They Cheered And Hilda Baci, The Cultural Icon Showcasing Nigerian Cuisines Soared, Broke Records
The Oasis Reporters
May 15, 2023
Muhammadu Buhari had his closing remarks by talking about “Hilda’s drive, ambition and resilience” that “has brought great interest and insight into the uniqueness of Nigerian food”. She is now “a cultural icon, and I believe that this feat will inspire many more young people, in Nigeria and beyond, to follow in her footsteps”.
Thus, Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president decided to share the “immense joy of all Nigerians as Hilda Bassey Effiong (Hilda Baci) makes history by breaking the world record for longest cooking marathon. A great day for Nigeria. We’re all very proud of what she has personally accomplished—and placing Nigeria in the global spotlight”
She is an inspiration to millions of Nigerians, and especially our dear Akwaibomites. We are all solidly behind her as She embarks on this inspirational moment. We look forward to hosting her soon.
— Udom Emmanuel (@MrUdomEmmanuel) May 14, 2023
Leaders cheered. From Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel to Peter Obi, whose wife is from the State.
The efforts being made by Hilda Effiong Bassey (Hilda Baci) to beat the current Guinness World Record for cooking for 4 days nonstop shows the true Nigerian spirit of hardwork and resilience. pic.twitter.com/s8UmOc12G4
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) May 14, 2023
I extend my sincerest congratulations to Hilda for her remarkable achievement.
— Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (@GRVlagos) May 15, 2023
This serves as evidence of what we can achieve with unwavering determination and tenacity.
She is an inspiration, and we applaud her on this momentous milestone. pic.twitter.com/eoJTzuKnUO
Go Hilda! Truth is bitter.I just hope people that preached division during the elections have learnt or they will go back their evil ways. the truth is bitter refrain from evil and good will follow you.
— oseni rufai (@ruffydfire) May 15, 2023
Tell me when you see it 🙃 pic.twitter.com/DLsV9HEIab
— Ruona J. Meyer (@RGAMeyer) May 15, 2023
And the Cook-a-thon!
If e easy, run am! 🥳
— Hilda Baci’s Cookathon (@hildabacicooks) May 15, 2023
Now, we’re off to set a new record. #Hildabaccicookathon #betonhilda pic.twitter.com/7ozABASQSp
Here are some facts about her.
Her real name is Hilda Bassey Effiong. She is a young Nigerian chef from Akwa Ibom State. She owns a food brand in Lagos called “My Food by Hilda”
2. She cooked for four days, non-stop.
3. She must stand to cook, she was not permitted to sit while cooking.
4. She was not allowed to take coffee, stimulants, or any energy drink to artificially boost her energy and bodily strength while cooking.
5. She was allowed to eat food, drink water or fruit juice, and take glucose.
6. The cooking took place at Amore Gardens, Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria.
7. She cooked round the clock, no sleep (Morning, afternoon, evening, and night. So, for four nights, she really had no sleep)
8. She had just five minutes rest per hour [meaning for every 1 hour, she was entitled to just five minutes rest or break, equivalent to an hour break in every 12 hours].
Other sources claim
She got a thirty-minute break every six hours. She spends the thirty minutes in a medical van which was just close by, within which she could take a nap, use the restroom, and also get a medical assessment or checkup by the medical team available on the spot.
9. Whatever she cooked was shared to the people at the venue for FREE. She wasn’t selling the food.
10. She cooked different meals simultaneously and was at liberty to cook any meal she liked. There were no restrictions as to what she could cook or not cook. The World Record title is about cooking within a time frame, not about what is cooked. As long as she was cooking, she was on track.
11. Every meal cooked and every plate served is recorded. She has cooked over 115 meals so far with almost 3,000 portions if not more by the time this report was being drafted.
12. She started the cooking on Thursday and was expected to complete the target time frame by Monday 15th May, 2023 evening.
13. The current holder of the title Hilda seeks to break is an Indian chef, Lata Tandon, who set a Guinness World Record for cooking for 87 hours and 45 minutes non-stop in 2019.
14. To break the record, Hilda Baci is attempting to cook for 96 hours, using extra 9 hours to break the world record as the first human on earth to spend such an amount of time cooking a marathon.
15. She tagged the cooking project “Cook-a-thon”, a phrase literally coined from the word “marathon”.
16. She appeared exhausted during the drafting of this report. But the people around kept on cheering her on, to boost her morale. And they are available with her as she cooks 24/7, even at night.
17. Most of the food items, ingredients, utensils, etc she used for this project are provided by her sponsors. So, the money expended on this project is not 100% from Hilda or her Food brand.
18. Uber, one of her partners offered a 40% discounted ride to the venue for people who wished to join and cheer her up at the venue.
19. Hilda’s mother is also a chef. She owns a food brand called “Calabar Pot”
20. She is 27 years of age.
Source: @Oga Yenne
Copied from Yemi Taiwo Alabi.
Hilda's drive, ambition and resilience have brought great interest and insight into the uniqueness of Nigerian food. She is now a cultural icon, and I believe that this feat will inspire many more young people, in Nigeria and beyond, to follow in her footsteps.
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) May 15, 2023
Presidential notice there, and the cheer from Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
