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By Samson Abanni

We know fame, that stuff that’s wildly difficult to pin down but which everyone knows on sight. The numbers say less that 0.008% of the world population get to win fame but today we will meet a young black woman who cooked it in 4 days and did not break a sweat while the whole world watched in amazement.

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For four days, the fire never went out, neither did her energy. In her drive to reach the summit she had set for herself, Hilda Baci climbed many hills, the smallest being the visible ones.

Hilda’s story is not four days old. It didn’t begin in that kitchen where the record was broken, and to start it there is to deny her her flowers.

Hilda’s love of food started at a young age. She would watch her mother cook in the kitchen, and she would beg her to let her help. Hilda’s mother is Mrs. Lynda Ndukwe. She is the CEO of Calabar Pot, a catering company that specializes in Nigerian cuisine. Mrs. Ndukwe is a strong and supportive woman who has always encouraged her daughter to follow her dreams. You won’t be wrong if you say Hilda was born into the pot and that her first toy was a ladle.

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As she got older, she started experimenting with different recipes, and she quickly developed a talent for cooking.

Hilda knew that she wanted to be a chef, but she also knew that it would be a difficult path. The culinary industry is male-dominated and the country does not place any value on kitchen princesses. But Hilda was determined, and she never gave up on her dream to dominate the Nigerian taste buds.

In 2019, Hilda won the “Jollof Faceoff” competition, which is a cooking competition that celebrates Nigeria’s most famous dish – Jollof Rice. This victory gave her the exposure she needed to launch her culinary career.

In 2020, Hilda opened her own restaurant, beautifully called “My Food by Hilda,” in Lagos, Nigeria. The restaurant was a success, and it quickly became one of the most popular restaurants in the city.

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In 2023, Hilda broke the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. She cooked for 100 hours straight, and she made over 100 meals during that time. This achievement made her an international star, and it helped to put Nigerian cuisine on the map, as we await the official announcement by Guinness World Record.

Only love will make a man find new pet names for his beloved each single time, only love can make Hilda cook a hundred dishes in 4 days, I mean, do we even have up to that number of dishes?

Yes, we have that and more. We have a hundred ways to succeed if you really want to. We have a hundred ways to break the Guinness world record and we have Hilda to remind us of that. That’s why as the rain and sun came to cheer her, the entire country stood still to say Hail Hilda. Your generation has heard you loud and clear, here are you flowers, Amazon. Now watch the generation you have inspired follow your lead.

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