Two years after earning global recognition with her Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon, celebrity chef Hilda Baci is embarking on yet another ambitious culinary challenge.
This time, she’s aiming to prepare what she calls the “world’s largest pot of Nigerian jollof rice.”
The free-to-attend event, titled Gino World Jollof Festival with Hilda Baci, kicked off on Friday at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.
Baci earlier announced that more than 20,000 people had registered for the event, with fans and celebrities already flocking to the venue. Long queues formed outside as attendees verified their registration, while security teams worked to manage the growing crowd.
At the heart of the event is a massive, custom-built pot six metres wide and six metres tall with a staggering capacity of 22,619 litres.
Initially, Baci said she planned to cook with about 5,278 kilograms of rice, equivalent to roughly 264 bags. She later revised the target to 250 bags, as part of a more refined estimate.
Describing the event as “history in the making,” Baci emphasized that the jollof rice would be served free of charge to all attendees.
Ahead of the festival, videos surfaced online showing Hilda and her mother praying beside the towering pot. In another lighthearted moment, she was seen inside the giant cauldron, scrubbing it clean herself.
“Yes, I can officially confirm this pot is squeaky clean,” she wrote on Instagram.“ I rolled up my sleeves and washed it myself.”
Reassuring fans about hygiene, she promised the crowd “the most amazing, hygienic meal you’ve ever eaten.”
Baci also shared that this challenge had been in her heart since completing her 100-hour cooking marathon in May 2023 a moment that ignited national pride and inspired a wave of similar Guinness World Record attempts across Nigeria.
“This dream started nearly two years ago,” she said. “Now, with you all, it’s coming alive. Because what is jollof without people to share it with?”
Having already cemented her status as a culinary icon, Baci is now hoping to make history once again with the largest pot of jollof rice ever cooked.
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