Hilda Baci Stirs up History with Giant Pot of Rice

The crowd at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, watched in awe as Nigerian celebrity chef Hilda ‘Baci’ Bassey took on her boldest challenge yet — the world’s largest pot of jollof rice.

Over the course of eight hours, the 28-year-old chef poured staggering quantities into a six-metre-wide steel cauldron: 4,000 kilogrammes of basmati rice, 500 cartons of tomato concentrate, 750 kilogrammes of oil, and 600 kilogrammes of onions.

“It was safer to keep it below the scale’s capacity. Reducing by 1,000 kilogrammes still gave us enough to feed 20,000 people,” she explained, after revealing she had cut her plan from 250 bags of rice to 200 bags in order to stay within a 20,000-kilogramme weight limit.

The festival, officially titled Gino World Jollof Festival With Hilda Baci, pulled in an enormous crowd, with 20,000 people registered to attend. But the most dramatic moment came when a crane lifted the colossal pot to be weighed. The cover slipped and the legs bent slightly, sending a wave of gasps through the crowd. A second lift attempt was abandoned as Baci and her team worked anxiously to stabilise the structure.

Despite fears the rice might be ruined, by dawn it was dished out into takeaway packs. Exhausted but excited onlookers cheered as they finally tasted the record-breaking meal.

Throughout the night, ten assistants in red uniforms stirred the massive pot with giant wooden spoons, while DJs, celebrities, and entertainers kept the atmosphere alive. Among the high-profile guests were Ogun State First Lady Bamidele Abiodun, Nollywood star Funke Akindele, Bambam, Tomike Adeoye, influencer Enioluwa Adeoluwa, Alex Unusual, TikTok creator Peller, designer Veekee James, and Afrobeats singer Spyro.

Funke Akindele praised Hilda’s grit and ambition. “You can look beautiful, but you must hustle and do something special for yourself,” she told the cheering audience.

At one point, Baci herself broke down in tears after scrolling through online messages of encouragement.

For Guinness World Records, the attempt has been acknowledged. The body posted online: “Best of luck to Hilda Baci, who’s attempting a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice today.” Official confirmation will come only after photos, videos, and evidence are reviewed.

But for Baci, the essence of the challenge went beyond titles.

“It was challenging but exciting. My mind feels at ease. When I came up with this idea, I didn’t think of it as a world record,” she said.

This is not her first taste of record-breaking glory. In May 2023, she cooked her way into the Guinness Book by clocking 93 hours, 11 minutes in the longest cooking marathon.

Born in Akwa Ibom on 20 September 1995, and trained as a sociologist at Madonna University, Baci credits her passion for food to her mother, a professional chef. Today, she sees her work as a way to feed a nation, showcase Nigerian culture, and carve her name into history.

Her words say it all: the giant pot of jollof was not just food, but a symbol of ambition. A dream of putting Nigeria on the world’s culinary map — one spoonful at a time.