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Christmas is in a couple of days. While the voice in your head might shout jollof rice, fried rice and salad in response, we urge you to consider other options this year.
You already eat one or the other every Sunday
You’ve spent the entire year eating jollof and fried rice. Now that 2023 is winding to a close, do you want to continue with that? Let yourself and your taste buds rest, we beg of you.
It’s a celebration
You made it through big 2023. It’s time to lay out an actual assortment of food and drinks and have a ball.
You have enough time
You have seven full weeks, all the time you’ll ever need to step up your cooking game and attend a Christmas class by a Guinness World Record holder herself.
Hilda Baci’s cooking class is just six days away, and you’ll get to learn over 160 recipes, five plating techniques, and let’s not forget the prizes you might win.
There are other types of rice
We understand that you, jollof rice and fried rice have an unbreakable bond. But we beg you to please allow the spirit of Christmas break whatever has joined the three of you together.
To showcase your culinary prowess
Think about it. What better chance will you get to test all the recipes you’ll learn from Hilda Baci’s Christmas cooking class on your unsuspecting family members?
When Chef Hilda Baci isn’t cooking or going about her daily restaurant business, and social media influencer Enioluwa isn’t serving looks or doing Lagos today, S.A tomorrow, they’re moving as a unit to impact communities through a book reading initiative.
In case you’re now wondering, “What book reading initiative?” This is all we know about their #WhenWeRead campaign.
What’s this campaign really about?
Hilda and Enioluwa launched their “When We Read” campaign to improve literacy. Books deserve some facetime too because you become the baddest baddie when you read.
How it began
The #WhenWeRead campaign officially kicked off on August 1st, 2023, but the signs have been there since May, when Enioluwa tweeted that learning never stops, inside or outside the classroom.
I always tell people around me to read. Even if you're out of school, keep reading. It sparks your brain, you have a better understanding, and you can never know about something unless you research it.
The campaign grabbed attention, and some organisations have asked for donations.
This is amazing. My team and I @tclinitiativeng recently launched a free community library in Jos and if you are looking for beneficiaries for your #whenweread campaign, we would love to be considered! Thank you https://t.co/CoeIO4YQTw
Hi Hilda, is there a way children living in rural communities can be beneficiaries of this campaign? We have children who love reading but their parents cannot afford to buy them books. There are no good schools in these communities talk more of a standard library. Thank you🙏🏽
@Enioluwa_ understand the importance of the @UN#SDGsGoal4. We would appreciate that pupils and young people can benefits greatly from this #WhenWeRead drive initiative.
Over the years, we have supported great educational cause, but yet, we need more support — #MushinWhenWeRead
Young people. Hilda hopes the initiative will help cultivate a healthy reading habit among them and reduce the time spent on phones.
How many books will they give out?
On July 31st, Hilda Baci tweeted about a 5000 book donation project she’s launching with her close friend, Enioluwa.
It’s giving LinkedIn btw follow my LinkedIn profile Hilda Baci
@enioluwaofficial and I are partnering to donate 5000 books to encourage young people to read more to promote the #whenweread campaign pic.twitter.com/oVPCRKLCoo
The books will go to individuals, students, libraries and organisations.
How to get your copy
If you’re interested in getting some of these books, all you have to do is DM @friendsofeni on IG. Simple as balablu.
There’s a monthly package
As part of the campaign, a fiction and a non-fiction book will be sent to people to read every month. They didn’t say what qualifies interested readers for the monthly book package, or for how long the package will last, but we hope their system never dies.
The reading community jumps in
A week ago, Enioluwa was at Rovingheights (Nigeria’s biggest bookstore line) to share August’s titles: “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives” (fiction) by Lola Shoneyin and Opray Winfrey’s “I Know For Sure” (non-fiction).
On August 5th, fashion and lifestyle magazine, Reen, recommended six books to honour the #WhenWeRead campaign. Other readers and stores have joined in to push the campaign.
Well done to Hilda and Enioluwa as interests grow in their literacy initiative. As Malala Yousafzai said, “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”
It’s been exactly 30 days since Hilda Baci turned off the gas after attempting to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. On Thursday, May 11, 2023, the ambitious 27-year-old set out to break the record held by Chef Lata Tondon at 87 hours, 45 minutes and 00 seconds, to set her own for 96 hours. And on Monday, May 15, 2023, she completed 100 hours of continuous cooking.
Now, after weeks of waiting and pining, GWR officially awarded her the title, but there are a few takeaways from the announcement.
After reviewing all the footage, we're delighted to announce that Hilda Baci is the new record holder for the longest cooking marathon (individual) 💫
Watch the video to find out the official time we've awarded Hilda and read the full explanation below 👇 pic.twitter.com/bf352ndxWO
Hilda Baci’s initial plan was to shatter the record at 96 hours, but she took on an additional four hours, rounding it up to a total of 100 hours. However, because of some “miscalculations” in taking breaks, GWR said they’ll only accept 93 hours.
There must be at least two meals prepared at every given time
Many people assumed it was all to speed up the process, but according to GWR, it’s a must to have two items prepared concurrently. Safe to say Baci kept to this rule, but future applicants should take note.
Number, name and weight of each meal must be submitted
It’s not just a cooking jamboree. It’s important to take stock of the output from the cook-a-thon kitchen, and this includes the name, weight and number of meals. This should all be submitted along with video evidence.
Participants are only entitled to a five minutes break per hour
Hilda took extra minutes during her rest breaks, and this is against GWR’s rules. Participants must take their five minutes break at the end of every hour. This miscalculation reduced her time by seven hours.
Participants can take accumulated minutes of rest
According to GWR, the five minutes breaks can also be accumulated so that participants can get longer periods of rest.
Hilda Baci donated meals to charity
Although fans and supporters who stormed Amore Gardens during the cook-a-thon were treated to free meals, it didn’t stop there. The food Baci cooked was also donated to the Festus Fajemilo Foundation.
All items must be consumed
Baci might’ve donated to charity and invited supporters to enjoy her meal out of love, but it is also a strict rule for the GWR cooking marathon. Every meal prepared by the participant must be consumed.
Contrary to opinions on the streets of Twitter, you don’t just wake up one day and decide to cook up a storm for four straight days unprovoked — at least, that wasn’t Hilda Baci’s M.O for shattering a Guinness World Record.
“It took me five years to be ready for this attempt,” the 27-year-old chef shared during a chat with Zikoko a week before the cook-a-thon.
Source: BellaNaija
Baci first nurtured the idea when she was 21. However, the lack of resources or a big enough platform at the time kept the dream at bay — until she was ready to pick it up again late in 2022.
Months ahead of the impressive cook-a-thon, Hilda Baci was in every room and literally everyone’s face with a single message: “I’m breaking a world record, and you must bear witness.”
A strong desire to be taken seriously by peers and big brands in the food industry is what drove her.
And oh boy, did the world pay attention to this audacious woman? In Baci, many could see a reflection of themselves, inspired even, to attempt their own individual records.
An expensive venture no doubt, Baci had to collaborate with top brands in the culinary industry: Gino Max, Bama Mayonnaise, Woodscope, VivaPlus Detergent, Chillcity, Uber, Oriki, Beige Wallet, among others.
A month ahead of the cook-a-thon, Baci challenged herself to a 24-hour dry run, and the success of it would erase any doubts she had about breaking a world record.
Let the cook-a-thon begin
Source: Instagram (@hildabacicookathon)
At 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 11, 2023, the doors of Baci’s make-shift kitchen at Amore Gardens, Lekki, were thrown open for the world to witness greatness in its entirety.
Supporters and well-wishers poured through the gates with a clear mission: Hype Hilda Baci till the finish line. This mission reverberated through the country until the cook-a-thon became the most talked about topic in the Nigerian social media space.
From those inspired by Baci’s strength and audacity to others who called their own culinary skills to question, it was all beautiful to see.
And we have the receipts:
Ghanaians even tried to claim Hilda Baci as one of their own.
The previous holder of the record, Lata Tondon, sent her best wishes to Hilda.
Guinness World Record holder for longest dance party, Kaffy, also showed up for her.
Guinness World Record Holder for the longest Dance Party after she and her dance group danced for 55 Hours and 40 minutes, Kaffy came around to encourage Hilda Baci as she aims to join her to be a Record Holder.
What screams support more than a colleague willing to hit the streets with a placard?
Guysss, please retweet and let the world know our own Hilda Baci is on the way to beat the current Guinness Book of Records for cooking for 4 days nonstop. Please come out and support her with your cheers and prayers #hildabaci#Hildabacicookathonpic.twitter.com/RZPVMalI1g
— Diary of a kichen lover (@diaryofakitchen) May 13, 2023
Amid the excitement, there were growing concerns about the possibility that Guinness World Records would snub Baci’s attempt, but this was nipped in the bud after she was acknowledged in a Twitter post.
Our records team is looking forward to reviewing the evidence from Hilda's epic cooking marathon.https://t.co/fzRlNpqU8e
At 7:46 a.m. on Monday, May 15 (officially, day four of the cook-a-thon), Baci shattered Chef Tondon’s existing record of 87 hours, 45 minutes and 00 seconds.
However, the journey was far from over as she had a mission to set a new record of cooking for 96 hours — a feat which was accomplished at precisely 4 p.m. on the same Monday.
But Baci would not only shock herself, but also the world, when she went an additional four hours to finally turn off the gas at 100 hours.
Meet Hilda Baci’s team
While it’s important to celebrate Hilda Baci’s impressive feat, there were superstars behind her who made this feat possible. Nigerians especially fell in love with, Ajom Sunday Okwe (AKA Chef Sunny), the sous chef who occasionally dabbed Baci’s face when it got extra sweaty.
We spoke to her PR coordinator, Nene Bejide, and here’s what she had to say.
There’s been a lot of hype for the chef who stayed in the kitchen with Hilda. Which other team members should we be celebrating?
I’ll say Nowe, for putting the team together. Chef Gibs, who came onboard through Hilda — he’s the president of the Culinary Arts Practitioners Association of Nigeria (CAPA). Chef Gibs was very instrumental to how the food flowed. He worked with Hilda to put the menu together and break it into rounds. He also helped her during the dry run to calculate the time she spent on each meal.
Hilda is a fast cook. So it was important for him to let her know how long to spend on each meal to avoid complete burnout.
Has any of the team members been inspired to set their own world record?
There’ve been conversations like that — although some of them might’ve been jokes. But yeah, I’m sure the cook-a-thon has gotten them thinking about what to do.
Before she stepped into the kitchen, Baci shared what she hoped to achieve with her record-breaking attempt.
You could shatter a record that seems almost impossible when you set out. What would you do with the platform and visibility?
I want to make a conscious effort to propagate Nigerian recipes across the globe. Nigerian food is so good and works with many palates. We have so many options. I want people from other countries to try our meals just like we try creamy pasta, spaghetti bolognese and the likes. At least one Nigerian meal should be part of every household’s staple.
Do you have words for young chefs who have been inspired by your cook-a-thon?
Your dreams are valid. Focus on the journey and pay no mind to what other people are doing. Be consistent; it guarantees your growth in life. You must also learn to put God first in everything you do.
What makes you feel fulfilled at this particular moment?
My journey so far, and where I’m coming from. When I think about that, it makes me happy.
Zikoko caught up with Baci three days after she broke the world record, and her joy was contagious. Here’s what she had to share:
Were you tempted to quit after breaking the existing record?
Honestly, when I broke the record I didn’t feel like my job was done. It just felt like another hour, and I knew I’d not gotten to my goal. I’d already conditioned my mind to hit a certain goal.
But after the 96th hour — your original goal — why did you push for the extra four hours? That was a surprise no one saw coming.
There was no special reason really. My friends had come to me and suggested doing 100 hours since it would make it a round figure. My brother was in on it too, so I thought about it and with the way I was feeling at the time, it was doable. I ran it through my culinary director, and he said we still had raw materials to cook for more people, so I went for it.
How did it feel to finally turn in the last meal and switch off the gas?
Relief. Just relief.
I was so happy and grateful to God. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten to that point. Just remembering how difficult it was when I started, and then, I’d gotten to that point? It felt incredible.
GWR already acknowledged your attempt. What’s the end game if you don’t get the title?
If this is about a win, I’ve already gotten a win. But I’m almost certain we’ll be recognised, and this isn’t from a place of arrogance. We did our due diligence, we followed the rules and guidelines to the T. Jason, a current record holder, was very helpful in making sure my CCTV was up and running. We also took witness statements.
I’m almost certain we’ll get it, but even if we don’t, I won’t break a sweat.
Do you plan on returning to the kitchen soon?
Of course. Sooner than you think.
I haven’t done any cooking since the cook-a-thon, but best believe I’ll get back to it soon. I own a restaurant; I have work to do.
Join Hilda Baci to party at the hottest women-only party in Lagos on May 27. Grab your HERtitude tickets here.
The name on everyone’s lips over the last four days is Hilda Baci. The 27-year-old self-taught chef from Akwa-Ibom has now eclipsed the Guinness World Record (GWR) of 87 hours for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. Although the GWR says it still needs to review the evidence, they wished her luck in her quest on Instagram. Hilda’s not stopping, regardless. Her eyes are set on the 96-hour mark.
Nigerians worldwide have shown Hilda immense support in their numbers, pushing her to the finish line in a physically and mentally exhausting feat. In his usual “Mr Predictable” manner, the Lagos state governor also showed up, even as some people suggest it’s PR.
Peter Obi and Bola Ahmed Tinubu also gave their shoutouts. Instead of them famzing, we came up with some suggestions for world records they can also break and set. Here are a few below:
Most liked tweet by a politician
On August 12, 2017, a white supremacist carried out a terrorist attack in Charlottesville, USA. This led to one death and 35 injuries. In response to this tragedy, former American President, Barack Obama, took to Twitter to quote the words of former South African President Nelson Mandela from his autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom”. The tweet has received 3.9 million likes.
The first requirement for becoming president in Nigeria is to have bullion vans filled with money.
[Bullion vans in Bourdillion / ICIR]
But just how much would you need in your war chest to set the record for the most expensive election ever? The 2020 American presidential election holds the record for being the most expensive in history. Open Secrets said the election cost a staggering $14.4 billion, more than double the 2016 election. That’s about 40% of Nigeria’s gross external reserves. Nigerian politicians reading this should better not get funny ideas. Moving on.
Longest legislative speech
Patrick Obahiagbon has already made a name for himself in the Nigerian National Assembly for his crinkum-crankum speeches that can turn you insane. Yet, he’s still a learner.
According to the Guinness World Records, the record for the longest legislative speech belongs to Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a Zulu leader from South Africa. He addressed the KwaZulu legislative assembly between March 12 and 29, 1993. He spoke on 11 of the 18 days, averaging nearly 2½ hours on each of the 11 days.
However, Stewart Stevenson, a Scottish politician, may hold the record for the longest parliamentary speech at one stretch. In 2004, Stevenson delivered a speech lasting 23 hours and 51 minutes during International Suicide Prevention Week. He started at 5:21 PM on Wednesday, September 7, 2004, and completed it at 5:12 PM on Thursday, September 8, 2004. Even Obahiagbon would be impressed.
Countries with the most female heads of government
Nigeria has a notorious imbalance when it comes to female participation in politics. Only one woman out of 18 candidates contested the last presidential election. The numbers keep dropping alarmingly. The national average is 6.7%, which is very low compared to the 23.4% African average and the 22.5% global average.
Meanwhile, a few other progressive countries are leading women’s political participation. According to the GWR, excluding acting prime ministers, the countries with the most female heads of government are Finland, Moldova, New Zealand, Poland, and the UK, all with three. Nigeria is still yet to get one. God when?
Poorest president ever
No Nigerian politician ever wants to be on this table, but there’s a case to be made for having a frugal president for a country whose resources have been run to the ground by wicked leaders. Take a cue from Jose Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, whom the BBC has described as the “world’s poorest president.”
His story is fascinating. As president, he refused to live in the luxurious government residence and chose to live in his wife’s farmhouse. Only two police officers and a three-legged dog were watching over his house. He also donated 90% of his $12,000 monthly salary to charity—a very “unNigerian” thing to do.
[Jose Mujica / Getty Images]
No one realistically expects President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to toe this path, but the least we can expect is that he declares his assets. Since he recently said he’d like to emulate former president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, a public declaration of his assets would be a great place to start.
You have to be living under a rock to not have heard of Hilda Baci, the 27-year-old chef who set out to break the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual (86 hours and 45 minutes). And after a long weekend of back-to-back stirring and sprinkling, she finally did it on Monday, May 15, 2023.
Hilda Baci has united Nigerians like never before. But as the folks at Guinness get their ink ready to add her name to their list, here’s a brief history lesson on some of the other Guinness world record-breaking Nigerians you need to know.
Everyone knows Big W has a Grammy and one of the best Nigerian albums of all time with Made in Lagos, but did you know Ayo from Surulere is also in the Guinness Book of World Records? Wizkid made history as the first Afrobeats artiste to enter the book when One Dance, his collaboration with Drake and Kyla, became the first song ever to reach one billion streams on Spotify in 2018.
Chidera Anemege
Source: Getty Images
He is a Nigerian rapper based in the United States of America who set the record for the longest rap freestyle by an individual during the MTV O Music Awards in 2011. He rapped for nine hours straight.
DJ Obi
Source: The Guardian
DJ Obi might be famous for Obi’s House now, but in 2016, he set a record for the longest-ever DJ set, with 240 hours of nonstop music at Sao Cafe in Lagos.
Femi Kuti
Source: Global Citizen
Femi Kuti is an icon and the Guinness world record holder for holding a single note on a saxophone for 51 minutes and 35 seconds. He did this at a concert in the Fela Shrine in 2017.
Sandra Ikeji
Source: Instagram/Sandra Ikeji
The CEO of Black Dove Models and sister to our fave chaotic Real Housewife, Laura Ikeji, secured a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for the most bridesmaids any bride has ever had on her train, with 200 bridesmaids at her 2020 wedding. We can only imagine how interesting their WhatsApp group must be.
Rema
Source: Billboard
Rema is genuinely divine because there’s literally nothing he can’t do at this point. The Mavin/Jonzing singer entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2023 as the first artiste to top the MENA Charts with his single Calm Down. The MENA Charts is the inaugural Middle Eastern and North African chart that tracks the biggest songs in those regions.
Gbenga Ezekiel
Source: Radio Nigeria
Skipping can be stressful, but Gbenga Ezekiel can’t relate, especially after setting the record for the most skips on one leg when he skipped 265 times in 2022. There are levels to this thing.
The former Nigerian Super Eagles player and coach entered the Guinness Book of World Records when he became the youngest person to win the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and coach. He first won the cup as a player and captain of the team in 1994 at 32, and then, as the team’s coach in 2013 when he was 51. He passed away in 2016.
Pinki Debbie
Source: Bella Naija
Pinki Debbie is a Nigerian dancer and fitness enthusiast who’s famous for gaining entry into the Guinness Book of Records after dancing for 150 hours (seven days) straight in 2017. This record was previously held by Kaffy who led a dance party that lasted for 52 hours and three minutes back in 2006.
Harrison Chinedu
Source: The Sun
Harrison Chinedu is a Nigerian footballer who entered the Guinness World Records after travelling 48.04 km for six hours and 15 minutes with a ball on his head. He set this record in 2016.
Haruna Abdulhazeez
Source: OloriSuperGal
Haruna Abdulhazeez is a Nigerian tennis player who set the record for the most hits of a tennis ball with a tennis racket in one minute. He did this in 2018 when he recorded 187 hits in just one minute.
Adetunwase Adenle
Source: OloriSuperGal
Adetunwase Adenle is a teacher and artiste with not one but four entries in the Guinness Book of World Records. He set his first record in 2010 when he brought 350 Nigerian children together to create the biggest painting by a large number of people — 63.5m x 49.3m. His second and third record came in 2011 when he organised an event with the most children (4,222) reading in one place, to encourage reading culture, and another with the highest number of children (37,809) washing their hands at the same time. Finally, in 2016, he set a new record for the world’s biggest post office stamp ( 2.448 m2).
Tuedon Morgan
Source: Wikipedia
Tuedon Morgan is a two-time Guinness world record holder with the quickest half marathon on each continent (female) at ten days, 23 hours, and 37 minutes, and the quickest half marathon on each continent and the North Pole (female), with a record of 62 days, 12 hours, 58 minutes and 49 seconds.
Olawumi Treasure Bayode
Source: The Nation
Bayo Treasure Olawunmi is the Guinness World Record holder for the longest reading marathon, after reading aloud for 120 hours (five days) nonstop in 2018.
Folashade Oluwafemiayo
Source: Premium Times
Folashade Oluwafemiayo not only set a new record for the heaviest power lift by a female paralympic athlete with 155 kg at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but she also broke her own record from 2020. Talk about iconic.
Update: On Monday, May 15, 2023, Hilda Baci successfully cooked for 100 hours (with an hour-long break every 12 hours). Guinness World Records hasn’t officially confirmed it, but Nigerians have already crowned the chef a record-breaker, after surpassing Lata Tondon’s 88+ hour record and setting a new one.
Here’s what Hilda Baci shared with us just a week before she embarked on her viral cook-a-thon:
What goes into preparing to enter the Guinness Book of World Records?
A lot of work and a strong team.
It took me five years to be ready for this attempt. The record I selected — the longest cooking marathon — had just been broken when I reached out to Guinness World Records in 2018, so they said I had to wait a couple of years first.
How does one decide to beat a world record? Walk me through the stages of audacity
I was 21 when I first considered it seriously, but I didn’t have much of a platform. I was working 9-to-5 at a fashion retail company and didn’t have the resources to pull off such a huge project.
But I’m quite ambitious. That’s how I got into acting, presenting cooking TV shows and a talent show — MTN Yello Star 2020 — while working full-time in my early 20s. I go after the biggest possible projects to challenge myself to be the great person I’ve dreamt of becoming.
The Guinness World Record is something we heard and spoke about in awe as kids. It’s just one of those things that get brought up in schools once in a while. I’d always tell myself I’d do something to get myself in the book one day.
As I got serious about my cooking career, I revisited that dream and thought, “Why don’t I try to achieve it this way?”
What was it like hosting your own cooking show on TV?
It was fun and rewarding, but also stressful trying to get guests on board. I had to reach out to and DM celebrities all the time and a lot of them would just not respond. But that helped me build my networking and communication skills.
All my work experience before going full-time into my own business still helps me a lot. I worked almost round the clock cooking for a breakfast company for some years while I worked in TV, and that helps me handle my staff now. I’d wake up at 3 a.m. every day, running around between the two jobs and the market till late at night. It really brought out the hustler in me. I also met my current head of procurement at the breakfast company.
What challenges have you faced in your journey so far?
I’m still not taken seriously in the Nigerian food industry because I’m a young woman and unmarried. Many times, brands and the general audience don’t consider me a serious option because of the way I look. I want people to look beyond my appearance and know I put a lot of effort into my craft and business.
I want to be like Anthony Bourdain, a renowned chef who also established himself as a visionary in other creative fields: architecture, culture, fashion, journalism. I want people to respect me in that way. That’s part of why I want to break this record. At 21 though, it wasn’t God’s time yet because I didn’t have anyone who believed in the idea enough to help me plan it out.
What changed this year?
Over the years, I’d discussed breaking the cooking marathon record with many people, including the owner of the TV station that aired my cooking show on DSTV. But I didn’t find the right person until I talked to Nowe Isibor, one of my former cooking students, in November 2022. And everything just clicked.
She bought into it and brought the external ginger I needed. She became the project coordinator, building the team we now have around it.
Do you just write to Guinness that you’re ready to break a world record?
The Guinness World Records website is open to anyone from any country; there’s even a section for kids. After Nowe got on board, we went back to the website, filled out the form and submitted it for approval. I applied a couple of times before they approved because it’s similar to applying for a job or school admission; acceptance isn’t automatic.
They eventually emailed us the guidelines and set up my dashboard. After my cook-a-thon, I’ll have to send them video evidence. Their team will assess and then update my dashboard to say I’d either broken the record or failed.
Source: Premium Times
To break the current record, you have to cook for four days. What’s the plan for that?
I’ll prepare about 80 recipes, but they’ll be repetitive. I could make Jollof six times in 24 hours. 80% of the recipes will be Nigerian cuisine. I’ll be making many different types of soups, porridge, rice and pasta. It’ll be a public event that people can RSVP to attend and eat as much as they can.
Sounds expensive
YES. It’s cost a lot just to get all the ingredients. It’s a very expensive dream, but I believe in it. All the food preparation will be a lot of work, but the guidelines allow me to have assistants to prep for me — wash, peel, chop, open seasonings — but not do anything related to the pot and fire.
I feel like running my restaurant hands-on and my Jollof face-off experience of 2021 is great preparation for this new challenge.
Yes. Please, tell me about going against Ghanaian chefs and solidifying our bragging rights as the country with the best Jollof
The face-off was interesting but terrifying because what if I didn’t win? Nigerians would’ve come for me.
So this happened around the time I opened My Food by Hilda. A couple of chefs were nominated by the public for the face-off to decide the best Jollof once and for all. About ten of us with the highest nominations had to submit a plate of Jollof to prove who was worthy to rep Naija. The organisers selected me, and that’s how I got to be the representative.
Source: News Wire
And what’s the recipe for an international competition-winning jollof? How did you win?
I was intentional about how I prepared each of the ingredients. I made sure my beef stock was rich and well-sauced, I used a lot of fresh tomatoes and peppers and a good tomato paste brand, I let it burn a bit too because that’s part of the spice.
Then I had a lot of sides, from stewed turkey to coleslaw to moimoi to a special green sauce. But I actually didn’t serve the moimoi because I realised it was a Nigerian thing. I didn’t want the blind judges to tell I was the Nigerian rep and let bias win.
Smart move. How has the experience prepared you for this next-level cook-a-thon?
Cooking under pressure, especially for a long time is quite exhausting. I knew I had to spend the last week resting a lot, which is what I did. I’ll need all my strength to cook non-stop for four days. But last last, I enjoy cooking, so I hope I’ll have fun with it.
When and how did you discover this love for cooking?
It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing. The first meal I ever cooked myself was Jollof spaghetti when I was in Primary Four. It was so nice, my mum asked me to make it again. But I goofed. I was seven years old, and it was too much pressure.
Cooking was never my ambition, but it followed me. I’ve always been the best cook in any space. I made the best fried rice in my Home Economics class in senior secondary school. And in university, my schoolmates would pay me to cook, then take the food to their boyfriends, pretending they made it themselves.
Who was your first cooking inspiration?
My mum. She’s always been big on experience when it comes to food. As a child, it was important for her to make sure we enjoyed the food almost too much. She didn’t mind spending all her money on a meal or killing herself in the kitchen. That influences how I prepare food for my clients today. Everything is made with love and that intentionality.
You’re from Akwa Ibom, and women from that part of Nigeria are often expected to be amazing cooks. What do you think of that expectation?
I’ve never had a negative reaction to it. I just know it’s not true. However, because I myself have always been good at it, I feel no pressure when I get that from people.
Did you ever train to cook, or is this entirely raw talent and passion?
I’ve never had formal cooking training. My work is powered by vibes and the Holy Spirit. But I’ll probably train one day, mainly because I teach people. I’ll probably reach a point where I want to learn more so I have more to offer my students.
Is there any meal you hate preparing?
Ekpankukwo. It’s delicious, and I make it well, but it’s a lot of work. With so many different ingredients — seafood, spices, the cocoyam — to prepare in a special way, it’s almost a full day’s work. I never look forward to making it.
If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Easy, rice. I’d eat rice in its different versions every day. But if I had to pick one type, native rice.
You could become the face of Nigerian cuisine globally if your cook-a-thon succeeds. What would you do with that platform and visibility?
I love the sound of that.
I’ll make a conscious effort to propagate Nigerian recipes across the globe. Nigerian food is so good and works with many palates. So I want it to be a staple in international cuisine just like French or Italian.
