The mother of Nigerian celebrity chef, Hilda Baci, has shared how prayer, fasting and God’s mercy carried her daughter through to her latest Guinness World Record.
Speaking virtually during Pastor Jerry Eze’s NSPPD online morning service on Tuesday, Mrs Bassey, who runs Calabar Pot restaurant in Abuja, recalled the moment her daughter told her she wanted to cook a six-metre-wide pot of jollof rice using 250 bags of basmati.
“When she said 250 bags, I was shaking. When she sent me the video of the pot, I asked, what kind of rice is this one? That pot was like my office. I was afraid,” she said.
Prayers for safety
According to her, they immediately went into fasting and prayer, asking God to take control of the attempt.
“She told me, Mommy, we have to fast all through this week. I joined NSPPD every morning, prayed through the night, and put the picture of the event before God,” she testified.
Mrs Bassey admitted she feared the giant pot might collapse under the weight of rice, meat and oil. “Even the cover of that pot, people could not carry it. They had to bring in cranes to lift it. I prayed, Father, this pot I hand over to you. It was made by man, but you are God. May it not leak,” she said.
In the end, the pot consumed 200 bags of rice, 20 goats, 30 gallons of oil and large amounts of tomato paste and seasoning.
A record sealed in praise
Baci’s mother also described how her daughter encouraged the team in the final moments of the cooking. “About 40 minutes to go, she came to me and said, ‘Mommy, we need to pray in the Holy Ghost.’ She told the team, ‘This is the first time you people will eat rice that the Holy Ghost will cook.’ That is the kind of faith she has,” she said.
On Monday, Guinness World Records confirmed the achievement, declaring the feat the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice – 8,780 kg (19,356 lb 9 oz) achieved in Lagos by Hilda Baci and Gino.
Breaking into gratitude, Mrs Bassey said the massive crowd and the successful outcome could only be God’s doing. “Guinness has called us. My daughter has broken the record two times. Who is Hilda? Who is Hilda’s father? Who is Hilda’s mother? For us to pull such a crowd, it can only be God,” she said.
The proud mother thanked God for preventing accidents or disasters during the event. “When I saw the crowd, I just said, what God cannot do does not exist. Father, no one will collapse here, no death, no accident, no evil report. And that was how it ended, everything in praise,” she said.
Double world record holder
Hilda Baci, who first rose to fame with her cook-a-thon in 2023, now holds two Guinness World Records, cementing her status as one of Nigeria’s most celebrated culinary figures.
She also celebrated the milestone on social media, writing, “We have done it again #nigeria #hildabaci.”
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