Hilda Baci Explains Why She Cooked 200 Bags of Rice Instead of 250 in Record Attempt

Celebrity chef Hilda Baci has revealed why she reduced her Guinness World Record attempt for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice from 250 bags to 200.

Speaking to journalists at the venue, Baci explained that the adjustment was necessary due to the technical limits of the crane and measuring scale, which could only handle up to 20,000 kilogrammes. She noted that the combined weight of the rice and the custom-made pot would have exceeded that threshold.

Her words:
“If you notice, when we started we weighed the pot and we need to weigh every single thing that goes into the pot when we’re done. The goal was that by the time I was done making 5,000 kilogrammes I was hoping to achieve about 17,000 to 18,000 kilogrammes. Right now, if I include the weight of the pot, that’s about 20,000.

“It’s safer for me to go below 20,000 kilogrammes so that my scale can carry it all at the same time, and basically that is why I had to cut down on the quantity. I only cut it down by a thousand kilogrammes. This 4,000 kilogrammes of rice is 200 bags, and it will still feed 20,000 people, so we’re still up there.”

Baci described the attempt as her most ambitious project yet, saying it required nearly a year of preparation.

“Honestly, Gino and I figuring this whole thing out was hectic. Figuring out how to fabricate the pots — it took Mr. Ayo two months to get it done. Then it took us about nine months to plan this event, and almost nine hours to make the entire meal,” she said.

She added that her initial motivation was not the record itself but the opportunity to bring people together and feed as many as possible.

“I mean, have you looked around? There’s a lot of you. Some of you came with your cooler, so we need to make sure everybody’s fed. We’re feeding the nation,” she said.

The event attracted a huge crowd of food lovers, celebrities, and dignitaries, including Nollywood actress Funke Akindele, dancer Kaffy, and the First Lady of Ogun State, Bamidele Abiodun.