The Ugandan chef, Dorcus Kirabo Basheba, commonly known as Mama D, has broken the world record for the longest cooking marathon (individual), dubbed the cookathon. She beat the record set by Alan Fisher from Ireland, who cooked for 119 hours, 57 minutes, and 16 seconds.
Basheba started cooking on Saturday, December 23, 2023, at 10 a.m. in Kiira municipality, Wakiso district, and has so far served 116 meals. The cookathon’s official sponsors have been Urban TV, Royco, Fortune Cooking Oil, and Yo Kuku.
She is well known for her online kitchen, dishes, trays, and platters, and for cooking the best dishes online. She describes herself as a food vendor who sells lunch packs, does event catering, gives food hampers, and makes meal preparations, among others.
Basheba, stationed in Kira, where her kitchen is, has served happy Ugandans for more than a year. She has embarked on breaking the Guinness World Record (GWR) of a cooking marathon, which she is determined to break in 121 hours, on day five since she started.
The GWR breaker is currently stationed at Zoe’s Cakes ‘n’ Bites in Kira, where she has since embarked on a cooking spree, expected to span five days. Lacing up a total of 121 hours. This is when she will have surpassed the current record for the most cooking hours.
When asked why Mama D chose to take on the challenge herself, a close source from Mama D’s Kitchen remarked that she is determined to spice up her career and achieve a milestone that will put her cooking skills in a better position.
“Mama D is set and ready to take this on. She has great cooking skills, and her services are top-notch. She says that the reason she took the challenge was to achieve a milestone in her career that will position her well,” the source revealed.
According to Lilly Ajarova, the CEO of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), the board accorded financial support to Mama D and encouraged her not to give up since she had the capacity to make it.
“As Uganda Tourism Board, we have made a cash contribution as a special thank you to Mama D, and we are here with you. Let’s continue with this support, and you shall make it,” Ajarova said.
In June 2023, Chef Hilda Baci achieved a world record for the longest cooking marathon with an incredible time of 93 hours and 11 minutes. Baci was invited to visit GWR HQ in London and met adjudicator Mark McKinley, who officially announced Baci’s new record earlier this year.
Alan Fisher, an Irish restaurant owner and chef based in Japan, has broken two Guinness World Records relating to cooking marathons. He first set a new record for the “longest cooking marathon (individual)” by an astonishing 119 hours and 57 minutes and 16 seconds on November 7, 2023.
The main benefits of setting or breaking a Guinness World Record are notoriety, acknowledgment, and an official complimentary record-holder certificate. A Guinness World Record is not accompanied by a financial payout.
