Nigerian chef Hilda Baci has been named Guinness World Records (GWRs) ICON for 2027, the global records body announced.
The recognition honours her impact beyond her 2023 cook-a-thon that drew worldwide attention.
Baci began cooking at her mother’s restaurant in Abuja while still at primary school, later studying sociology before hosting Nigerian TV show Dine on a Budget.
She turned professional in 2020 and launched Hilda’s Kitchen, now My Food by Hilda, building millions of followers online with recipes and cooking tips.
In May 2023 she cooked continuously for 93 hours 11 minutes in Lekki, Lagos, live-streaming the effort to a global audience.
The attempt crashed GWR’s website due to public demand for updates.
Although the endurance record has since been broken twice and is now held by Liberian-Australian chef Evette Quoibia at 140 hours 11 minutes, Baci’s attempt triggered a surge in Nigerian applications to GWR, with more than 1,500 received within two months.
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She advised aspiring record-breakers that "preparation is everything. Passion alone is not enough," citing the need for physical training, mental conditioning and strict adherence to guidelines.
In September 2025 Baci teamed with Gino Nigeria to set the record for the largest serving of rice, preparing 8,780kg of jollof in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The dish used 4,000kg of basmati rice and 600kg of her own pepper mix, with the cooking pot buckling twice under the weight.
More than 16,600 portions were distributed afterwards.
Now a GWR ICON, Baci said she plans to expand My Food by Hilda internationally to the UK, US, Dubai and South Africa "as a cultural ambassador for Nigerian food done right."
She added that any future record attempts would focus on "impact, innovation, or cultural representation" rather than endurance alone.
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