
Hilda Baci has done it again! What next?
When the piece of heart-warming news broke Nigerian-born but globally acclaimed Chef, Hilda Baci has become a three times Guinness World Record Holder as her dish set a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice and the largest serving of rice overall not a few admirers of her culinary excellence were stunned.
By that feat she has added yet another beautiful feather to her colourful cap with the Guinness World Record glowing to her name. She has therefore, officially become the holder of the largest serving of rice ever recorded in history. We cannot but applaud her mouth-watering achievements.
“To my incredible team, this is OUR win. Every long day, every detail, every push, it all mattered.
“To Guinness World Records, thank you for the recognition and for honouring this achievement.
“And to everyone who supported, believed, and stood with us, my heart is so full.”
-Hilda Baci ( On winning the Guinness World Record for the third time )
The record came from the massive pot of jollof rice she prepared alongside Chef Gino on September 12, 2025. According to Hilda, she initially believed that was the end of the journey until Guinness World Records contacted her on January 16,2026 to confirm that the attempt had earned her a new record. Awesome, is it not? Yes, it is. From her historic 93-hour cooking marathon to setting records for the world’s biggest serving of rice, Hilda Baci continues to shatter the human barrier of impossibilities.
Baci, who had already broken the world record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice in September 2025, revealed via Instagram—and updated her bio to read “Chef X3 Guinness World Record Holder”—that her effort had also earned her the title for the largest serving of rice overall.
In her words she stated that: “Woke up a three-time Guinness World Records holder and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. What a way to step into 2026,” she wrote. The Guinness World Records team informed Baci through an email from Andrew Fanning, Head of Client Partnering – Records Creative Team, that her attempt at the “Largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice” had simultaneously broken another record.
“Congratulations, you are Officially Amazing (again)! It has come to our attention when comparing record guidelines of the two record titles, that when you and your team attempted and achieved ‘Largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice,’ you also achieved the record title of ‘Largest serving of rice,’” Fanning wrote.
In reaction to the announcement, Baci said she was both shocked and thrilled. “This morning, I was just doing my usual routine, casually scrolling through my emails, when I saw the message come in. I was shocked and happy at the same time, completely caught off guard. Five months after the initial record announcement, I was just finding out that there was more,” she said.
As she explained what she initially believed was a single record had turned into two in one day. “When @ginonaija and I broke the Guinness World Record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice, I thought that was it.
“What I didn’t know, until now, is that on that same day, we had also broken the record for the largest serving of rice overall. So what I thought was one record… turned out to be two. And now, officially, that makes three Guinness World Records in total,” Baci added.
In retrospect, her latest achievement follows her September 2025 record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice, when she prepared 8,780 kilograms (19,356 pounds) of jollof rice during a Lagos cookout — a feat recognised as the largest pot of the dish ever prepared worldwide.
As the records would note it this marked her second Guinness World Record, coming more than two years after she first set a record in May 2023 for completing a 93-hour, 11-minute cooking marathon, which made her Nigeria’s first chef to hold multiple Guinness World Records.
As quoted in the introduction Baci credited her team for the record, particularly @oreoluwa_atinmo, describing their collaboration as crucial to the success.
“The very first person I called was @oreoluwa_atinmo, because this journey, this vision, and this record would not have been possible without her. We did this together. From idea to execution, side by side, fully aligned. Sharing that moment with her made everything feel real,” she said. And that reminds us of the inspiring quote by Sam Walton, that in business, ” individuals do not win, but teams do.” That is talking about prople who share in that same vision and are ready to sacrifice their precious time, valued energy, intellect and money to breathe life into the dream and drive it through the nebulous clouds of doubts m, delays and don’ts to the light of dawn.
To succeed, it takes a vision, passion, commitment, and the courage to weather the storm until the journey reaches its goal.
Good enough, Baci also expressed gratitude to the giver of talents by praising God for guiding her journey and providing unexpected blessings. As she rightly stated: “Honestly, God is faithful. The kind of faithfulness that still surprises you. This feels like such a beautiful reminder that even when you think you’ve seen the full picture, God can still say, ‘There’s more.’ What a blessing, and what a way to enter this new year,” she added.
Baci concluded by thanking Guinness World Records, her team, and supporters for making the achievement possible.
“To my incredible team, this is OUR win. Every long day, every detail, every push, it all mattered. To Guinness World Records, thank you for the recognition and for honouring this achievement.
“And to everyone who supported, believed, and stood with us, my heart is so full. Still processing. Still grateful. Still in awe,” she said.
The latest award certainly qialifies Baci as one of Nigeria’s most decorated chefs ever. It has cemented her culinary excellence and propelling the ambition of propelling Nigerian cuisine to the global food and beverage stage. But who really is she?
After graduating from Madonna University, Nigeria, with a degree in sociology, Hilda decided to begin her journey as a chef. She was inspired by her mother, Lynda Ndukwe, who is also a chef.
Incidentally, she had been on an upward ride to success. From hosting television show “Dine on a Budget” back in 2020, she won the Jollof Face-off competition in 2021. Representing her native Nigeria, Hilda beat Ghana’s Leslie Kumordzie to claim the victory.
Ever since, it has been one laurel over another. So, what is her next move? To showcase local deliacues such as eba,amala, egusi, ewedu, ogbono, or afang soup to the global stage? That is the million-naira question but time will tell.
Meanwhile, it is big congratilations to her and her able team. We expect more good news about Nigeria.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Community Reactions
AI-Powered Insights
Related Stories

FAAN to Dismantle Burnt Terminal, Remodel Lagos Airport after Fire Outbreak

Need for Wi-fi at Nigerian Airports

Tech and Innovation: Participation is Useful, Ownership is Powerful


Discussion (0)