Some achievements announce themselves loudly. Others arrive quietly, almost shyly, revealing their weight only after the moment has passed. Hilda Effiong Bassey’s third Guinness World Record belongs firmly to the latter.
As 2026 dawned, Nigeria’s most recognisable chef woke up to an email that would subtly but decisively expand her place in global culinary history. Without fanfare or anticipation, Hilda Baci discovered she had become a three-time Guinness World Record holder, a distinction few chefs anywhere in the world can claim.
Her latest honour traces back to September 2025, when she set out to achieve what would become her second Guinness World Record: preparing the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice. The feat was ambitious in scale, demanding in logistics, and culturally resonant. Jollof rice is not just a dish in Nigeria; it is identity, pride, and shared memory served on a plate. By choosing it, Hilda once again placed Nigerian culture at the centre of a global conversation.
At the time, the achievement stood on its own but months later, Guinness World Records reviewed the guidelines across categories and realised something extraordinary: the same jollof rice feat had also surpassed the benchmark for the largest serving of rice ever made, regardless of style or origin. One attempt, two categories. One vision, two records.
The confirmation came from Andrew Fanning, Head of Client Partnering at Guinness World Records’ Records Creative Team, who informed Hilda that her team’s effort had inadvertently crossed into another historic territory.
“Congratulations, you are Officially Amazing (again)!” the email read, confirming that her Nigerian-style jollof rice record also qualified as the largest serving of rice overall.
For Hilda, the news landed not on a grand stage but in the quiet rhythm of daily life.
“I was just doing my usual routine, casually scrolling through my emails,” she later explained. “I was shocked and happy at the same time.”
Five months after the initial announcement, she was only just discovering that there was more.
That sense of more has followed Hilda throughout her career. In May 2023, she first captured global attention by completing a 93-hour, 11-minute cooking marathon, setting her first Guinness World Record and becoming Nigeria’s first chef to hold multiple Guinness World Records. What began as an endurance challenge quickly evolved into something larger, a cultural moment that brought Nigerian food, resilience, and creativity into international focus.
Yet what separates Hilda Baci from many viral success stories is her refusal to remain frozen in that momen and rather than letting the spotlight define her peak, she treated it as a foundation. The records that followed were not about repeating the same trick, but about scaling vision, deepening impact, and proving consistency.
Behind the scenes of her latest achievement lies a story of collaboration and trust. Hilda was quick to acknowledge the role of her team, singling out @oreoluwa_atinmo as instrumental to the journey.
“From idea to execution, side by side, fully aligned,” she wrote. “This record would not have been possible without her.”
Her gratitude extended beyond individuals to a collective effort, long days, precise coordination, and belief sustained even when public attention moved elsewhere. In that sense, the third record feels fitting: a quiet reward for discipline rather than spectacle.
Spiritually, Hilda framed the moment as a reminder that growth often continues beyond visible milestones.
“Honestly, God is faithful,” she reflected. “The kind of faithful that still surprises you. Even when you think you’ve seen the full picture, God can still say, ‘There’s more.’”
Today, with three Guinness World Records to her name, Hilda Baci occupies a rare space. She is no longer simply a record-breaker or a viral sensation, she is a case study in sustained excellence - a chef who turned endurance into influence, culture into global currency, and one bold idea into a growing legacy.
Her story mirrors a larger truth about Nigeria itself: that brilliance here is not accidental, that world-class achievement can be deliberate, repeatable, and quietly historic. Sometimes, you only realise how big it is when you look back and see that you’ve done it again, and then some.
No comments:
Post a Comment