Celebrity chef Hilda Baci has once again captured the spotlight as she begins her Guinness World Record attempt for the world’s largest pot of jollof rice.
The Lagos event, which started on Friday at Eko Hotels, has quickly turned into a cultural spectacle, blending food, family, and fun.
Baci, who shot to global fame in 2023 after breaking the record for the longest cooking marathon, is now attempting another extraordinary feat.
This time, she aims to prepare a pot large enough to feed 10,000 people an effort fans describe as both ambitious and inspiring.
The attempt began with a touching moment as Hilda and her mother prayed over the project. She was hailed as the “backbone of Hilda’s journey” after invoking blessings for strength and endurance before the first round of cooking began.
“Yes, I can officially confirm this pot is squeaky clean! I personally rolled up my sleeves and washed it myself . In just a few hours, this same pot will be home to thousands of servings of Nigerian Jollof history in the making,” Baci shared online.
The pot itself is no ordinary cookware. Specially constructed to hold 22,619 litres of food and spanning six meters in diameter, it is designed to handle the massive volume of rice.
According to organizers, Hilda plans to use around 250 bags of rice to fill it to about 80%.
Meanwhile, videos circulating online have revealed mountains of ingredients.
Sacks of pepper, tomatoes, onions, vegetable oil, seasoning cubes, and tomato purée lined the venue, sparking both excitement and humorous reactions from fans.
“Abeg who go grind the pepper, who go cut the onions, who go wash rice, who go open Maggi 😭😭😭,” one fan, Bisola, commented.
Another, ms.ade__, teased: “Why small small onions unna for buy big big ones! Who go slice am 😑😑.”
The effort isn’t just about the Guinness World Record.
Hilda has confirmed that the cooked jollof will be shared among attendees and donated to charities across Lagos.
The event therefore doubles as both a culinary celebration and an act of service, drawing even more admiration from Nigerians and international supporters.
As expected, social platforms have been buzzing since the cooking kicked off:
* “It’s a success already. Clear skies. Congratulations Hilda 💕,” wrote naija.bakers.
* “I’m so happy this is happening on my birthday… so everyone let’s get ready to eat my birthday rice 🙌😂❤,”shared meetwithcounselordaisy.
* thefoodploy added: “Well done Hilda @fhsadvisorshq and @thefoodploy is proud to be supporting this effort with food safety and health and safety measures.”
* “This pot needs to be kept in the museum. Keep soaring higher Hils,” wrote td_cakesandpastries.
