Ebenezer Smith, a Ghanaian chef, recently claimed to have broken the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.
From February 1 to March 6, 2024, Smith cooked continuously for what he claimed was 820 hours at the Amadia Shopping Centre in Spintex, Accra.
Despite the event’s fanfare, including a star-studded closing ceremony with performers like Praye Tietia, Yaw Tog, and Amerado, Guinness World Records has stated that it was unaware of the attempt.
Smith, during a press conference at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, declared himself the new record holder.
He expressed his pride and humility, saying, “Today is the day that I will forever remember. I am incredibly humbled and honoured to stand before you today as the Guinness World Record holder.”
However, GWR’s PR Manager, Madalyn Bielfeld, clarified in an email to Graphic Online’s Kweku Zurek that the organisation had no knowledge of Smith’s attempt. “To confirm, he does not hold the GWR title and the certificate is not real and has not come from Guinness World Records,” she stated.
Bielfeld added, “We have not received an application from him for this attempt.”
The PR Executive for GWR, Alina Polianskaya, also told BBC, “No, this is not true at all. He does not hold the GWR title, and that is not our certificate.
According to GWR, the official record for the longest cooking marathon (individual) is held by Alan Fisher of Ireland, who cooked for 119 hours, 57 minutes, and 16 seconds in Matsue, Shimane, Japan, from September 28 to October 3, 2023.
Following Smith’s announcement and the subsequent revelation by GWR, the police arrested him.
The arrest came after it was discovered that Smith had collected sponsorship funds, including 350,000 cedis from the owner of the Amadia Shopping Mall, for an attempt that was not properly registered with GWR.
A detailed inspection of the certificate displayed by Smith showed discrepancies compared to genuine GWR certificates.
For example, the certificate displayed by Smith included his nationality, whereas genuine certificates, such as the one awarded to Nigerian chef Hilda Baci, include only the country name.
Additionally, Smith’s certificate spelled out the duration in full, unlike the standard hr and min format used by GWR.
The current official record holder for the longest cooking marathon remains Alan Fisher, who surpassed the previous record held by Nigeria’s Hilda Baci by 24 hours.
