Cook-A-Thon: Nigerians Shower Ekiti Chef With Gifts, Travel Opportunities As She Hit 120 Hours
On June 14, 2023, Damilola Adeparausi, a 300-level student from the Federal University Oye Ekiti, officially ended her 120-hour Cook-A-Thon in a quest to break the one-day-old record of Hilda Baci, the current record holder for the longest cooking marathon by an individual with a record time of 93 hours, 11 minutes.
The competition she started on June 9, 2023, ended a day earlier than expected, but the chef has been receiving accolades from supporters across Nigeria for daring to break the record despite the lack of support she got at the beginning of her journey.
While a number of Nigerians criticised the moral grounds at which she started the cooking marathon, many have commended her as others have even written to Guinness World Records to consider her attempt considering the fact that they are committed to ‘documenting the incredible.’
“It would be inspiring to witness another Nigerian surmount a freshly set record. I, therefore, urge you to lend your focus towards her effort. Embrace her commitment to breaking the record, as you did with the current holder, and request all requisite documentation to validate her claim, should she be successful in her attempt,” Sam Adeoti, a supporter of the Chef, had written to the organisation.
Regardless of whether Guinness World Record chooses to validate her record or not, Chef Dammy has won as she has bagged interviews from top media platforms and gotten gifts from fans, inclusive of Ayodeji Arojo, a Public Transportation Professional, who had promised Dammy a ₦500,000 to support her project and also facilitate a cooking tour to the United States of America that will include a food tourism tour.
Revealing why he went all out to support Chef Dammy, Arojo revealed through a statement that it was a result of the inadequate support she had received at the beginning of her journey to break the world record.
“Our intervention in the Damilola Adeparusi, popularly known as Chef Dammy’s attempt at 120-hour cook-a-thon world record, was imperative and necessary considering her humble background and the inadequate support that should have been accorded her at the beginning of the cooking competition.
“Though I am equally from Ekiti state, I wish to put it on record that our involvement has nothing to do with tribal colouration or further ethnic profiling of the country. At this critical moment in our great country, we would rather support individuals or groups of disadvantaged youths to access a lease of life without favour or prejudice,” he said.
In addition to this, he revealed that her breaking the record will not diminish the impact of the current record holder but give hope to youths, especially young ladies shattering glass ceilings, a movement Hilda Baci intended to inspire with her position.
With overwhelming support from her team and supporters, Chef Damilola has written her name in history books. Whether she breaks the record or not, she won.
