LAGOS — Nigerian celebrity chef and Guinness World Record holder, Hilda Baci, has revealed why she trimmed down her initial plan of cooking 250 bags of rice to 200 in her latest bid to set a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style Jollof rice.
The event, staged at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, has drawn massive crowds since it began on Friday, with a carnival-like atmosphere featuring music, dancing, and appearances from celebrities such as Funke Akindele, Kaffy, and the First Lady of Ogun State, Bamidele Abiodun.
Explaining the adjustment, Baci said the decision was purely technical. The industrial crane and weighing scale designed to measure the final dish could only carry 20,000 kilogrammes, including the weight of the custom-made pot.
“The goal was that by the time I was done making 5,000 kilogrammes, I would get about 17,000 to 18,000 kilogrammes. But if I include the pot, that’s already about 20,000. The measuring device can’t weigh more than that, so I had to cut it down slightly — by just 1,000 kilogrammes,” she explained.
Despite reducing the quantity, the chef said the 200 bags of rice still produced a staggering 4,000 kilogrammes of Jollof, enough to feed 20,000 people.
“This 4,000 kilogrammes is 200 bags of rice, and it will still feed 20,000 people. So we’re still up there,” she said with pride.
Describing the project as the most ambitious of her career, Baci noted that it took nearly a year of planning, including two months of pot fabrication and nine months of event coordination. The final dish itself took about nine hours to prepare.
“Honestly, this has been the most challenging but also the most rewarding experience. We’re not done yet because we still need to make sure everyone here gets food,” she added.
Interestingly, Baci disclosed that the idea was not initially designed as a Guinness World Record attempt but as a food experience to unite and feed Nigerians.
“When I came up with this idea, I did not think about it as a world record, quite frankly. I just wanted to create an experience and feed as many people as possible. And looking around, I think we’ve done that,” she said.
Guinness World Records itself joined the buzz online, posting a message of support on X (formerly Twitter):
“What’s cookin’? Best of luck to @hildabacicooks who’s attempting a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style Jollof rice today.”
The feat comes just two years after Guinness officially recognized her 2023 cook-a-thon, which propelled her to global fame and cemented her as one of Nigeria’s biggest culinary icons.
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