Days after Ekiti chef’s failed attempt, Ondo lady, Adeola takes up marathon cooking challenge

[By VICTOR NZE]

Barely days after an Ekiti-based chef, Ms Damilola Adeparusi, failed in her attempt to shatter the longest cooking by an individual record currently held by Akwa Ibom-born Ms Hilda Bassey, an Ondo lady, Ms Adeola Adeyeye has commenced a 150-hour challenge.

The Guinness World Record is also monitoring the latest attempt by Adeola.

Ms Adeyeye who has already clocked over 3 hours in the kitchen, as at Friday afternoon, is attempting to surpass the Guinness World Record certified longest cooking marathon of 93 hours and 11 minutes set by compatriot, Hilda Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, early Monday, May 15 after four days in a Lagos kitchen attempting a 100-hour cooking record.

Penultimate week, in June Guinness World Record (GWR) officially certified Baci’s record at 93 hours and 11 minutes.

However, while Hilda waited for the certification, another Nigerian chef, and Ekiti-based Ms Damilola Adeparusi, commenced a 120-hour solo marathon cooking challenge.

Already, Ms Adeparusi from Oye Local Government Area in Ekiti, reportedly beat the 120 hours she set for herself, reports emerged that the Ekiti chef did not notify the GWR of her attempt, even as she it further became a controversy over the purported record of 120 hours set in three days, which did not add up by 24 hours calculation.

Meanwhile, this weekend, an Ondo chef, Adeola has begun a 150-hour cook-a-thon in an attempt to break Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon of 93 hours and 11 minutes.

Adeyeye who commenced the cook-a-thon on Friday, June 30, 2023, in Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area of Ondo is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Last June after nearly a month of reviewing, the GWR, finally announced the certification of Hilda Baci’s time originally thought to be 100 hours but now for  93 hours 11 minutes, after nearly one month since the record was set in Lagos during a four-day non-stop cooking marathon in May, this year.

“Following a thorough review of all the evidence, Guinness World Records can now confirm that Hilda Effiong Bassey, better known as Hilda Baci, has officially broken the record for the longest cooking marathon (individual), with a time of 93 hours 11 minutes.

“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,” GWR confirmed in a tweet, Tuesday morning.

Ms Bassey began the cooking challenge on Thursday, May 11 through to early Monday, May 15.

As it is, the current record for the world’s longest cooking marathon is now Ms Bassey after officially displacing India’s Tondon, who completed the task in 87 hours, 45 minutes, and 00 seconds, in 2019.

The Nigerian chef had previously set 96-hour target for herself after breaking Indian chef, Lata Tondon’s 87 hours, 45 minutes, and 00 seconds record set in 2019.

Hilda Baci was initially scheduled to stop at 4 pm Nigerian time culminating into her former 96-hour target but stopped at 8 pm to achieve a 100-hour target.

Elsewhere around the world, a chef from Liberia and another from Kenya have also announced their intentions to set a marathon cooking record following the feat by Ms Bassey.

Kenyan chef, Maliha Mohammed has said she will attempt to break the record set by Nigeria’s Bassey on August 11, this year, when she kicks off her challenge. She sent an application for her record attempt in December, last year.

In August 2019, she broke the previous Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual for cooking for 75 hours non –stop.

Chef Mohammed will now attempt to break the record later this year.

Also, Liberian chef, Wonyean Aloysius Gaye has announced plans to break Hilda Baci’s GWR of 100 hours which he said will commence in November, this year.

Hilda who was born on September 20, 1996, holds a First degree in Sociology from the Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State.

She’s also appeared in multiple Nigerian TV shows and movies. She played a supporting lead character in the movie “Dream Chaser,” and appeared in some episodes of Sideways, Flatmates, A Walk on the Water, and Mr & Mrs Robert.