Nigerian chef cooks nonstop for 100 hours to set new global record

Chef Hilda Baci cooks to establish a new Guinness world record for the "longest cooking marathon" in Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, May 11, 2023. - PHOTO: AP

ABUJA (AP) – A Nigerian chef on Monday set a new global record for the longest hours nonstop cooking as she cooked for 100 hours, surpassing the current record.

Hilda Baci had been cooking since last week Thursday when she set out to beat the Guinness World Record of 87 hours and 45 minutes set in 2019 by Lata Tondon, an Indian chef. At around 19:45 GMT on Monday, Baci cooked for the 100th hour in the Lekki area of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, to become a national sensation in the West African nation. Thousands who gathered at the scene jubilated and sang her praises as she stopped cooking a few minutes after.

The Guinness World Records tweeted it was aware of the chef’s attempt to break the cooking record. “We need to review all the evidence first before officially confirming a record,” the global brand said.

By attempting to beat the record, the Nigerian chef said Thursday she wanted to show how hardworking and determined Nigerian youths are and also as a campaign for young African women who are sidelined in society.

“Even when it comes to the brands you want to work with, it is like you have to go an extra mile to be taken seriously,” said Baci, adding that she hoped too that the world would learn more about Nigerian cuisines.

Chef Hilda Baci cooks to establish a new Guinness world record for the “longest cooking marathon” in Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, May 11, 2023. – PHOTO: AP