Nigerian celebrity chef and Guinness World Record holder, Hilda Baci, has revealed the reason behind her decision to prepare 200 bags of rice instead of the initially intended 250 during her latest attempt at setting a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style Jollof rice.
Baci, who first gained global recognition in 2023 with her historic cook-a-thon, launched her new challenge at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.
The event, which began on Friday morning, turned into a festive gathering featuring music, dancing, and appearances from notable figures such as actress Funke Akindele, dancer Kaffy, and Ogun State First Lady Bamidele Abiodun.
Speaking to journalists, Baci explained that her decision to reduce the rice quantity was due to technical limitations with the weighing equipment.
“If you notice when we started we weighed the pot and we need to weigh every single thing that goes into the pot when we’re done.
“The goal was that by the time I was done making 5,000 kilogrammes I was hoping to achieve about 17,000 to 18,000 kilogrammes. Right now, if I include the weight of the pot, that’s about 20,000.
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“The average crane and the measuring device can only weigh 20,000 kilogrammes.
“It’s safer for me to go below 20,000 kilogrammes so that my scale can carry it all at the same time and basically that is why I had to cut down on the quantity and I only cut it down by a thousand kilogrammes,” she said.
According to her, the 200 bags of rice prepared still amounted to 4,000 kilogrammes, enough to feed 20,000 people.
“This 4,000 kilogrammes of rice is 200 bags of rice and it will still feed 20,000 people so we’re still up there,” she added.
The chef described the challenge as her most ambitious project yet, noting that it required almost a year of preparation.
“Honestly, Gino and I figuring this whole thing out was hectic. Figuring out how to fabricate the pots, it took Mr. Ayo two months to figure out and fabricate the pots.
“Then it took us about nine months to plan this event and it took us almost nine hours to make the entire meal,” she said.
Despite the stress, Baci said the experience was worth it.
“It was challenging but very exciting at the same time.
“We’re not done because we need to distribute the food and make sure that everybody that has come here eats to their satisfaction.
“So we’re still on it but so far I’m very happy, you know, with where we are and what we’ve been able to achieve today,” she remarked.
Interestingly, she disclosed that the initiative did not originally begin as a Guinness World Record pursuit but as a vision to create a memorable food experience.
“When I came up with this idea, I did not think about it as a world record, quite frankly,” she admitted.
“I mean, have you looked around? There’s a lot of you. Some of you came with your cooler, so we need to make sure everybody’s fed.
“We’re feeding the nation,” she said.
Meanwhile, Guinness World Record acknowledged her effort with an encouraging post on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, sharing a video from the event and writing:
“What’s cookin’?
“Best of luck to @hildabacicooks who’s attempting a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian style jollof rice today.”
This latest challenge comes just two years after the global record body officially certified her 2023 cook-a-thon, which shot her into international fame and inspired many young Nigerians to pursue culinary dreams.
