Evette Quoibia has been certified as a Guinness World Record Breaker for her longest cooking marathon hour---140 hr, 11 min 11 sec. The Liberian chef residing in Melbourne, Australia, participated in the competition in February 2024, submitted her video evidence, was verified, and was announced as a record breaker.
"The longest cooking marathon (individual) is 140 hr, 11 min 11 sec, by Evette Quoibia (Australia), Melbourne, Australia, on 19 February 2024," Guinness said in a statement posted on its website.
Quoibia's breakthrough has earned her a seat among popular Guinness World Breakers like Hilda Baci, a Nigerian chef, and 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). Baci, whose record of cooking for 93 hours and 11 minutes stood for a few months, was dethroned by Fisher in November 2025.
Born to Liberian parents in the Ivory Coast, Quoibia'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, Quoibia developed her love for cooking at a very young age and honed her skills as years went by.
However, it was in Accra, Ghana, that Quoibia 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, Quoibia started her cooking journey. She moved to Melbourne, Australia where 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.
Quoibia, who has been a low-key chef, was inspired to participate in the marathon by Baci, a popular Nigerian chef who has inspired many to pursue the Cookathon record after bringing much publicity to it in 2023.
"Knowing that I'm now a world record holder, it still hasn't fully sunk in," Quoibia said.
Photo 2: Evette Quoibia's certificate of participation
Cooking for the longest hour is a start to break the record. The entire scene must be recorded in a specific format, 30 minutes maximum. The video must be uploaded to the platform for verification. Quoibia said she faced many issues when submitting her video evidence. Her video was recorded in the wrong format. "Instead of 30-minute segments, we recorded in four-hour blocks, so we had to manually cut 150 hours of footage into 23-minute clips before submitting," Quoibia said. Uploading the files was another big challenge for her. Some files wouldn't upload, causing further delays.
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"After the record attempt, it felt like everything was working against me, trying to stop me from achieving it," she said. "At one point, I almost gave up. Some of my documents went missing, and without realizing it, I submitted everything without them. Then, I got an email requesting the missing file. I took another look, and to my surprise, I found it. I resubmitted everything, and all I could do was wait."
Quoibia is dedicating her wins to God. She hopes her journey inspires others who have ever felt like giving up, especially those who want to make a difference by doing something impactful.
"Whether you're a young person, a single mom, or someone who simply dreams of making a difference, know that there is space for you. If you have a dream, don't give up. There is room for you, and you will make it happen."
