Guinness World Record attempt: Failatu Abdul-Razak clocks 227 hours in cooking marathon

• Failatu Abdul-Razak

Dozens of people converged on the Modern City hotel in Tamale yesterday to applaud the Guinness World Record (GWR) contender, Failatu Abdul-Razak, as she ended her 227 hours cooking marathon.

She turned off her stove at 10:00 a.m. having prepared 156 local and continental dishes which were distributed to spectators, street children and homeless people in Tamale.

The marathon also caught the attention of prominent personalities across the country including the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, musicians, military men, actors, and wife of former President John Dramani Mahama.

Meanwhile, the Guinness World Record has acknowledged Faila’s marathon by posting on its official social media account on X that “we look forward to reviewing her evidence.”

In a Facebook post to express gratitude to Ghanaians for their unwavering support during the entire period, the chef who is married to a military officer said, “In the spirit of gratitude, I find myself overwhelmed by the results of the collective effort we have put forth.”

The GWR contender had medical professionals on standby all through the event to make sure she was fit while dozens of military men were present to provide security and live band music due to their affiliation with Faila’s husband.

Per the guidelines of the GWR, a person seeking to set a cooking record must do all the cooking by themselves, but they are allowed to get some assistance with cleaning the kitchen area and washing.

The individual is permitted a five-minute break for every continuous hour of activity. These rest hours could be accumulated if not taken and they are the only times the contender could use the washroom or sleep during the attempt.

Also, the individual must follow a 35-item menu as guide for every meal to be full and must ensure they have the necessary ingredients to make each recipe and all cooked food must be consumed after cooking by any member of the public with leftovers, handed over to charity.

The GWR further requires that CCTV is installed in the kitchen area to record the entire attempt and footage submitted for verification by the GWR.

It is also a must to have medical professionals during the entire period to check vital signs and provide necessary care during the attempt.

It can take up to 12 weeks for the GWR officials to review documentations and let the contender know whether the attempt has been accepted or rejected.

Sometimes the 12 weeks waiting period is extended during high demand.

Alternatively, the GWR allows contenders to purchase what it describes as priority evidence review service to prioritise the review evidence and the approval or rejection of the record attempt.

According to the GWR website “the priority evidence review service is only available after we have received your full evidence and will ensure that your evidence is reviewed within five working days at a cost of $550.00 dollars.”

“This service guarantees that your evidence is given priority for review and does not guarantee that your attempt will be approved as a new record holder.”

The current record holder for the longest cooking hours is an Irish chef, Allan Fisher who cooked for 119 hours 57 minutes. His feat is 24 hours more than that of the previous record holder Hilda Baci, a Nigerian chef.

Before Faila’s attempt, Ugandan chef, Dorcus Mirembe, popularly known as Mama D, cooked for 144 hours and is awaiting Guinness World Records’ validation.

As of the time of going to press, Faila was yet to address the media.

BY RAISSA SAMBOU