Who is Thomasina Miers? 2005 Masterchef winner and founder of Wahaca Mexican restaurant chain
THOMASINA Miers is an English cook, writer, TV presenter who won Masterchef in 2005.
She has forged a successful career since winning the popular BBC show including founding Wahaca, the Mexican street food restaurant chain.
Who is Thomasina Miers?
Thomasina Miers, known as "Tommi", was born in 1976 in Cheltenham.
Privately educated, she struggled to find her niche during her 20s, and tried her hand several different jobs including journalism, advertising and modelling.
She had always enjoyed cooking - and had learned at her mother's side as a young child.
During a modelling job at a charity fashion show she met chef Clarissa Dickson Wright, and was inspired by how Clarissa had transformed her life from lawyer to successful chef.
It was while talking to Clarissa, and telling her about her passion for cooking, that she suddenly realised food was the career she wanted to pursue.
Clarissa became her mentor and with her encouragement, Thomasina won a place at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland at the age of 26.
Following her training she wrote recipes and edited a book raising money for homeless charities, with the intention of becoming a food writer.
She entered Masterchef thinking it would be a good route into her new career and has never looked back.
Happily married to Mark with three children, she lives in London.
When did Thomasina win Masterchef?
In 2005, Thomasina Miers entered the very first series of the revived Masterchef with John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
She was inspired to enter following a long visit to Mexico, which had massively influenced her style of cooking.
She didn't expect to get through the first found, but went on to beat 4,000 contestants with her bold and eccentric recipes.
What has Thomasina done since winning Masterchef?
Thomasina has enjoyed a hugely successful career following her win.
She has presented cookery programmes for TV and written seven cookbooks.
In 2007 she opened the first Wahaca, expanding to an impressive 25 restaurants across the UK.
The chain was thrown into crisis in 2016 when an outbreak of norovirus left more than 300 customers ill and forced Miers and her business partner to temporarily close the restaurants.
Tommi has written for the Financial Times, the Times and has a regular column in the Guardian and makes frequent radio and TV appearances.
She also campaigns for primary schools to grow their own veg and earns around £10,000 a time as a corporate after-dinner speaker.
On her website, Thomasina says; "When I am not recipe developing at Wahaca or writing, or cooking (and dancing) at festivals I am shopping at my local market, growing vegetables in our back garden and feeding my husband, three children and our friends."
