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On February 4, 2023, when Hilda Baci and her team started publicising her quest to break the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, she had initially planned for 87 hours, and well-wishers were intrigued by the quest. One comment under the post said, ‘Girl so you would get no sleep? That’s brave! I wish you all the best with this!’.
The astonishment was valid since this was the first time in seven years that a Nigerian has tried to break a record that doesn’t only require skill but immense stamina and willpower. The last time we saw something similar was with Kaffy Shefau when she broke the Guinness World Record for the longest dance party at the Nokia Silverbird Danceathon with a record-breaking 55 hours and 40 minutes.
For weeks on end, Hilda trained her body and mind with posts on her social media pages showing us only a glimpse of the many hours she prepared for her show. From planning her menus to her fitness session with famous fitness coach, Kemen Fitness.
“Kemen Fitness has been so instrumental to my fitness and stamina for the cook-a-thon. To be honest, I didn’t think I was capable of some of the things I see myself doing in the gym. It definitely helps my confidence that he believes I’m ready. The question is will you bet on Hilda,” she said in a post on her Tiktok page.
In a matter of weeks all roads led to Amore Gardens in Freedom Way, Lagos, for the four-day cook-a-thon. Before the event gained traction, fans outside the event saw the star chef in record time cook different Nigerian dishes with over 250 different recipes and soon enough it became a fest.
Thousands of Lagosians trooped into the venue to support the chef looking to break the record. According to Julia Emecheta, an employee of the event planning company, The Owambe, the second day of the event had over 1,500 registered attendees before the gate was opened for free entry later in the evening.
“The people we could record before the stampeding started were over 1,500 people, and this was before noon. Sunday had the highest number of attendees, and the third day was the second highest, none of these days were less than 1,500 guests,” she told Netng.
The Urban Lifestyle outdoors event centre, Amore Gardens, which has a capacity of hosting over 2,000 guests was reportedly filled to the brim on the second day as guests could barely walk around because of the crowd. ‘This place was packed with people,’ an attendee of the event had told me on Monday, May 15, 2023.
These are very believable numbers as from firsthand experience the crowd awaiting entry into the venue on Monday, May 15, 2023 as at 2:30 pm were over 300 guests. For an hour everyone was stuck outside. Some on the flooded streets at the backdoor of the garden, some on the gutter rails, holding and trying to strike a balance so as not to be drenched in water, and others chose the muddy ways. And it was all to support Hilda.
When I spoke to one of the supporters who came to cheer Hilda on, she mentioned that she had been waiting outside the gate for an hour in hopes of getting into the event to support Hilda. While others saw this as an avenue to support Hilda, some saw it as an occasion to see their favourite celebrities and even get the opportunity to perform their songs in front of a diverse crowd of almost 3,000 people.
Upcoming and established Nigerian entertainers came in to show their support for Hilda Baci’s Cook-A-Thon. From acts like Tiwa Savage to acts like Mohbad, Dremo, and Khaid, who performed some of their hit singles to hype both Hilda and the audience up. In between the almost club-like scene and Hilda making history in her cooking space opened to the excited crowd, the Guinness World Record event almost looked like a festival.
As soon as Hilda beat Lata Tondon’s 87 hours, 45 minutes cooking marathon record, she immediately set a new goal for herself, a 100-hour cooking marathon that almost had everyone worried because the feat was so great that her health seemed to be a course of concern for fans who came to watch the show. One said, ‘This is insane’ and I agreed because I had only been standing for four hours, and it almost seemed like I wanted to pass out.
Soon she completed her quest to become the individual with the longest cooking marathon, as thousands of Nigerians both online and offline cheered her on. On Twitter alone she has had over 500,000 mentions, and has gained over one million followers on Instagram in four days.
While the Guinness World Record takes its time to review the evidence of her record, she’s already a winner and a continental treasure.
The post How Nigerians Turned Hilda Baci’s Cook-A-Thon To A Festival As She Set New World Record appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
