Kenyan culinary star chef Maliha Mohammed is once again cooking to attempt to break the Guinness Book of Records for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.
The self-taught chef is currently 67 hours into the marathon and she hopes to endure for 6 days, 147 hours to beat the current holder who finished at 119 hours, 57 minutes and 16 seconds.
Bigwigs in the entertainment industry have come out to rally behind the dedicated chef to give moral support as she attempts to break the record.
“Moment in time 53:06:47 na we are still counting @crazy_kennar kama kawaida hope you enjoyed the food 😀,” she wrote on Instagram yesterday.
Hilda Baci dethroned
Nigeria’s ‘Jollof Rice Queen’ Hilda Baci was recently dethroned from her position as the Guinness World Record holder for the longest cooking marathon barely months after receiving the coveted title.
In a statement on their X account, Guinness World Records confirmed that the title had been given to Alan Fisher, a chef from Ireland who cooked for 119 hours, 57 minutes and 16 seconds nonstop.
“Alan Fisher (Ireland), an owner and chef of a restaurant in Japan, has broken two cooking-related Guinness World Records titles,” the statement read.
“First up, he’s claimed the longest cooking marathon (individual) after clocking in a time of 119 hours 57 minutes. That is more than 24 hours longer than the previous record held by Nigerian chef Hilda Baci,” the statement added.
According to GWR, Hilda aimed to establish a 100-hour record, but nearly seven hours were subtracted from her overall time due to an error where she incorrectly counted extra minutes during one of her early rest breaks in the attempt.
Guinness record
Maliha is also yet to receive her Guinness World Record’s acknowledgement despite surpassing the longest home kitchen cooking marathon in August and beating American chef Rickey Lumpkin, who previously held the record.
Through her Insta stories, Maliha revealed the challenges she’s encountering in her pursuit of official GWR recognition.
She explained that she had three options to secure the verification, each with its own set of hurdles.
The first option involves a lengthy waiting period of 12 weeks for GWR to verify her achievement.
The second option presents a substantial financial commitment, requiring a payment of £10,500 (Ksh1.6 million) to bring a GWR adjudicator to Kenya for an on-the-spot verification.
The third, and faster option also necessitates a financial investment of $650 (Ksh96,980) for a verification process that can be completed in just five working days.
“I understand everyone is asking about what happened to August’s cooking marathon???? Here’s the thing, I had 3 options: It takes 12 weeks for GWR to verify you!, or I have to pay £10,500 to get an adjudicator to come to Kenya to verify me on the spot or Pay 650$ to get verified in 5 working days!” Maliha shared.
However, Maliha expressed her financial constraints, stating that she lacks the necessary funds for this endeavour.
“Now here is where I come in… I don’t have that type of money!!! I can’t even barely reach 20K in donations from my Till No: 8504686, how am I supposed to pay ????” She wrote.
Maliha has opted to wait for the 12-week GWR verification noting that patience is key. She also urged well-wishers to help her raise the money needed for her verification.
“Therefore I will wait for the GWR to verify me in 12 weeks’ time! Patience is key! I have no choice! I hope y’all have understood me! As I train for my last marathon! Help me raise enough money money to pay GWR and bring the record to Kenya,” she concluded.
