Hilda Effiong Bassey (born 20 September 1995), known as Hilda Baci, is a Nigerian chef, restaurateur, actress, and the former holder of the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

cooking (cook-athon) with 93 hours 11 minutes in May 2023, which was surpassed later that year by Irish chef Alan Fisher with 119 hours, 57 minutes. In August 2021, she won the Jollof Faceoff competition.

Early life and career

Hilda Effiong Bassey was born on 20 September 1995, and she is from the Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state ...

. She graduated with a degree in sociology from

Madonna University Madonna University is a private Catholic university in Livonia, Michigan, United States. It was founded as the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Junior College by the Felician Sisters in 1937. It became Madonna College in 1947 and Mado ...

, Okija,

Anambra State Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...

. She was the host of ''Dine on a Budget'', a television show that airs on Pop Central TV. Baci embarked on a

culinary Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

education program, drawing inspiration from her mother, a culinary chef.

Filmography

Guinness World Record

In March 2023, Baci announced she would be attempting the record for the longest cooking marathon. The record was previously held by Lata Tondon whose cooking marathon lasted for 87 hours, 45 minutes in 2019. On 11 May 2023, she started her " Cook-a-thon " record attempt. She broke the record on 15 May 2023. On Monday, May 15, 2023, at exactly 7:45 am, Hilda broke the record for the longest cooking marathon by any individual hitting 87 hours 50 minutes above the previous record holder in 2019. On Tuesday, May 16, 2023,

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

spokesperson released an official statement on its website saying: “We are aware of the record attempt and are looking forward to receiving the evidence for our Records Management Team to review before we can confirm the record is official.” To set a new record for the longest cooking marathon, Hilda was originally set to cook for 96 hours but later extended her goal to a 100-hour cooking marathon. High-profile Nigerians who visited Hilda include Governor of

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu; Lead Pastor of Harvester International, Bolaji Idowu, Nigerian award-winning singer,

Tiwa Savage Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage (), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, p ...

, Tim Godfrey,

Ice Prince Panshak Henry Zamani (born 30 October 1986), better known as Ice Prince Zamani or just Ice Prince, is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after releasing "Oleku (Ice Prince song), Oleku", one of Nigeria's most remixed son ...

. Then Vice President of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, Professor

Yemi Osinbajo Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo (born 8 March 1957) is a Nigerian lawyer, professor, and politician who served as the 14th vice president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he previously served as Attorney ...

also called to cheer Hilda up during the cook-a-thon. Hilda received a huge support fan base from

Nigerians Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

who trooped to the venue of the cooking competition, while others kept trending her name on

Social Media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

. After review of videos and evidence,

confirmed that Baci had broken the record longest cooking marathon (individual), with a time of 93 hours 11 minutes. In November 2023, Hilda Baci lost her Guinness World Record title for the longest cooking marathon by an individual to Alan Fisher, an Irish chef. Fisher cooked for 119 hours and 57 minutes, surpassing Baci's previous record by more than 24 hours. Fisher also broke the record for the longest baking marathon (individual) with 47 hours and 21 minutes. Baci congratulated Fisher on his achievement and said she was proud of him for breaking her record.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baci, Hilda 1996 births Living people Television chefs Nigerian restaurateurs Nigerian actresses Madonna University, Elele alumni Nigerian chefs People from Akwa Ibom State 21st-century Nigerian women 21st-century Nigerian actresses