How we helped Hilda Baci break Guinness World Record, Chef

Chef Gbolabo Adebakin, known as Captain Gibbs, has detailed the significant behind-the-scenes effort required to support Hilda Baci's successful Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon. Adebakin, who also convenes The Nigeria Food Summit, stated that his team dedicated a full week to preparation before Baci began her roughly four-day cooking feat.

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The first one, for example, a lot of us didn’t sleep. And I know, you know, on the Guinness World Record, it was, I think it was four days, because that’s like a hundred and something hours. It was one week for us, for the people behind the scenes.

The preparation involved meticulous planning, including menu design, ingredient sourcing, logistical management, staff welfare, and strict adherence to Guinness World Records regulations. Adebakin highlighted the immense scale of the task, noting that preparing for a four-day event with thousands of meals required far more extensive prep work than a typical one-day event.

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If you are doing like an event for maybe a hundred people, you can do your prep in a day. We’re doing an event for four days. Now imagine how much prep we need for that.

Initially planning to stay in a nearby hotel, Adebakin found himself committed to remaining on-site throughout the entire marathon, a decision he deemed worthwhile. He described Baci's second record attempt as even more challenging, necessitating the operation of large-scale systems for both food preparation and distribution.

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I thought that I was going to be able to sleep. So I got like a hotel close by. But the first day that I went to go and change, maybe just refresh and stuff. Secondly, I surrendered. I stayed there throughout the entire thing, and it was worth it. No regrets.

Adebakin emphasized Baci's specific desire to showcase Nigerian cuisine, which guided the menu design. He noted her particular attention to detail, stating, "Hilda doesn’t play." The team's efforts were focused on creating a menu that met GWR guidelines while authentically representing Nigerian food.

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For the second one, for example, that one was even crazier. We had like two big makis, one for the prep and another for the distribution of food.