Nigeria : Chef Hilda Baci and the Recent held Abuja Cooking Festival

By : Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro

Chef Hilda Baci and the Recent held Abuja Cooking Festival .Chef Hilda Baci (Hilda Effiong Bassey) is a Nigerian chef, restaurateur, content creator, and entrepreneur who has used high-visibility cooking events to amplify Nigerian cuisine, uplift young people (especially women), build her brand, and push culinary culture and tourism forward.

Key components of her approach include:

1. Record-breaking / spectacle: One of her most high profile efforts was the “Cook-a-thon” in May 2023, where she attempted (and largely succeeded) to break the Guinness World Record for longest cooking marathon by an individual. Another was the World Jollof Festival, where she attempted to cook massive quantities of jollof rice in a giant pot, drawing much attention.

2. Cultural promotion: Showcasing Nigerian dishes and cooking techniques, using local ingredients, emphasizing traditional cookery styles (e.g. fire-wood cooking, big communal pots), and using these events as opportunities to preserve and elevate culinary heritage.

3. Community engagement & inspiration: These are not closed, private demonstrations. They involve public attendance, streaming, celebrity involvement, media coverage, sometimes food distribution, side events like shows, music, games. Part of the idea is to inspire young people, especially women, to see what is possible.

4. Brand building and business growth: Through these events she not only cements her reputation and visibility, but also connects with sponsors, builds her food business (“MyFoodByHilda”), and creates ancillary opportunities (merch, collaborations, more events). Also she has expressed ambitions to place Nigeria on the food tourism map.

5. Economic and social impact: There is implied job creation for teams, vendors, partners; also charitable / inclusive elements in some events (e.g. giving food, raising funds, exposing less privileged people).

-What the success has been

From what is publicly known, here are the things that have worked well for her:

*Record achievement: The May 2023 “Cook-a-thon” put Hilda in global headlines. She broke the previous record of 87h 45m set by Indian chef Lata Tondon and cooked for 93 hours 11 minutes. This grabbed lots of attention and pride for Nigeria.

*Media and public attention: Her events get wide media coverage (local and sometimes international), celebrity and leadership endorsement, strong social media engagement. This amplifies her brand and what she is trying to do.

*Culinary tourism and national pride: She has explicitly stated she wants Nigeria to become a food tourism destination, and many commentators seem to see these events as part of that rise.

*Inspirational value: Her narrative — of persistence, pushing through extremely tough conditions, almost giving up, but persisting — resonates with many people. It motivates others to dream bigger.

*Sponsor / stakeholder support: Her events have gotten backing (materials, logistics, publicity) from companies and partners. For example: in the cook-a-thon, she had sponsors like GB Foods (Gino, Bama), Uber, etc.

*Scale and ambition: Events like the World Jollof Festival — cooking 250 bags of rice in a six-metre pot, expecting over 20,000 people — show scale. Such ambition helps attract attention and can move the needle in terms of what people expect from culinary festivals in Nigeria.

Challenges, controversies, limitations

No venture is without its issues. Some of the challenges or questions around her festivals / events include:

*Verification & official recognition: For record attempts, Guinness World Records demands strict criteria, documentation, etc. There was mention that some hours were deducted because of minor breaks or timing issues.

*Cost and logistics: Organising massive cooking events with giant pots, huge volumes of ingredients, safety, sanitation, ensuring food quality etc., is logistically very heavy and expensive. Also ensuring the audience experience, live streaming, etc.

*Sustainability: Doing spectacle events is one thing; making them regular, making impacts that last (skill transfer, small business growth, consistent tourism) is more complex.

*Perception / public relations risks: There was a case (from the sources) of an event in Abuja (Vibes by Anns) where a payment arrangement was made with Chef Hilda Baci, a fee and ticket price, then controversy about the ticket price and whether attendees should have paid.

*Maintaining novelty: Once you do big, spectacular events a few times, audiences might expect ever more; the cost/effort to stay relevant increases.

Her record was later overtaken: Hilda’s record for longest cooking marathon was later broken by an Irish chef, Alan Fisher. So the headline advantage is partly temporal.

Also, the Firewood Jollof Festival (inaugural) has plans to hold future editions in Abuja (as per reporting) as the festival expands.

*What makes her model strong / suggestions for what contributes to success

From what emerges, the model works when various elements align.

Key success factors:

*Strong personal narrative / authenticity: Hilda Baci is seen as passionate, working hard, consistent with local cuisine, not just for show. That builds trust and emotional connection.

*Effective use of media & social media: Streaming, celebrity presence, mass sharing, building momentum – people feel they’re part of something.

*Sponsors and partners: Getting support, not trying to do everything solo.

*Clear theme / purpose: Breaking records, promoting jollof/jollof culture, preserving traditional cooking methods, or inspiring others.

*Inclusive components: Free food distribution, involving community, youth, giving back, transparency.

*Scale & ambition: Bigger, bold ideas attract attention.

Overall AssessmentIn summary, Chef Hilda Baci’s festivals / cook-a-thon events have been quite successful in terms of raising profile (hers and Nigerian cuisine), generating media buzz, inspiring people, and giving momentum to conversations about food tourism, culture, and entrepreneurial possibility in cooking. There are costs and challenges, but she’s largely turned them into wins.

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Helen Okoro

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