Hilda Baci Shares Story Behind Giant Jollof Pot Collapse
Cooking almost nine tonnes of jollof rice in a single pot sounds like a bold idea—and it was. But for celebrity chef Hilda Baci, the real drama came when her massive pot decided to stage a collapse in front of thousands of onlookers.
The Guinness World Record attempt took place at the World Jollof Festival in Lagos on September 12, 2025. Hilda and her team prepared nearly 8,780 kilograms of jollof rice inside a six-metre-wide pot with a mind-boggling 23,000-litre capacity. Crowds gathered to watch the historic feat, cameras rolled, and everything seemed on track—until the weighing process went awry.
As a crane hoisted the gigantic pot for weighing, one side gave way, the legs buckled, and the giant vessel collapsed. Fortunately, the rice remained intact, but the incident left the chef and her team visibly shaken. In her words, “My heart was in my hands. I was very scared, very worried.”
Instead of despairing, Hilda chose to see the silver lining. She explained that her priority was feeding the people, not just clinching the record. Ironically, the collapse made distribution much easier. “It was a blessing in disguise,” she said, noting how thousands were able to enjoy the rice without delay.
To ensure everything remained legitimate, Hilda worked with the adjudicator to confirm transparency, gathering video and photographic evidence of the weighing before the collapse. Guinness World Records later validated the attempt, officially recognizing her as the holder of the largest pot of jollof rice ever cooked.
This makes Hilda a two-time record breaker. In May 2023, she achieved global fame for cooking non-stop for 93 hours and 11 minutes, securing the record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. Her latest achievement, she says, is a reflection of divine grace. “It’s just a testament that God is good and I’m a child of grace. When I tell you grace is here and you doubt me, look at my track record.”
For Hilda, the collapse of the giant pot wasn’t the end of the story—it was proof that setbacks can sometimes serve up unexpected blessings.
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