I was once homeless, says Hilda Baci

Hilda Baci, the record-breaking Nigerian chef, has opened up about her earlier struggles before the limelight.

Baci went on a four-day spree to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest cooking marathon.

The cook later surpassed the 87 hours 45 minutes record set by Lata Tondon, the previous record holder, in 2019.

After crossing Tondon’s mark, Hilda Baci went a step further to set a new mark of 100 hours.

The cook said she used to be homeless but now hopes to expand her business and tutor clients across the world.

“I need young women to see that there’s more to them than the stereotypes that society puts out there. There’s always that narrative that you can’t make it [without having others] create a platform for you,” she said.

“I’m saying this from an informed place because I used to be like that. For me, I needed to keep doing things with myself to show people that they can win as well.

“You can have a business, start cooking from home, and build that business properly to the point where you can open an outlet, expand that outlet, and branch out. But you need to do your due diligence. It’s not easy.

“I’m not going to tell you it is. A lot of people see this buzz now and most of them think I dropped from the sky. They don’t know I was homeless at some point. There’s an entire phase that got me here and I’m not even done.

“Away from all the buzz, I had plans in motion to open a bigger space because we were outgrowing our space and we need much bigger staff strength. I’m working on a cookware line. There are things and design I don’t find.

“There are those that work for food vendors, home use, or content creators. I need to put a collection together. Nigerian food is so good. I have many students from across the world. I look to host masterclasses.”