Celebrity chef and Guinness World Record holder, Hilda Baci, on Friday, September 12, 2025, began cooking a massive jollof rice meal at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, in a bid to showcase Nigerian cuisine on a global stage.
The event, which lasted through the night, attracted thousands of guests, including Gen Zers, millennials, food lovers, and celebrities who trooped to the venue to watch the marathon cooking session. Baci and her team used about 200 bags of rice, and after more than eight hours of cooking, they began serving steaming plates of jollof rice to the large crowd.
Videos from the scene showed attendees enjoying the meal while still leaving huge portions in the giant pot. The atmosphere was lively as people described the occasion as a festival dedicated to Nigerian jollof.
However, the excitement took an unexpected turn when the massive pot of jollof rice suddenly collapsed while being lifted for weighing. Luckily, no injuries were recorded. Despite the incident, the crowd continued to enjoy the food and celebrate the effort.
Baci, who rose to global fame after setting the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon in 2023, explained that her aim this time was to use the giant jollof to promote Nigeria’s rich food culture and share it with the world.