Hilda Effiong Bassey, better known by her stage name Hilda Baci, is a Nigerian celebrity chef and restaurateur who has talked about a terrifying experience she had while attempting to set a new Guinness World Record.

A terrifying moment during the attempt to set a Guinness World Record
On September 12, 2025, Hilda and her team prepared around 8,780 kg of jollof rice in a massive pot that was six meters wide and held 23,000 liters during the World Jollof Festival in Lagos.

Thousands of people gathered to watch the audacious effort, which attracted a lot of attention.

The specifically made pot for weighing was lifted by a crane, but the endeavor was almost ruined when one side broke away and the supporting legs fell. The team was rattled by the unexpected incident, even though the food was undamaged.

Baci recalled the anxious moment in a video interview that HipTV posted, stating, “My heart was in my palms for the first few seconds when we had the mistake with the pot.” I was really anxious and afraid.

‘It was a blessing in disguise.’

Despite the scare, Baci explained that her priority was not the record itself, but ensuring people could taste the food. She said the collapse, though unexpected, ultimately helped them distribute the jollof more easily.

“For me, the record was not the most important thing. It was important that people got to taste and enjoy the food we had spent hours making,” she explained.

“I would say it was a good thing that the pot caved because it made food distribution a lot easier… it was a blessing in disguise.”

Her team quickly submitted video and photographic evidence of the weighing process to Guinness World Records, which later confirmed her as the official record holder for the largest pot of jollof rice cooked at one time.

A testament of grace and resilience

Reflecting further, Baci revealed how she worked closely with the adjudicator to ensure transparency throughout the process. “So I reached out to our adjudicator, and I let him know that the pot caved… And he’s like, “Let’s just proceed…” We had to look for different cameras to see if we had a clear recording of that, because for me, transparency is very, very important.”

Once they confirmed proper documentation, the team went ahead with distribution, serving thousands at the festival grounds.

This achievement makes Hilda Baci a two-time Guinness World Record holder. In May 2023, she became the world record holder for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, after cooking for 93 hours and 11 minutes.

She described her latest success as proof of divine grace, saying, “It’s just a testament that God is good and I’m a child of grace. When I tell you grace is here and you doubt me, look at my track record. Trust the Lord.”

Watch the video below…