In the midst of the triumphant chaos at the Gino Jollof Festival—where her colossal pot of jollof rice buckled under its own weight but still earned a “delicious” nod from a Guinness World Records rep—celebrity chef Hilda Baci has addressed the elephant in the room: why she scaled back from 250 bags of rice to 200 in her bid for the world’s largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof. Spoiler: It wasn’t ambition faltering, but equipment calling the shots.
Speaking to journalists amid the Eko Hotel’s electric crowd of over 20,000 fans, celebrities, and dignitaries, the 28-year-old culinary icon explained the pivot as a pragmatic move to dodge a logistical nightmare. “The measuring crane and scale designed to weigh the final dish had a limit of 20,000 kilogrammes, including the pot,” Baci shared, her voice steady despite the nine-hour cooking marathon behind her. “To avoid exceeding that limit, I scaled down. So instead of 250 bags, I did 200—which still gave us 4,000 kilogrammes of rice, enough to feed 20,000 people.” The adjustment, she emphasized, kept the project on track without compromising the feast’s scale or spirit, with attendees encouraged to bring coolers for takeaway packs that stretched to over 30,000 servings.
Baci’s revelation, which surfaced in post-cook interviews and quickly trended on X, underscores the behind-the-scenes hurdles of her most ambitious endeavor yet—a year in the making, from custom pot fabrication to sourcing 1,000 kilogrammes of Gino tomato paste and 750 kilogrammes of vegetable oil. What started as a pure “food experience” to unite Nigerians through their beloved one-pot wonder evolved into a GWR chase, complete with pre-event cheers from the record body: “What’s cookin’? Best of luck to @hildabacicooks who’s attempting a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian style jollof rice today.” Even President Tinubu’s team hailed it as a “collective national victory,” spotlighting Baci’s role in etching Nigeria’s flavors on the global map.
Social media, ever the spicy side dish, buzzed with reactions. “Hilda turning limits into legends—200 bags still slaying! 🇳🇬 #JollofQueen,” one fan posted, while another quipped, “From 250 to 200? That’s not scaling down, that’s smart scaling up the flavor 😂.” The event’s carnival vibe—fueled by star turns from Funke Akindele (who grabbed a ladle for the stir), dancer Kaffy, and Ogun State First Lady Bamidele Abiodun—only amplified the goodwill, transforming potential critique into collective pride.
As Baci awaits the official GWR verdict amid the pot’s dramatic collapse (salvaged post-cooking, of course), her candid breakdown proves once more why she’s more than a record-breaker: She’s a master of adaptation, ensuring every grain counts in the grand feast of resilience. “We’re feeding the nation,” she summed up, a mantra that turned technical tweaks into triumphant tales.