Nigerian celebrity chef and Guinness World Record holder, Hilda Baci, has revealed the sheer amount of preparation that went into her latest culinary feat — cooking 200 bags of jollof rice in Lagos.
Baci, who rose to fame in 2023 after her record-breaking cook-a-thon, said the mega food project at Eko Hotel and Suites was the most ambitious of her career. The event, which kicked off Friday morning, drew food lovers, celebrities, and dignitaries, with music and dance giving it a carnival atmosphere.
Speaking to journalists, Baci disclosed that the entire event took close to a year to execute.
“It took us about nine months to plan this event and almost nine hours to make the entire meal,” she said.
She explained that she had originally planned to cook 250 bags of rice but scaled it down to 200 due to technical limitations with the weighing crane and custom-made pot. Despite the adjustment, the chef noted that the 4,000 kilogrammes of rice prepared was enough to feed 20,000 people.
“Honestly, Gino and I figuring this whole thing out was hectic. Figuring out how to fabricate the pots took Mr. Ayo two months. Then it took us about nine months to plan this event,” Baci said.
The star chef emphasized that the idea was not initially conceived as a Guinness World Record attempt but as a food experience to bring people together.
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“When I came up with this idea, I did not think about it as a world record, quite frankly. I just wanted to feed people. We’re feeding the nation,” she said.
Guinness World Records also joined the excitement online, wishing Baci luck in her attempt and sharing clips of the event.
The project comes two years after her historic cook-a-thon earned her global recognition and inspired a new generation of young Nigerians to pursue culinary dreams.