Nigerian chef, Hilda Baci, sets new Guinness World Record for ‘longest cooking marathon by an individual’

Hilda Baci, a Nigerian chef, has broken the Guinness World Record for "longest cooking marathon by an individual." She broke the previous record of 87 hours 45 minutes set by Lata Tondon, an Indian cook, in the early hours of Monday.

She has been cooking for over 88 hours as of the writing of this report, and she plans to set a new world record of cooking 96 hours nonstop.

Hilda Baci, a multi-talented Nigerian TV producer, actress, and head cook of FoodbyHilda, was born on September 20, 1996, in Akwa Ibom State.

She began the cook-a-thon competition at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 11th, after turning on her stove. The cook-a-thon is being live-streamed on several social media channels from Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos.

The cook-a-thon has gotten a lot of attention both online and in person, with many celebrities still showing up to support the chef. Tiwa Savage, Charles Okocha, and Kate Henshaw are among the celebrities that have visited the real location. Even the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwolu, paid her a visit and commended her efforts. President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, also lauded Baci for her determination and focus.

Some of the rules for the cook-a-thon include the following:

• She must stand to cook, she is not permitted to sit while cooking.
• She’s not allowed to take coffee, stimulants, or any energy drink to artificially boost her energy and bodily strength while cooking.
• She’s allowed to eat food, drink water or fruit juice, and take glucose.
• She is not allowed to sleep during the cook-a-thon. She is, however, permitted 5 minutes of rest per hour.
• Whatever she cooks is shared with the people at the venue for FREE.
• She is at liberty to cook any meal she likes. There are no restrictions as to what she can cook or not cook.

Hilda is competing in a cooking competition for the second time. In 2021, she competed in the first edition of the Jollof Face-off Competition, which she won, taking home the main prize of $5000.