Liberian-Australian Chef Breaks Guinness World Record With 140-Hour Cooking Marathon

• Evette Quoibia, set a Guinness World Record by cooking non-stop for over 140 hours.
• She is the owner of a restaurant in Melbourne, Australia.
• Evette’s passion for cooking started at the age of eight, when she helped her family in the kitchen instead of playing with toys.

Evette Quoibia, a Liberian-Australian chef, has made history by cooking non-stop for over 140 hours, breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.

Evette, now the owner of a restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, shared that her passion for cooking began when she was just eight years old. While other children played with toys, she was in the kitchen, playing with pots and cups and helping her family prepare meals.

This childhood love for cooking has now led to an incredible achievement. Evette spent 140 hours, 11 minutes, and 11 seconds cooking a variety of dishes, mainly inspired by Liberian and West African cuisines, to break the previous record set by Alan Fisher of Ireland.

Evette was born during the Liberian civil war, and her family moved between several countries before finally settling in Australia. She always dreamed of doing something extraordinary and said that breaking a Guinness World Record was her chance to show what she could accomplish.

“This was something within my skills,” Evette said. “I’ve always loved cooking, and with my restaurant experience, I felt I could take on the challenge.”

Before attempting the record, Evette spent two months preparing. She worked with an event planner, volunteers, and her church and even raised funds through GoFundMe to buy ingredients. She purchased large amounts of semolina flour, pounded yam, cassava, tomatoes, and rice — all key ingredients for Liberian dishes.

Evette cooked dishes like jollof rice, cassava leaves, pepper soup, and okra soup, while also incorporating flavors from Nigeria, Asia, and Australia to appeal to the local community.

The hardest part came after several days without proper sleep. Evette was allowed only 20-minute breaks every four hours, and since her rest area was far from her cooking station, she barely had 10 minutes to relax. She tried taking short naps but found them to be more exhausting.

“There were times I almost overslept,” she admitted. “But my team really helped me stay awake and stay strong.”

By the fourth and fifth days, exhaustion began to set in. She felt mentally weak, slow, and had trouble processing things, but the support from her team and the crowd kept her going.

Finally, someone from her church reminded her that she had reached the record-breaking time.

“I didn’t even realize,” she said. “I was just focused on cooking until they made an announcement. That moment was full of joy and celebration.”

After the record was confirmed, Evette celebrated with music, dancing, and more food. Then she took a well-earned three-day nap.

Reflecting on her journey, she said, “Many people don’t know what they are capable of until they try. I want women, single moms, and young people to know there’s always hope. If you have a big dream, go for it.”

See post below: