21 Things to Know about Hilda Baci and her Guinness World Record Marathon Cooking

February 16, 2025

Hilda Bassey Effiong, a young and talented Nigerian chef from Akwa Ibom State who is currently attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest non-stop cooking marathon. She is the owner of a popular food brand in Lagos called “My Food by Hilda”.

Here are 21 things you should know about her and her incredible feat:

Hilda is her real name, but she is known by her brand name, Hilda Baci.
Her cooking marathon will last for a total of four days, during which she will cook non-stop.
Hilda must stand while cooking and is not allowed to sit down.
She is not allowed to consume any coffee, stimulants, or energy drinks to artificially boost her energy levels or bodily strength while cooking.
However, Hilda is allowed to eat food, drink water or fruit juice, and take glucose to keep her energy levels up.
The cooking marathon is taking place at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Hilda will cook round the clock with no sleep, which means she will cook in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night for four days straight without any sleep.
She is allowed only 5 minutes of rest per hour, which means for every hour she cooks, she is entitled to just a 5-minute break. That equates to an hour of break every 12 hours.
Some sources claim that Hilda gets a 30-minute break every six hours, during which she spends the time in a medical van that is close by. She can use the restroom, nap, and get a medical assessment from the medical team available on site.
Hilda is not selling any of the food she cooks. Instead, everything she cooks is shared for free with the people at the venue.
Every meal cooked and every plate served is recorded, and so far, Hilda has cooked over 115 different meals with almost 3,000 portions.
She started the cooking marathon on Thursday and is expected to complete the target time frame by Monday, May 15th, 2023, in the evening.
Hilda seeks to break the current Guinness World Record held by an Indian chef Lata Tandon, who cooked non-stop for 87 hours and 45 minutes in 2019.
To break the record, Hilda is attempting to cook for 96 hours, using an extra 9 hours to break the world record as the first human on earth to spend such an amount of time cooking a marathon.
Hilda coined the phrase “Cook-a-thon” to describe her cooking marathon.
Although Hilda appears exhausted already, she is receiving constant support and encouragement from the people around her who cheer her on.
Most of the food items, ingredients, utensils, and other resources used for this project are provided by her sponsors. Therefore, the cost of the project is not solely borne by Hilda or her food brand.
Uber, one of Hilda’s partners, is offering a 40% discounted ride to the venue for people who wish to join and cheer her on.
Hilda’s mother is also a chef and owns a food brand called “Calabar Pot”.
Hilda is 27 years old.
Hilda is not only a talented chef but also a complete package of beauty and brains.