Hilda Baci: Nigeria's Record-Breaking Culinary Star Set to Conquer Global Cuisine

Nigerian celebrity chef and double Guinness World Record breaker Hilda Baci makes no secret about what drives her success.

[It's] my love for money and the good things in life, the 30-year-old says unabashedly, laughing on a call from Lagos.

There is nothing bashful about Baci - who has changed the spelling of her last name from the original Bassey. She clearly thrives in the limelight and embraces the glamour that comes with being her country's most celebrated culinary figure.

But there are really two Hilda Bacis. She admits that there is Hilda Baci the person, which is what her family and partner sees, and then there is Hilda Baci the brand, whose image is carefully curated.

I'm a businesswoman first, which means that whatever I'm doing, it is important that my business come first, she says.

Under the My Food by Hilda name, which has more than a million followers on Instagram, she runs a well-known restaurant in Lagos, offers cooking classes, and provides a private chef service.

It feels good to be an inspiration, she says, but it comes with a little bit of pressure because a lot of people now look to me for guidance and answers... I don't allow that to overwhelm me and lose focus on what I'm trying to achieve.

Baci, born in Calabar in southern Nigeria, was impacted by her mother’s culinary endeavors at an early age, often helping out in the family eatery.

She first hit the headlines in 2023 with her four-day non-stop cook-a-thon, breaking a world record by cooking for 93 hours and 11 minutes. Though her record was surpassed later, it galvanized an enthusiasm for cooking feats across Nigeria.

Earlier this month, she set a new Guinness record after cooking over 8.7 tonnes of jollof rice in a specially designed pot.

Baci's prominence is not by chance; it is built on strategic planning. For instance, she conceived the jollof record more than a year in advance and considered its impact on her business and brand.

Initially aspiring to be a lawyer and later to study international relations, she eventually graduated in sociology. Inspired by her mother's successes, she began cooking for university clubs and launched a food delivery business with her brother.

Baci gained further fame from her win on a cooking competition called Jollof Face-Off, even as she faced societal pressures regarding marriage.

Looking to the future, she hopes to expand her restaurant internationally, raising awareness of Nigerian cuisine, particularly through her signature coconut rice recipe.