Renowned Nigerian chef Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, has lost her Guinness World Record title as the longest cooking marathon holder. The Guinness World Records (GWR) made this official announcement on Tuesday, revealing Alan Fisher, an Irish restaurant owner and chef in Japan, as the new record-holder.
In a statement released on its official website, GWR disclosed that Alan Fisher achieved not one but two remarkable cooking-related Guinness World Records. He claimed the title for the longest cooking marathon (individual) by clocking an astounding 119 hours and 57 minutes, surpassing Hilda Baci’s previous record by more than 24 hours. Moreover, Alan also secured the title for the longest baking marathon (individual) with a time of 47 hours and 21 minutes, previously held by Wendy Sandner from the USA, who had a time of 31 hours and 16 minutes.
What makes Alan’s achievement even more remarkable is that he undertook both endeavors consecutively, spending over 160 hours in the kitchen, with just over a day of rest in between.
Hilda Baci had been celebrated as the Guinness World Record holder for the longest cooking marathon back in June. GWR had initially declared her the record holder after a meticulous review of all the evidence. The 26-year-old Nigerian chef commenced her culinary marathon on Thursday, May 11, and continued until Monday, May 15, preparing over 100 pots of food during her four-day cooking extravaganza.
GWR clarified that although Hilda aimed for a record of 100 hours, nearly seven hours were deducted from her final total due to a mistake in calculating one of her rest breaks early in her attempt. Nevertheless, she had successfully broken the previous record of 87 hours and 45 minutes, previously held by Lata Tondon from India in 2019.