Video: Massive Jollof Pot Collapses; Hilda Baci’s Lagos Feast Thrills Thousands
Ikeja, Lagos (13 September 2025)
Celebrity chef and Guinness World Record holder Hilda Baci turned Lagos into a culinary spectacle on Friday when she unveiled an enormous pot of Nigerian jollof rice at the Eko Hotel and Suites, drawing thousands of food lovers, celebrities, and curious onlookers.
According to Punch, Vanguard, and multiple eyewitness accounts, Baci and her team cooked for more than eight hours using 200 bags of rice, dishing out steaming plates to a jubilant crowd of Gen Zers and millennials. The atmosphere, amplified by live music and spontaneous dancing, was described by many attendees as a full-blown festival of Nigerian jollof.
The project itself was nearly a year in the making. Baci revealed that the planning phase stretched over nine months, including two intensive months dedicated solely to conceptualizing and fabricating the gigantic custom pot—an engineering feat in itself.
Despite her past Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon, she clarified that this gathering was never intended as another world-record attempt. Instead, her focus was on showcasing Nigerian cuisine on an even grander scale and celebrating its global appeal.
A dramatic twist unfolded when the mammoth pot collapsed while being hoisted for weighing, sending up a brief gasp from the crowd. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the collapse didn’t dampen the festive spirit. Videos shared widely on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram captured the moment alongside exuberant chants such as “200 bags of rice no be anybody mate!” and “Hilda Baci is feeding Lagos,” turning the incident into a viral highlight rather than a setback.
Baci’s initiative underscores a broader cultural ambition: to elevate Nigerian food on the international stage and highlight its rich flavors and traditions. Local outlets including Channels TV and Vanguard highlighted that while the Guinness World Records team has yet to confirm any new record, the sheer scale of the cookout—and the excitement it generated—has already cemented its place in Nigeria’s culinary history. From meticulous planning to the joyous communal feast, Hilda Baci’s giant jollof celebration stands as both a technical achievement and a vibrant statement of national pride.
