Victor EzejaAs another Nigerian chef, Damilola Adeparusi, surpasses the 100-hour world cooking record by Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, there are questions as to how long Baci will reign as current champion which Guinness World Records (GWR) just confirmed.
Adeparusi, an Ekiti-based chef, reportedly reached her 120 hours target early Wednesday.
READ ALSO: Breaking: Chef Dammy Hits 120 Hours In Cook-a-thon
Join our WhatsApp ChannelShe had in the early hours of Tuesday, announced via a Twitter post reaching 100 hours of cooking, the same day Guinness World Record officially confirmed Hilda’s award for breaking the record for the longest cooking marathon (individual).
Baci had last month made headlines when she surpassed the world cooking record of 87 hours 45 minutes previously set by Lata Tondon, an Indian chef, in 2019.
The 26-year-old Akwa Ibom State-born chef began on Thursday 11 May and continued through to Monday 15 May, cooking over 100 pots of food during her four-day kitchen challenge.
GWR, whose officials were not present at the cooking challenge held in the Lekki area of Lagos, reviewed footages that had been recorded from CCTV cameras.
READ ALSO: Chef Hilda Baci Denies Charging For Meet-and-Greet
Baci had said her attempt to break the record was to “put Nigerian cuisine on the map” and “to inspire young African women to chase their dreams.”
“I also decided to break this record to truly push my limits and test my abilities,” she added.
According to a GWR statement announcing the approval, Baci was required to abide by several rules during her record-breaking cook-a-thon attempt.
“There must be at least two items being prepared or cooked at any time; a sous-chef is permitted to assist in prep work, washing up, and cleaning the kitchen area, but all the cooking must be done by the individual attempting the record”, the statement said.
It added that “One of the most important rules of our food-related record attempts is that all items must be consumed after cooking. To this end, Hilda invited any and all members of the Nigerian public to come and eat her freshly made meals.”
Baci, a graduate of Madonna University, said her passion for cooking was inspired by her mother’s culinary techniques and that her recipes were homemade.
Social media platforms have been agog with stories and comments about the cooking marathons of Chef Baci and Dammy.
Just as Baci ended, Chef Dammy began hers, targeting to set a new cooking record of 120 hours.
Dammy began her 120-hour cooking marathon in Oye Local Government Area in Ekiti State on Friday, June 9.
However, mixed reactions have trailed Dammy’s decision to enter the cooking challenge.
While some Nigerians, including celebrities, applauded her courage for aiming to get the Guinness World Record, many have criticised her for taking up the challenge even before GWR was yet to confirm that of Hilda.
According to them, her decision was wrongly timed.
Those who applauded her argued that anyone should be allowed to freely attempt a world record regardless of whoever did it first.
Amid the criticism, Baci has, however, encouraged the Ekiti-based Chef, saying, “The beauty of dreams is that they are unique to each individual. Dami, your boldness to take on a cooking challenge shows that passion knows no limits. Embrace the journey, learn from every experience, and inspire others with your unwavering spirit.”
Dammy was also accused of attempting to break Baci’s record without applying to Guinness World Records to make the attempt. Some social media users accused her of merely seeking attention with the exercise.
However, according to a Pulse Nigeria report, Chef Dammy’s spokesperson said she did apply GWR but didn’t get a response at the time she started the cook-a-thon challenge.
Given the process of entering the challenge, as stated on the GWR website, anyone attempting to set a new record must apply, stating the title and purpose of doing it. Thereafter, the GWR team will give feedback on whether he or she should proceed and also a guideline issued before they can attempt the challenge. It was also stated that if approval was not given before the individual embarks on the challenge, it may affect the outcome.
Some have said that since Dammy did not get a response from GWR before attempting to break the record, it might be an exercise in futility.
When approval is given with the guideline, there must also be an evaluation of the process and final ratification by Guinness World Records, after the exercise has been completed.
Also, contrary to claims that Dammy needs to wait for a year after Baci’s certification by GWR before attempting to set a new record, the processes as described on the GWR website did not indicate any time frame between when the first record holder got it and when another sets out to break it.
Moreover, contrary to what many think, GWR does not give monetary rewards to winners. According to the organisation, it does “not pay record-breakers for their achievements or for carrying out a record title attempt,” adding that its important “role is to celebrate the world’s best, to inspire ordinary people, entertain and inform.”
However, the benefit of breaking a global record is that it turns the individual into a celebrity and sets him or her out to the world, opening up opportunities for engagements with organisations, and high-net-worth individuals for brand ambassadorships, sponsorships, and various forms of public engagements.
In conclusion, we await the position of GWR on the exercise by Chef Dammy, which she concluded in the early hours of Wednesday.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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