My cook-a-thon attempt helped fight drug abuse in the Northern Region; it was rampant at the time — Chef Faila

Ghanaian Chef Faila Abdul Razak has revealed the impact of her Guinness World Record attempt for the longest cooking marathon.

She has emphasised that she played a role in combating drug abuse in the Northern Region.

During an interview with Berla Mundi on TV3, Chef Faila revealed that her cook-a-thon, held in the Northern Region, served a dual purpose beyond just setting a world record.

According to her, the region was grappling with the issue of drug abuse among its youth.

"Before the cook-a-thon, we were fighting against drug abuse in the Northern region. It was that severe during that period.

“And we've been trying to take the youth out of it but during the Cook-a-thon, these same drug addicts were there 24 hours.

“They were eating from me. They were forced to stop smoking for several hours and days because it wasn't permitted on the premises," she explained.

Chef Faila firmly believed in the importance of her endeavour, asserting that even if she had perished during the marathon, it would have been a sacrifice worth making for the course.

"And anyone that asked me such a question, I told them it would have been worth it. My people would have celebrated me forever for a good cause.

“Haven't our peers died out of terminating illegal pregnancies? Haven't our colleagues died out of Kayayo? Haven't our colleagues died out of peer pressure to do so many illegal things?" she passionately stated.

Although Chef Faila's bid for the Guinness World Record was ultimately unsuccessful due to a violation of rest breaks, her efforts were widely lauded and recognized.

Following her cook-a-thon, she received an invitation from the Ghana Tourism Authority to represent the country at the International Horticultural Expo in Doha, Qatar.