Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, has shattered the record for the Longest Time Spent Cooking Continuously by an Individual. She achieved the feat on Monday Morning, amid excitement on social media and at the venue of her attempt at the record.
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Hilda, 27, had been on her cooking marathon campaign for four days, having turned on her cooker at 4 PM on Thursday, May 11. Since then, she’s chased down her mark— a record time spent cooking which stood at 87 hours and 45 minutes. It had been set in 2019 by Indian chef Lata Tondon. Now, Hilda has clocked the 100-hour mark.
The Nigerian chef and TV personality had reached her initial target of 96 hours but decided to add 4 hours more to make it 100 hours of continuous cooking. Meanwhile, the fact that she’s cleared the old time has sparked celebration amongst supporters from across Nigeria, who have cheered her on all through the challenge’s unfolding.
Hilda is Being Hailed for Her Attainment
Congratulatory messages have poured in from dignitaries. President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted his thoughts on Hilda’s achievement. His words:
“I share the immense joy of all Nigerians as Hilda Effiong Bassey (Hilda Baci) makes history by breaking the world record for longest cooking marathon. A great day for Nigeria. We are all personally proud of what she has accomplished—and placing Nigeria in the global spotlight.”
President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu weighed in as well.
“I congratulate Hilda Effiong Bassey on her record-breaking achievement,” he said on Twitter. “It was a remarkable display of the Nigerian can-do attitude and the spirit of excellence that lies within. We are all deeply proud of her.”
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization, also commenting via the same medium, praised Hilda for presenting a positive image of the Nigerian youth.
“Congratulations to Hilda Effiong Bassey, a young entrepreneurial Nigerian who had a vision to enter the Guinness Book of World Records through a marathon Cook-A-Thon!” the former minister of finance said. “She has done it with the can-do spirit of young Nigerians!”
The Journey to Setting a World Record
According to Hilda Baci, her ongoing Cook-A-Thon is the realization of a five-year-old dream. The chef, who runs the Lagos-based restaurant My Food by Hilda, says she undertook the demanding task in order to share a positive image of Africa with the world through its varied and rich dishes.
Hilda is no stranger to public tests. In 2021, she won the maiden edition of the Jollof Faceoff, a cooking contest in which she represented Nigeria. She bagged the $5,000 top prize at the event held in Ghana.
The Madonna University graduate has had to make significant changes to her lifestyle, in preparing for the arduous assignment. For example, she’s had to shed more than 20kg and tweak her personal psychology somewhat. But this was just a part of the self-disciplined regimen she’s had to adapt en route to pulverizing the Cook-A-Thon record.
Throughout the cooking marathon, Hilda has been allowed just an hour break for every twelve-hour cooking stretch, per the rules of the Guinness World Record challenge. She’s free to eat regular food, drink water and fruit juice, and ingest glucose. But she isn’t permitted to consume coffee, energy drinks, stimulants, or other items that may give her an artificial energy boost.
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The meals that Hilda has prepared thus far have been served to people at the venue of the event—the Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos State. The menu for the long drawn out cooking sessions has included Nigerian favourites like party jollof, coconut rice, porridge plantain, Edika Ikong, Egusi, Oha, and Ofada sauce, as well as intercontinental hunger quellers like pancakes, chicken wraps, burgers, and turkey stew. Over 3,000 plates have been handed out.
Cheerleaders Have Played their Part
No doubt, Hilda has been buoyed by the support she’s received. Besides the plaudits and urging-on, she’s gotten from the general public, she’s been primed forward by figures from across politics, business, civil society, and entertainment.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is said to have offered his encouragement to her over the phone. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu visited the venue of the Cook-A-Thon on Sunday to make clear his backing for her endeavour. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar expressed his support on Twitter, as did Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party at the recently concluded general elections. The latter’s wife, Margaret Obi, stepped out to the location of Hilda’s attempt at the cooking world record and spurred her on with an address.
Senator-elect Godswill Akpabio, who, like Hilda, hails from Akwa Ibom, said he prayed for her success. He noted that her campaign proves “the can-do spirit of the Akwa Ibom child”. Akpabio has also promised to reward her.
Celebrities who have dropped by the venue to lend their support include actors Charles Okocha and Elozonam Ogbolu, actresses Kate Henshaw and Adesua Etiomi, and artists Tiwa Savage, Banky-W, Spyro, Dare Justified, and Bassey Kenneth. Other personalities who have shown support for Hilda on-site and on social media are Burna Boy, Wizkid, Iyabo Ojo, Nancy Isime, Ruth Kadiri, Tonto Dikeh, Teni, Dremo, Kaffy, Liquirose, and IK Osakioduwa.
Interestingly, Lata Tondon, whose record Hilda has broken, also said she would like to see the latter succeed in her quest.
“All the best, Hilda,” she said. “Hope to see you on the Official Site of the Guinness Book of World Records Soon!”
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Brands Have Been Involved As Well
Following her achievement, a brand has pledged to sponsor Hilda Baci on a trip to the Maldives. Vesti App, which simplifies global immigration and payments, says it will be covering all expenses for a summer visit to the exotic holiday destination.
The Cook-A-Thon itself has been helped along by the involvement of various other brands. Uber, for example, offered free rides to Amore Gardens, the venue of the event. Coldstone, Hans, Cway and Rene provided material aid (sometimes in the form of edibles). GB Foods, Gino Max Cubes, Arla, WoodScope, and Filmhouse were involved as well. Some of these companies supplied ingredients and equipment used by Hilda at the cooking marathon.
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