Celebrity chef attracts 20,000+ fans at Eko Hotel for groundbreaking Guinness World Record attempt.
Lagos, Nigeria – Celebrity chef Hilda Baci appears to have done it again. She achieved a new Guinness World Record for cooking the world’s largest pot of jollof rice at Eko Hotel and Suites, with what organizers claim was over 20,000 spectators there to witness what may go down as culinary history.
Record-Breaking Culinary Achievement
You could feel the energy crackling at Eko Hotel and Suites as Hilda Baci took on her latest world record challenge. This time around, she was attempting something that had never been done before, creating the first-ever Guinness World Record category for the world’s largest pot of Nigerian jollof rice. No small feat, considering she was essentially writing the rulebook as she went.
What struck me about the preparation was how hands-on Baci remained throughout. She personally scrubbed down that massive red cooking pot, and I mean massive. “Yes, I can officially confirm this pot is squeaky clean! I washed it myself,” she told the crowd, which seems like the kind of detail that might matter when Guinness officials are scrutinizing every aspect of your attempt.
When it came to the actual cooking, Baci wasn’t taking any chances with authenticity. “To keep the authenticity of the jollof rice, I applied some mathematics, and we will still watch it while it is cooking to make sure that everything is right,” she explained to journalists. It’s interesting how she framed it as a math problem – scaling up a traditional recipe to record-breaking proportions probably does require some serious calculations.
Spiritual Preparation and Community Support
Before firing up that stove, Baci took a moment for what appeared to be a genuinely emotional prayer session with Bolaji Idowu from Havesters Church. Whether you’re religious or not, there was something touching about seeing her acknowledge the cultural weight of what she was attempting.
The celebrity turnout was pretty impressive too. Fashion designer Veekee James showed up, along with media personality Tomike Adeoye and content creator Enioluwa. Though you have to wonder if some of these appearances were as much about the Instagram opportunities as they were about supporting Baci, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Star-Studded Celebration
Funke Akindele stole the show, honestly. The filmmaker’s spontaneous dance moves had the crowd going wild, and let’s be real, when Funke Akindele starts dancing at your event, you know you’ve made it. Her energy was infectious, even if it felt a bit like she was upstaging the main event.
Spyro (that’s Oludipe David for those keeping track) kept things lively with his performance, though I can imagine trying to maintain crowd energy during what was likely hours of watching rice cook may have been challenging. Still, the combination of music and cooking created something that felt more like a festival than a record attempt.
Even Guinness World Records chimed in with some social media encouragement: “Best of luck, Hilda and team!” Though whether that constitutes official recognition or just good PR remains to be seen.
Building on Previous Success
This latest stunt, and I use that word affectionately, builds on Baci’s 2023 Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon. That 93-hour-and-11-minute “Cookathon” was genuinely impressive, if not slightly concerning from a health perspective. But it clearly established her as someone willing to push boundaries in ways most chefs wouldn’t consider.
Her previous success probably made this jollof rice attempt feel more achievable, though the challenges are completely different. Endurance cooking versus precision scaling, it’s like comparing marathon running to engineering.
Cultural Impact and Legacy
Here’s where things get interesting. By choosing jollof rice as her focus, Baci tapped into something that goes way beyond food. Anyone who’s witnessed a West African jollof rice debate knows this dish carries serious cultural weight. Getting international recognition for it through a world record? That’s pretty smart positioning.
The turnout of 20,000+ people suggests Nigerians are hungry, pun intended, to see their cuisine get global attention. Though whether this kind of spectacle actually elevates the food or just turns it into entertainment is worth debating.
With two Guinness World Records now, Hilda Baci has carved out a unique niche. She’s proven that with enough creativity and showmanship, you can turn cooking into must-see television. Whether that’s the future of culinary arts or just really good marketing probably depends on who you ask.
