Hilda Bassey (Hilda Baci)
NIHOTOUR hails Hilda Baci on breaking world’s longest cooking record
[By VICTOR NZE]
National Institute for Hospitality & Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has expressed its hearty congratulations to Nigerian chef, Hilda Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci following her record breaking longest cooking feat accomplished last Monday night.
Hilda Baci who still awaits certification of her cooking record by the Guinness World Records after surpassing the Indian chef’s Lata Tondon, time of 87 hours and 45 minutes set in 2019, has been receiving accolades from the Nigerian government, political and entertainment personalities over her achievement of 100 hours behind the stove cooking.
Hilda Baci has shattered the longest cooking record by an individual in Lagos with her marathon cooking, which started on Thursday and ended on Monday night.
President Muhammadu Buhari and several politicians and celebrities have already congratulated the 27-year old Ms Bassey, while cheering supporters camped outside an events centre to witness the chef preparing a mix of local and foreign dishes, from jollof rice to pasta and akara, which is made from bean flour.
Meanwhile, celebrating the young chef, Tuesday, Director General of NIHOTOUR, Nura Kangiwa took to his Twitter handle (@nihotour), to hail Hilda Baci for the cooking feat.
“Nura Kangiwa, the Director General of National Institute for Hospitality & Tourism (NIHOTOUR) heartily congratulates Hilda Baci on setting a new Guinness World Record for the Longest Cooking Marathon in 100-Hours.’
It would be recalled that, only last week, NIHOTOUR formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a private firm, the Atelier Concierge Services Limited to promote and host the forthcoming 2023 Gastronomy Festival.
The MOU was signed by the management of both organisations at the headquarters of NIHOTOUR in Abuja.
NIHOTOUR’s Gastronomy Festival is one of the most culturally eclectic culinary arts and related gastronomy event in Africa. Typically, the festival is laced with traditional gaiety and entertainments that highlight Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity, including musicals and dance choreography.
NIHOTOUR had earlier unveiled dates and venue of this year’s Gastronomy Festival as June 16 and 17, 2023, and the Abuja International Conference Centre.
This year’s Gastronomy Festival is the third consecutive food and beverage exhibition and sampling event, initiated and annually organized by NIHOTOUR, since 2021. The theme for this year’s festival is “Culinary Arts: The Gate Way to Growing Tourism Destination”.
Remarking during the MoU signing ceremony, Kangiwa expressed high expectations over the event, as he explained that the festival this year will be the biggest, so far, in terms of number of participating brands and exhibitors, and the most diverse, in terms of arrays of different Nigerian and international foods and beverages.
These goals, he further clarified, informed the need for partnership with Atelier Concierge Limited – a leading travel, tourism, and hospitality business in Nigeria.
The Gastronomy Festival attracts over 5000 visitors and industry stakeholders who participate in the experiential learning of food production processes and indulge in free sampling of diverse Nigerian and international cuisines and beverages on display.
