Guinness world record holder Hilda Effiong Bassey, better known as Hilda Baci, has revealed how she conceived the idea of cooking the world’s largest pot of Jollof Rice in 2025. She said, one day her boyfriend told her the cook-a-thon is not going to be the greatest thing she has ever done, at the time, it was just a cute moment and she didn’t think much of it.
During a recent interview, but the idea first sparked after she watched a video of an Indian temple on YouTube. She described seeing a massive pot where people contributed different ingredients, using a long ladder to scoop the food out.
“The idea was just there; it started marinating,” she said. ”
“One day I was in my office and I was like, ‘this office is big.’ So I imagined: what if I cook jollof rice that is as big as this office? I would like to see what it would look like.”
Despite her initial curiosity, she kept the idea to herself while she considered the logistical challenges.
She even contacted an importer to ask about the possibility of shipping a pot of that size from China to Nigeria.
She also revealed that it was uring a conversation with Oreoluwa, the Head of Marketing for GB Foods, who was looking for ideas for World Jollof Day in 2024. Baci recalled that after being asked repeatedly for suggestions, the vision finally clicked.
And then, the head of marketing for GB Foods at the time, Oreoluwa, she was asking me, “Hilda, do you have any ideas? What do you think we can do for World Jollof Day?” And this was in 2024, you know? I was like, “You know…” I didn’t share this idea because I was like, I have not thought of the mechanics of it.
Funny, I had even called someone to ask, “Do you think we can get a pot that is as big as this?” But this person imports things from China, so I’m like, “How would we even move the pot to get it into Nigeria?”
“So that was when I was even like just playing with the idea. So when, you know, she asked me and asked me and asked me, then the thing just clicked and I was like, “It should be out.” I said, “I want to cook jollof rice that is the size of my office.”
It’s a very good way to bring the world together. Imagine feeding half of Lagos.” And I think when you’re imagining things, you just allow your imaginations to just keep running wild.
And then I just called her and I was like, “I have one idea and the thing has been in my head since, but I just said let me tell you. I don’t know what you would think about it since you’ve been saying we should do something for World Jollof Day. How about we make the largest pot of jollof the world has ever seen?” She said.
Hilda is a 30 year old Chef and restauranteur in Lagos. She is the owner of my food by Hilda.
She first captured the world’s attention in 2023 when she broke the “cook-a-thon” record, where she cooked for 93 hours and 11 minutes.
In 2025 she broke another record for Largest Serving of Nigerian- Style Jollof.
While the “Jollof Fest” was originally intended to break the record for the Largest Serving of Nigerian-style Jollof Rice, a surprise email from Guinness World Records in early 2026 revealed a double victory. The organization confirmed that her September 2025 attempt also secured the title for the Largest Serving of Rice Overall.
Baci now stands as a triple record holder, a feat she describes as a story of faith, fire, and history.
