I faked my Guinness World Record cook-a-thon award – Chef Smith begs

Ghanaian Chef Ebenezer Smith, popularly known as Millennium Chef or Chef Smith, has apologized to Ghanaians for faking a Guinness World Record (GWR) achievement.

On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, Chef Smith announced during a press conference that he is the new Guinness World Record holder for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.

He claimed that he broke the record with 802 hours and 25 minutes.

This followed a cooking marathon that began on February 1 and ended on March 6, 2024.

Initially aiming for 1200 hours, he cooked for 820 hours.

He said he took the record from Alan Fisher, who cooked for 119 hours in 2023.

However, in a video apology, a tearful Chef Smith admitted that the announcement and the certificate he presented at the press conference were fake.

He further apologized and asked Ghanaians to forgive him.

“I’m so sorry, I don’t deserve to live. My quest, who wants to earn a living, has brought me here. I’m sorry, and I beg the entire nation,” he apologized in tears.

He also admitted that he did not apply to GWR to grant him permission to begin the cooking marathon.

His apology comes after verification with GWR, which revealed that the certificate presented by Chef Smith at the press conference was not from them.

GWR stated that: “The current and true current record holder is: The longest cooking marathon (individual) is 119 hr 57 min 16 sec and was achieved by Alan Fisher (Ireland) in Matsue, Shimane, Japan, from 28 September to 3 October 2023.”