Liberia: Liberian Chef Pursues Guinness World Record Milestone

Evette Quoibia may soon be a Guinness World Record breaker for the longest cooking marathon if her video evidence is submitted to the Guinness team as proof that she participated. Once it is verified, she can be announced.

The Liberian-Australian-based chef, who cooked for 150 hours and 25 minutes, is attempting to dethrone Alan Fisher, an Irish chef based in Japan who claimed the World Record holder for both the longest cooking marathon (individual) and the longest baking marathon (individual) dethroning Hilda Baci, a Nigerian chef.

From September 25 and September 27, Fisher independently baked 487 loaves of four distinct varieties of soda bread. These nearly 800 pounds of soda bread were generously distributed free of charge from his Tokyo restaurant, Kyojin Stewhouse.

“I am so excited that have a chance to participate,” Evette said in a WhatsApp interview with the Observer.

Evette's record attempt, which is yet to be submitted for verification, will only be confirmed as a world record if it is measurable and standardizable—meaning it meets all of the strictest guidelines for a Cookathon record.

Chief among them is that Evette must have cooked non-stop for at least 125 hours to dethrone Alan Fisher. Other guidelines she must have followed include cooking herself, only taking a five-minute permitted break for every continuous hour of activity, following a 35-item menu as a guide for every meal she cooks, and ensuring all items are consumed after cooking.

If her attempt stands, Evette would become the first known Liberian chef Guinness record holder—a very proud moment for the country.

Born to Liberian parents in the Ivory Coast, Evette’s mom and dad had escaped their home country because of civil wars. They joined thousands of Liberians seeking shelter in the Ivory Coast. There, Evette developed her love for cooking at a very young age and honed her skills as years went by.

“I was the kid that grew up making cooking my hobby. As a child, I used to cook handmade toll-cups. This was my normal routine even when my friends and I were playing. Even though the food then was not edible, it instilled in me my passion for cooking.”

However, it was in Accra, Ghana, that Evette took her cooking to another level and became a sought-after cook for family and friends. So when she moved to Queensland, Australia, at the age of 15. Evette started her cooking journey when she moved to Melbourne, Australia when she applied for a chef position at a Nigerian restaurant and was accepted. This was her first job, specializing in cooking African foods before advancing into other foreign-style dishes.

However, Evette's chef career was low-key until her recent Cookathon attempt, which has made her known among the growing Liberia and African community in Australia. She was inspired by Hilda Baci, a Nigerian chef who has inspired many to pursue the Cookathon record after bringing much publicity to it.

Baci, whose record of cooking for 93 hours and 11 minutes stood for a few months, was dethroned by Irish Chef Alan Fisher in November—and it is his record of 119 hours that Johnson must now break.

“When I saw the Baci Cookathon, I was inspired and decided to follow suit. So I applied, and it took 6 months before they sent me the congratulations email,” Quoibia said. “I was so excited. I was in shock. I was like this was not happening. My application was selected, and that is how I attempted the record. I am now waiting for my verification of the Guinness World Record.”

Even though her selection was a joy, she faced hurdles with sponsorship, getting people to sponsor her completion. “I didn't know how to go about it. I communicated to them and asked questions about the competition,” she noted.

“I took some time to process the information. I did a Google search on the process.”

Evette spent 40,000 Australian dollars for her entire competition. “The Guinness World Record for people getting sponsorship. I spent 40,000 in Australia. I did a GoFundMe. I did a fundraiser, and I got 1,500 Australian dollars. The GoFundMe was 2,700 Australian dollars.”

With this amount, along with funds from families, friends, and colleagues, Evette was able to buy foodstuff, and other items for the completion.