27-year-old Hilda Baci, a chef from Lagos, Nigeria, could set a new world record for the longest cooking time. Baci, set out to beat the previous title-holder of this record on May 11. She is expected to achieve a new record by the end of May 15.
The current title holder is Lata Tondon, an Indian chef who achieved this feat back in 2019. Tondon cooked for 87 hours and 45 minutes in Rewa, central India.
Baci is a popular chef in her home country of Nigeria. She is attempting to break the record in an upscale market area in Lagos. Friends, family and even government officials have been cheering her on. The Vice-President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbanjo, called into her kitchen on May 14, while the President himself, Muhammadu Buhari, shared a congratulatory tweet.
Baci has been cooking for up to 90 hours now, unofficially breaking the existing record. The Guinness World Record team is yet to officially confer the honor. Although she aims to set the new record at 97 hours, her fans are on the ground encouraging her to push to 100 hours.
Baci is one of Nigeria’s fast-rising chefs. She owns My Food byHilda, a restaurant in the bustling city of Lagos. In 2021, she won a highly contested “Jollof Faceoff” competition. The contest brought chefs from around the African continent together to cook their best version of Jollof rice, a famous West African spicy dish.
In addition to standing for more than 80 hours, cooking over 100 dishes and serving the over 2,000 guests, Baci achieved this feat while on her period, according to her manager.
Many are awaiting for the Guinness World Record team to complete its authentication and update its website, thereby officially conferring the title on Baci.