Guinness World Record: Kenyans, media, celebrate Chef Maliha’s new longest cooking feat
Femi OGUNLANA
“Kenyan chef Maliha sets new Guinness World Record for the longest cooking…” That is how Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) captions its story two days ago.
Then, The Standard, another media platform, comes out with banner headline – “Chef Maliha endures 150hrs to set new Guinness World Record for longest cooking.”
The celebrated Kenyan chef, Maliha Muhammed, is in the moon over what is believed by her and her compatriots to be a new Guinness World Records (GWR) for longest cooking marathon, which she completed on November 23, after 7 days of grueling cooking in her country.
When she finished her quest with a time of 150 hours 11 seconds, at 12:34 a.m. on Wednesday, a rapturous joy enveloped the venue with many hailing her feat as a new GWR in the cook-a-thon category. It is widely believed she had broken the previous record of 119 hours 57 minutes, 16 seconds set by Irishman Alan Fisher in October. The Irish man had surpassed the short-lived record of Nigerian Hilda Baci set in May 2023.
The chef (Maliha) who had been after the record for quite sometime but which keeps eluding her (because when she feels she has nicked it, someone pops up to stretch it further), joyfully said in a post after she finished her quest, “The lion, the conqueror, the champion is here! 150 hours, and the record is home. Thanks to all that came through, especially Kenyans who made it to witness this prolific moment in time. Remember, be phenomenal or be forgotten!”
Also in an interview, she said: “Embarking on this journey was undoubtedly one of the most difficult yet fulfilling undertakings of my career.
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“Every second felt like an eternity, but also an opportunity to push beyond limits. This has not just been a personal triumph but a celebration of the resilience that resides within each of us. It has been a journey and labour of love from Kenyans from all walks of life.”
KBC further writes, “Maliha claimed the longest cooking marathon (individual) award after clocking 150 hours, 11 seconds, breaking the previous record of 119 hours, 57 minutes, and 16 seconds set by Irishman Alan Fisher on November 7, 2023.”
It also states, “Maliha, who is also looking to receive her Guinness World Record acknowledgement for the longest home kitchen cooking marathon she set in August, endured six gruelling days where her mental and physical strength were tested to the limit.”
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The sponsor of her latest effort, Amanda Donahue, CEO of Proto Energy, the parent company of Sea Gas, expresses her pride in the sponsorship, stating, “We are honoured by Chef Maliha’s determination, which mirrors our commitment to supporting and fueling the aspirations of those who dare to dream.”
“She is an amazing young woman, and we couldn’t be more proud to stand with her as she puts Kenya on the global map,” noting, “As part of the sponsorship, Sea Gas will help expedite the verification process from the Guinness Book of World Records team, ensuring the chef gets her recognition within five days.”
Chef Maliha is no stranger to pushing culinary boundaries. In her initial attempt, she lasted an impressive 90 hours and 15 minutes, shattering the previous record of 68 hours, 30 minutes, and 1 second. But then Nigerian, Hilda Baci, came up with a time of 93 hours in May 2023. Malida subsequently did 100 hours, however, Alan Fisher, roared with 119 hours. Now, there is a certain Temitope Ayodeji a.k.a. Chef Tope Maggie in Nigeria who a week ago also completed 200 hours, she and her country men (and women) are obviously oblivious of Tope’s feat yet.
The Standard media platform, which captions its story “Chef Maliha endures 150hrs to set new Guinness World Record for longest cooking,” giving details, says, “Celebrated Kenyan chef, Maliha Mohammed has achieved the Guinness World Record for the longest solo cooking session.”
“Maliha claimed the longest cooking marathon (individual) award after clocking 150 hours, 11 seconds, breaking the previous record of 119 hours 57 minutes, 16 seconds set by Irishman Alan Fisher on November 7, 2023,” and added, “The Chef and her team will now be waiting for official ratification of the record from the Guinness World Record team with a decision to be made within the next five days.”
Another Kenyan media outlet comes out with banner post, “Celebrations as Chef Maliha Clocks 150 Hours in Attempt to Break Longest Cooking Time World Record Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 6:39 AM.”
The story then notes, “Bubbly chef Maliha Mohammed finally clocked 150 hours of non-stop cooking to the delight of Kenyans from all walks of life. The chef had earlier upset Nigeria’s Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record of cooking for 100 straight hours.
“Celebrities and Maliha fans have been keeping her company and cheering her on as she made history.
“Celebrations rocked the Nairobi kitchen where Chef Maliha Mohammed has been cooking and on her online platforms after she finally clocked 150 hours of non-stop cooking.
“The bubbly chef went on for 50 more hours, to the delight of her fans in Kenya and all over the world. The journey to winning this impressive feat has definitely not been easy for Maliha; she had to look for sponsors for the food, premises and other requirements for the all-important task.
“She managed to meet all the requirements and started the journey, which has climaxed in the last week.
“Celebrities visit chief Maliha As she cooked delicious meal after delicious meal, Kenyans from all walks of life trooped to her kitchen to keep her company, celebrate and encourage her. There were also choreographed dancers who kept the crowd entertained as Maliha cooked mouthwatering meals.
“Celebrities such as comedians Eddie Butitita, YY, Obinn and musician Bien and celebrated DJ Coco Kenya also visited the chef at the premises.
“Kenyans drape Maliha in Kenyan flag, dance when it was just 10 minutes left to the hour, the gathered crowd started the count down with Maliha all the way to the finish line, and when it hit 150 hours, they all erupted in screams, balloons were popped, and the lady of the hour was draped in a Kenyan flag by her proud country men.”
This as as various enthusing comments broke from netizens. Liza Jaymo posts: “Congratulations for making us proud.”
aishasbeadbox: “Congratulations and celebrations for celebrations to Chef Maliha. We’re so proud of you.”
united_ronnie: “Boss” kipsaaaang: “I wanna break the record of eating too” kid_rock: “Hizo food ziko wapi.”
Jibril: “Masha Allah congrats”
As she announced the fete on her Instagram page, chef, Maliha danced in the video, and she was joined by a happy audience who were also dancing while sampling the delicious meals she had made.
Another writes, “Maliha, who boasts two awards in cooking, vowed to smash Baci’s record in May 2023 and her dream has come true. Chef Maliha surpasses Nigeria’s Hilda Baci’s world’s longest cooking record and it came at a great cost because she also suffered health challenges.”
In the meantime the fans of Nigerian chef, Tope Maggie, who recently went 200 hours cooking consecutively in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, ending Saturday November 18, are also awaiting official acknowledgement and ratification by GWR team.
Guinness World Records in cook-a-thon: This is another interesting time indeed!
