffic generated by her devoted fans.
Notable Nigerian figures, including the former Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, and award-winning singer Tiwa Savage, visited Hilda to show their support during her record-breaking attempt.
The GWR acknowledged that Hilda took on this challenge to showcase Nigerian cuisine to the world and to inspire young African women to pursue their dreams. Hilda herself stated that she also aimed to push her limits and test her abilities by breaking this record.