I was engrossed with work, when I jumped on social media, precisely Instagram casually just to get rid of my exhaustion when I saw the various post, I did not understand what was happening and where this cook matter was heading to. Then I paid close attention, I was hungry for more information and clarity as it concerns the trend ‘Hilda Bacci Cookathon and Guinness world record’, I got stunned, happy to see that the skill of a young woman in Nigeria and from Nigeria is making ways for her and making the entire nation proud.
My findings;
As a recognized activity or challenge, the idea of a cookathon lacks a clear beginning or distinct origin. However, cooperative food preparation and communal cooking have long been a staple of human civilization. In many cultures, communal cooking has long been a way to bring people together, share resources, and create a sense of community.
The concept of holding a cookathon, when people prepare a large number of dishes in a limited amount of time, probably developed as a contemporary variation on communal cooking. The notion may have been more well-known due to the advent of cooking contests and televised culinary challenges in the late 20th century, such as cooking reality shows.
The cookathon may not have a clear beginning, but its development may be traced to the long tradition of communal cooking, the appeal of cooking competition shows, and the development of technology that has increased connectedness and participation in food-related activities.
In Nigeria, the popularity of cookathons and other cooking competitions has grown during the past ten years. While it is difficult to pinpoint a specific day or occasion that gave rise to cookathons in the nation, the expansion of culinary competitions, food festivals, and the power of social media have all aided in their development.
Nigeria has recently witnessed the birth of numerous cooking contests, both on television and in real-world situations, which have highlighted the skills and originality of Nigerian chefs. These contests, including “Knorr Taste Quest” and “The Nigerian Food Channel Cook Off,” have given aspiring chefs and home cooks a forum to showcase their culinary expertise and be noticed.
Additionally, food-related occasions and festivals, including the Lagos Food and Drink Festival organised by GT Bank which I have been opportune to attend one of their events, have established themselves as yearly highlights in Nigeria’s culinary scene. In order to give participants a chance to show off their culinary skills, interact with the audience, and compete for prizes, these events frequently include cookathons as part of their programming.
The prevalence of food bloggers, vloggers, and social media influencers has increased in Nigeria, which has increased the appeal of cookathons. On a variety of platforms, these people share their culinary adventures, techniques, and obstacles, encouraging others to take part and host their own cookathons.
Now, fast forward to this moment, right now in 2023 the beautiful Hilda Bacci has broken the record by cooking for 100hrs non-stop, surpassing the last record created by Lata Tondon, which was 87hrs.45mins.
Hilda Effiong is a Nigerian, Foodprenuer, TV presenter, Actress a Content creator sharing exceptional food recipes on social media.
She is the founder of “My Food by Hilda’ a restaurant and runs a delivery service with African and Continental dishes, she is a Sociology graduate from Madonna University, Okija in Imo state Nigeria.
Hilda made the public understand that she has been nurturing and planning for this event for 5 years, she set a goal of 96hrs but right now as I write this blog and you are reading from wherever you her, Hilda pushed herself beyond 96hrs, setting a record for Guinness World record at 100hrs. She cooked non-stop for 100hrs, oh my goodness, this is beyond amazing. Kindly give me words to describe this magnificent achievement by a young 27years old, determined woman.
I am so excited to be in the generation witnessing a strong woman determined to succeed change the narrative and set a precedence for young women to follow and be better.
The Bible says a man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men in “Proverbs 18:16. This is the sign you need to bring your dream to the limelight, it doesn’t have to be perfect you just have to start from somewhere and figure it out as you go on your journey. Hilda Baci worked on her dream tirelessly for 5 years and today, like right now she has made it a reality. Now this alone is proof and evidence that when God gives you a talent let it out and let God shine through your gift to bless the world and change the narrative.
If you are not making the next Guinness record you are definitely changing lives without you knowing! Trust me on this one!
Dont forget to leave a comment here or better still, chat with me directly on social media, my link is just down there!
God bless you for showing up for yourself!
Meet me
Overilaye is a personal brand and a freelance social media manager and a small business owner, her interest cuts across online marketing, short video marketing (TikTok, Reels, and Shorts), travel, and fashion. She believes in the power of the online space and is willing to make it work for herself and many other personal brand and small business owners in Nigeria and around the world. She is available to work with personal brands who want to take their business online and with small product-based businesses with their social media activities, getting them started with TikTok marketing (TokBranding) and Facebook page management.