Why Guinness disqualified Chef Faila’s 227-hour cook-a-thon record attempt

In a statement dated Sunday, March 3, 2024, the coordinator for Chef Faila's longest cooking marathon record attempt, Kafui Dey, announced that the Guinness World Records had rejected her application.

According to the statement, the Guinness team, in their official communication with Chef Faila, cited her violation of the rest-break rules during the cook-a-thon as the basis for disqualification.

"The attempt, which captivated audiences worldwide, unfortunately, fell short of meeting the stringent guidelines set forth by Guinness World Records. A statement from the Records Management Team cited a violation of the rest break rules, resulting in an unsuccessful attempt," the statement said.

In her attempt to break the world record for the longest cooking marathon, Chef Faila started cooking on January 1, 2024, at the Modern City Hotel in Tamale and cooked for 227 hours non-stop until January 10, 2024.

Chef Faila's cook-a-thon attracted a lot of attention and support from the public, celebrities, and politicians, who visited her at the hotel and cheered her on.

She cooked various dishes, mostly Ghanaian cuisine, and served them to the guests and the needy.

She also promoted Ghanaian music and culture during the event.

According to Guinness regulations, a person attempting to break the longest cooking marathon record is permitted a five-minute rest break for every continuous hour of activity. These rest breaks can be accumulated if not taken.

These breaks are the only times a participant is permitted to use the bathroom or sleep during their attempt.

Other regulations required by an individual to follow include:

There must be at least two items being prepared or cooked at any time;

a sous-chef is permitted to assist in prep work, washing up, and cleaning the kitchen area, but all the cooking must be done by the individual attempting the record.

Also, all food items prepared by the individual must be consumed after cooking.

With Chef Faila's unsuccessful attempt, the current record for the longest cooking marathon remains with Irish Chef Alan Fisher, who attained 119 hours of nonstop cooking in Matsue, Shimane, Japan, from September 28 to October 3, 2023.

He overtook Nigeria's Hilda Baci, who held the record in June 2023 with a total of 93 hours 11 minutes.

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Despite cooking for over 100 hours, Hilda's attempt saw some seven hours being deducted by Guinness for taking extra minutes during a break session.

Meanwhile, Chef Smith, a Ghanaian chef popularly known as the Millennium Chef, is currently on course to set an ambitious record for the longest cooking marathon.

Chef Smith, who began his cook-a-thon attempt on February 1, 2024, initially set out to cook for 227 hours nonstop but has since revised his target to an ambitious 1,200 hours (50 days).

He has since cooked for over 700 hours and still counting.

Chef Smith's cook-a-thon attempt is currently ongoing at the Amadia Shopping Centre on the Community 18 Road of Spintex.

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