Record-breaking Nigerian chef Hilda Baci eyes global expansion for Nigerian cuisine

Nigerian celebrity chef Hilda Baci has added another Guinness World Record to her growing portfolio, cooking more than 8.7 tonnes of jollof rice in a single pot earlier this month. The achievement marks a new milestone in a career built on endurance, business savvy and a carefully cultivated public persona. It follows her 2023 four-day cook-a-thon that lasted 93 hours and 11 minutes, a feat that at the time set a world record and helped propel Nigerian culinary feats into the spotlight. The jollof record has since been surpassed, but it reinforced Baci's standing as one of the country’s most recognizable food personalities.

The jollof cooking spectacle, staged in Lagos, drew attendees from across Nigeria’s political and entertainment circles and helped ignite a broader wave of endurance-themed culinary stunts across the country. Reuters noted that the event was months in the planning and said the project reflected a deliberate strategy to build a platform for Baci’s brand beyond television and social media.

Baci’s public profile rests on more than just the meals she creates. Under the My Food by Hilda label, which has more than a million followers on Instagram, she runs a Lagos restaurant, offers cookery classes and a private chef service. Her personal accounts total about 3.2 million followers. She says she began thinking about the jollof record more than a year ago, weighing its potential impact on her business and brand before committing to the challenge.

The recipe for Baci’s ascent is as much strategic as it is culinary. The 30-year-old’s rise did not happen by accident; it is the product of deliberate branding and media savvy that blends content creation with a string of business ventures. While she acknowledges her mother’s influence on her cooking and her early life in Calabar and Abuja, Baci also emphasizes that she is a businesswoman first. “Whatever I’m doing, my business comes first,” she has said, describing her dual aim: to be a top chef and to turn that fame into a lasting enterprise that travels with her name. Under the My Food by Hilda umbrella, she intends to open outlets around the world, including in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and South Africa, and she wants Nigerian cuisine to be widely recognized on par with global cuisines from other nations. She also notes plans to popularize a signature coconut rice recipe that she hopes will become a global staple in homes and on menus.

Baci’s career trajectory was shaped as much by early life experiences as by calculated career moves. Born in Calabar, she moved to Abuja with her mother at age five. Her mother ran an eatery opposite the Ministry of Defence, and young Hilda recalls memorizing the menu and often shouting out options for customers—an early sign of a natural talent for command and showmanship in the kitchen. She later pursued sociology at university after exploring a range of career ideas, including law and international relations, and gravitated toward cooking as a profession while taking on roles in clubs, food delivery with a brother, and media opportunities. Her breakthrough came through a television stint on a breakfast program and a later show called Dine on a Budget, where she interviewed celebrities while preparing affordable meals. A victory in the Jollof Face-Off competition against a Ghanaian chef earned her about $5,000 and helped solidify the My Food by Hilda brand.

As she pressed forward, Baci has faced questions about marriage and gender roles that are common in parts of Nigeria. “Oh my God, every day—people are asking ‘when are you getting married?’” she has said. While she acknowledges a desire to marry when the right person comes along, she emphasizes that personal milestones should not define professional achievement. She frames marriage as a personal choice rather than a societal obligation and reiterates a longer-term ambition: to build a legacy that lasts “100 years,” a brand that endures beyond her own career and expands Nigerian cuisine to new audiences.

Her broader aim—beyond accolades and media visibility—is to foster cross-border interest in Nigerian flavors, with a focus on scale and sustainability. She envisions a global network of outlets that showcases not only jollof rice but a broader spectrum of Nigerian culinary traditions, including her coconut rice. The plan, she indicates, is to blend culinary excellence with business discipline so that My Food by Hilda becomes a household name worldwide.

Baci’s journey—combining record-breaking feats, entrepreneurial strategy and a personal narrative rooted in Nigerian culture—illustrates how a chef can transcend the kitchen and shape a national cuisine’s global identity. As she continues to expand her brand, observers will watch whether the next chapters bring Nigerian flavors into more homes, more restaurants and more media screens around the world.