By: Olivia Nnorom
Guinness World Records (GWR) has officially announced Hilda Bassey Effiong, a Nigerian chef, as the longest cooking marathon (individual) after she cooked for 93 hours and 11 minutes.
This breaks the previous record of 87 hours and 45 minutes set by India’s Lata Tondon in 2019.
During the announcement, GWR stated that they conducted a thorough review of all the evidence submitted by Hilda’s team, in accordance with the rules governing individuals attempting to break marathon cooking records.
As with all “longest marathon” records, Hilda was allowed only a five-minute rest break for every continuous hour of activity, which could be accumulated if not taken. These were the only times she could use the bathroom or sleep during the attempt.
However, GWR reported that the 26-year-old Nigerian chef mistakenly took extra minutes for one of her rest breaks early on in the attempt. As a result, almost seven hours were deducted from her final total, reducing her 100-hour attempt to an approved record of 93 hours and 11 minutes.
Hilda adhered to several other required rules during her record-breaking cook-a-thon, which qualified her for certification. These rules included having at least two items being prepared or cooked at any time, allowing a sous-chef to assist in prep work, washing up, and cleaning the kitchen area, but requiring all cooking to be done by the individual attempting the record. Additionally, as with all GWR food-related record attempts, all items had to be consumed after cooking.
In light of these requirements, Hilda and her team invited members of the public to come and enjoy her freshly made meals, while all leftover food was donated to the Festus Fajemilo Foundation.
To prepare for the event, Hilda created a 35-item menu as a guide for each meal she would cook. This ensured that she had the necessary ingredients to make each recipe large enough to serve 30-35 people while avoiding any food wastage. Her team procured additional food items during the cook-a-thon based on what needed to be replenished.
Becoming a Guinness World Records title holder is no easy task, and achieving the best in your field is only the beginning—you also have to prove it.
After achieving her cooking records, Hilda underwent a verification process to enable GWR to adjudicate her record attempt. She submitted various evidence files, including a cover letter, two witness statements, photographic evidence, video evidence, timekeeper statements, logbooks, and special witness statements, in accordance with the specified format, required information, and correct method of upload.
