Hilda Baci has been named a Guinness World Records ICON.
Glamtush reports that Nigerian chef and restaurateur Hilda Baci has been recognized as a Guinness World Records ICON.
The global authority on record-breaking achievements announced this on Thursday via its Facebook page.
This inspirational Nigerian restaurateur began her culinary career while still in primary school, helping out at her mother’s restaurant in Abuja.
“I always got so many tips because I used to memorize the whole menu and I was very sharp-mouthed!” she remembers.
She studied sociology in college, after which she explored various career paths, including hosting Nigerian TV’s Dine on a Budget and acting.
However, the call of the kitchen proved too strong. She became a professional chef in 2020 and went on to launch her restaurant, Hilda’s Kitchen (now known as My Food by Hilda). She also shared recipes and cooking tips online, building a dynamic social media presence that earned her millions of followers.
When GWR asked her about the most important lessons her career as a chef has taught her, Hilda replied with three timeless tips for living well: “Consistency beats talent. Systems beat hustle. And humility keeps you growing.”
In 2023, the renowned chef and internet sensation undertook the longest cooking marathon, cheered on by thousands of supporters in Lekki, Lagos.
She remained in the kitchen for an exhausting 93 hr 11 min between May 11 and 15, with her stamina-testing efforts also livestreamed to hordes of fans across Nigeria and around the world. Demand for updates on her progress was so great that Hilda’s loyal admirers crashed the GWR website.
Although this highly competitive record has since been broken twice—the current holder is Liberian-Australian chef Evette Quoibia, with a time of 140 hr 11 min—Hilda had already made her mark.
She had to be at the top of her game for her next GWR challenge as well. On September 12, 2025, Hilda and Gino Nigeria teamed up to create the largest serving of rice ever recorded—8,780 kg (19,356 lb 9 oz)—in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
An incredible 4,000 kg (8,820 lb) of basmati rice, 164 kg (361 lb 8 oz) of fresh goat meat, and about 600 kg (1,322 lb) of Hilda’s own jollof pepper mix went into the record-breaking dish. The meal was so heavy that it buckled its colossal bespoke steel pot twice.
Not a single grain went to waste, as more than 16,600 portions were distributed afterward. An exultant Hilda summed up the experience as “nine hours of fire, passion and teamwork.”
The dish in question was jollof rice—a West African staple—giving Hilda’s record a special significance in her home country.
“I love rice,” she told us. “Truly. I could eat rice dishes every single day for a year and not get tired of it. There’s something incredibly versatile and comforting about rice – it carries so many flavours beautifully. Being from Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, I also deeply love Afang soup.
It’s a traditional soup made with wild spinach and richly seasoned meats and seafood. I enjoy it most with fufu – a smooth, dough-like staple made from cassava… It’s one of those dishes I love both cooking and eating. It tastes like home.”
