Celebrating Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record

NIGERIAN chef, Hilda Effiong  Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci is currently being celebrated across the globe for her culinary feats. Notable people and fans within Nigeria and all over the world pour encomium on her for breaking the Guinness World Record for longest cooking time by an individual on Monday.

   BORN on the 20th of September, 1996, Hilda, an artiste and TV presenter from AkwaIbom State, has from her youth, danced to the rhythm of culinary delights. Driven by a hunger to learn a lot about the art, she embarked on a culinary education journey, drawing inspiration from her mother, Mrs. Lynda Ndukwe, a culinary maestro in her own right.

   WHILE her passions burned, Hilda recognised the importance of holistic education and pursued a degree in Sociology from Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State. After her academic pursuit in Madonna University, she delved into entrepreneurship, establishing her culinary haven under the illustrious banner of @Myfoodbyhilda, from humble beginnings. She is the CEO and visionary head chef there. Her culinary creations, meticulously crafted from locally sourced ingredients, transcend the mundane, taking on a life of their own through innovative techniques and captivating presentations. It is no wonder that her loyal following of discerning food enthusiasts and ardent supporters continues to grow. Driven by an insatiable hunger to leave an indelible mark on the culinary world, she sets her sight on breaking the revered Guinness World Record for the longest continuous cooking marathon.

   HILDA started her four -day cooking marathon challenge on Thursday, May 11, at the Amore Gardens in Lekki area of Lagos State. As at 08:32am on Monday, she had cooked for 88 hours and 32 minutes to equal the record set by an Indian chef, Lata Tondon in 2019. Tondon cooked for 87 hours, 45 minutes, and 00 secs.

   ON TUESDAY, Baci set a new record for the longest cooking time by an individual.She cooked for 100hrs 40mns fighting sleep, pains, discomfort, cramps, among others.

  ACCORDING to Bacci in an interview:  “The journey to the cook-a-thon started five years ago. It is one of my biggest aspirations and I am glad that I took the bold step to embark on this adventure. I have taken time to prepare for this psychologically and I am proud to finally take on this challenge. The cook-a-thon is also an opportunity to tell some of the positive stories that come from Africa through the meals that we make.

   “THIS attempt is also proof of the strength young people can exhibit with the right platform and support.”

   THE efforts made by Hilda to beat the current Guinness World Record for cooking shows the true Nigerian spirit of hard work and resilience.

  SHE equally promoted Nigeria’s rich culture and heritage by including various dishes of the various ethnic nationalities in the country. Among the dishes she prepared are party jollof, coconut rice, native rice, Asun rice, fried rice, native pasta, Jollof pasta, porridge yam, porridge plantain, mashed potatoes, white rice soups,  chicken curry, soups such as edikaikong, egusi, oha, afang, fisherman soup, nsala, goat meat pepper soup, seafood okra, ofeakwu, akara, pancake, burger, chicken wraps, abacha, African breadfruit, goat meat stew, buka stew, peppered turkey, peppered chicken, fried fish, peppered fish, turkey stew, ofada sauce.

  SHE was cheered by a rousing number of Nigerians, mostly youths who were present at the scene of the record-breaking event. Similarly, many social media geeks were following her on several social media platforms. It is encouraging as it’s obvious that Hilda is now a role model to a lot of youths and Nigerians who may have lost hope of achieving their dreams in the country.

NATIONAL Light applauds her determination and focus on her goal, which should inspire many Nigerian youths to live their dreams, push through hard work and dedication.

   IT IS worthy of note that not many people knew about her or her food venture before now. The restaurant was only known among her friends but with this feat, the restaurant has blown without spending one kobo on advertising. One can only imagine the kind of traffic that will be queuing up to eat at the restaurant after this. It’s obvious that her chef skills from now will be in demand as more people will be calling her to high deal meals brief. Apart from touring the globe as a master chef, there are  also chances that she can  open high-end  catering schools in major cities of the world or even  Lagos and Abuja,  which will serve as a platform  to train more young people who want to cook like her.

   WHETHER Hilda Baci’s name appears in the Guinness Book of Records or not, the important thing is that Hilda is fulfilled, having achieved her desires.  The biggest win is that she has scaled her brand, her chef skills, and her business to another level because of her courage, her innovative spirit to try something creative and her ability to dare.

   THE FEAT also marks a revolution to bring back honor and celebrate our old cultural values of self-worth, hard work and focus on things that add value to self, brilliance, determination, positive skills used for positive outcomes and recognition by merit

  THERE are so many other business lessons to learn from her feat, such as tenacity of purpose, resilience, and courage. Among the lessons are the importance of setting an agenda; aspiring to beat the world in whatever we do no matter how small.

  ABOVE all, Hilda’s feat brings hope that one can excel in whatever he does once he is determined. It is a clear testimony that ruggedness, determination, optimism leads to success and an encouragement to youths that all hopes are not lost and that “If you can dream it, you can achieve it!”