A Chef From Ghana Falsifies A Guinness World Records Award

After a disagreement with his sponsor, a Ghanaian chef who claimed to have broken the record for the longest continuous cooking session was taken into custody on Tuesday, July 2.

In a news conference, Ebenezer Smith claimed to have broken the record by cooking nonstop for more than a month—802 hours and 25 minutes. He displayed a certificate that purported to be from Guinness World Records (GWR), attesting to his accomplishment.

GWR refuted this, claiming they had no knowledge of his attempt and that the certificate did not belong to them.

A dispute with the chef’s sponsor, the Amadia Shopping Centre in Accra, where the cooking marathon was held, led to the chef’s incarceration. He is charged with breach of contract for failing to notify them of the purported award.

Social media users in Ghana expressed shock and dissatisfaction about the circumstances, which came to light after Smith first claimed the record.

Chef Smith was reportedly freed soon after his detention, however it was unclear what accusations he had been facing. These reports came from the local media.

Prior to this, well-known locals had backed his abortive record attempt.