For most people, cooking daily may seem to be an uphill task. But not for Liberian-Australian chef Evette Quoibia. The Melbourne-based chef proved that for those who love cooking, no time spent in the kitchen is long enough. She claimed the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon (individual). Her record: a 140-hour 11-minute and 11-second-long session. That’s right – Quoibia cooked for over five consecutive days to achieve this feat.
Quoibia was born during a time of conflict. Her family shifted to Ivory Coast, Ghana, and later, Australia. All her life, she had dreamed of doing something great, an opportunity which came around with the Guinness World Record. The chef added another feather to her cap by sharing the cuisines of West Africa with the people of Melbourne. Anyone who wanted to try Liberian food or any other delicious West African cuisine was welcome to her kitchen for six days.
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Some of the dishes were Liberian-style jollof rice, cassava leaves, and different stews and soups, containing vegetables like pepper, okra, and cabbage, with white rice. Many of the dishes were inspired by Nigerian, Asian, and Australian cooking. For Evette Quoibia, the road to the Guinness World Record wasn’t easy. The organisation chooses participants for endurance-based titles on an applicant-only basis. However, the Liberian-Australian chef’s determination and grit impressed the GWR team, and she was chosen to attempt the feat.
Next came two months of preparation. Quoibia discussed her ideas with an event planner, an assistant chef, her church, and her team of kitchen volunteers. She also started a GoFundMe to crowdsource money for kitchen supplies. Items like semolina flour, cassava, tomatoes, pounded yam, and giant bags of rice were some of the staples she needed in bulk for the challenge.
In February 2024, everything was set. Quoibia started off with vigour, determined to beat the previous record of 119 hours, 57 minutes and 16 seconds. This would require her to cook for over five continuous days. While applicants are allowed a 20-minute break once every four hours, Evette Quoibia realised that her rest spot five minutes away meant 10 minutes of her break would be spent going to and from. She spent the remaining time eating, refreshing herself or taking a power nap. The chef confessed that power naps were extremely difficult as they left her groggy and slow. Quoibia credits her team with helping her deal with difficulties and staying awake.
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Around day four or five, she began to falter. But the people around her helped her stay on track. “There were times when it was really stressful, and there were times when I really enjoyed it. For example, the times when there were a lot of people, and people were having fun and cheering me on – I gained my energy from that,” Quoibia told Guinness World Records.
She was so engrossed in her cooking that Quoibia did not even realise when she achieved the record on February 19, 2024. “Honestly, I was not in the mental state to know where I was [time-wise]. I just kept going until someone from my church made an announcement and drew my attention to the time,” she recalled. She celebrated with her friends and community by dancing to music, giving out the rest of her meals and taking a three-day-long nap. While she doesn’t know how long her record will last, Quoibia is happy that her feat will give someone else the opportunity to achieve their dream.