Thomasina Jean Miers, OBE (born February 1976) is an English cook, writer and television presenter. She is the co-founder of the Wahaca chain of Mexican street food restaurants.
Thomasina Miers | |
|---|---|
 Miers in 2021 | |
| Born | February 1976 (age 48) Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England |
| Education | St Paul's Girls' School |
| Alma mater | Ballymaloe Cookery School |
| Occupation(s) | cook, writer and television presenter |
| Known for | Founder of Wahaca Winner of UK Masterchef (2005) |
| Spouse | Mark Williams |
| Children | 3 daughters |
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Early life
editThomasina Jean Miers was born in February 1976 in Cheltenham,[1] the daughter of (Michael) Probyn Miers, a joiner and furniture maker,[2] formerly a management consultant[3][4] and Niki Miers, of Guiting Power, Cheltenham.[5][6] She grew up in "a big rambling house" at Acton, West London.[7] The Miers family, landed gentry originally of Aldingham, Cumbria (then in Lancashire), owned the Ynyspenllwch estate in Glamorganshire until the time of her grandfather, Cmdr Richard Eustace Probyn Miers, RN.[8] Miers has a twin brother, Dighton, and a sister, Talulah.[9][7]
She was schooled at St Paul's Girls' School, studied modern languages at the University of Edinburgh and studied at Ballymaloe Cookery School. She worked as a freelance cook and writer, with influences from time spent in Mexico.[10][11]
Career
editIn 2005, Miers won the BBC TV cookery competition MasterChef, "impressing judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with her bold and, at times, eccentric cooking style".[12]
She has made two series of cookery programmes for Channel 4 with co-presenter Guy Grieve: Wild Gourmets[13] in 2007 and A Cook's Tour of Spain in 2008.[14] In 2011, she presented Mexican Food Made Simple for Channel 5.[15]
She is co-editor with Annabel Buckingham of the cookbook Soup Kitchen (with an introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall). She has also written Cook: Smart Seasonal Recipes for Hungry People,[16] The Wild Gourmets: Adventures in Food and Freedom, with Guy Grieve,[17] and Mexican Food Made Simple.[18]
Miers co-founded Wahaca, which became a chain of Mexican "street food" restaurants, alongside Mark Selby in 2006.[19] The company opened its first restaurant in London's Covent Garden in August 2007[20] and in October 2008 a second opened at Westfield London.[21] Wahaca launched their first mobile kitchen in 2011, selling Mexican street food on the streets of London.[22] By the end of 2017 Wahaca had 25 branches,[23] and in January 2021 there were 13.[24]
Personal life
editMiers is married to Mark Williams, a fund manager at Liontrust Asset Management[25] and they have three daughters.[5][26]
In January 2019, Miers was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the food industry; she received the honour from the Duke of Cambridge later in the year at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.[27]
Books
edit- The Wild Gourmets: Adventures in Food and Freedom (3 September 2007) ISBN 9780747591573 co-author Guy Grieve
- Wahaca – Mexican Food Made Simple (4 March 2010) ISBN 9780340994979
- Wahaca – Mexican Food at Home (21 June 2012) ISBN 9781444722390
- Chilli Notes (8 May 2014) ISBN 9781444776881
- Cantina: Recipes from a Mexican Kitchen (1 November 2014) ISBN 978-1742703992
- Home Cook (2 March 2017) ISBN 9781783350964
- Meat-Free Mexican (5 May 2022) ISBN 9781529371840
References
edit- ^ "The Independent: "My Secret Life: Thomasina Miers, chef & food broadcaster"". Independent.co.uk. 17 November 2007. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ Elliot, Liz (3 January 2017). "An Artist's Cosy 18th-Century Barn". House & Garden. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ "MR MICHAEL PROBYN MIERS director information". Company Check. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ "Mr Michael Probyn Miers – Director Profile". Endole. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ a b "The Telegraph.co.uk: Engagement Announcements". Announcements.telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ Cheltenham-born chef, founder of Wahaca Mexican restaurant chain
- ^ a b "My secret life: Thomasina Miers". The Independent. 13 June 2009. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ Burke's Landed Gentry, eighteenth edition, vol. 2, 1969, p. 433, "Miers formerly of Ynyspenllwch" pedigree
- ^ Higgins, Ria (2 November 2014). "A Life in the Day: Thomasina Miers, MasterChef winner turned restaurateur". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ "Thomasina Miers". radiorelations.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Miers masters the top notes". pressandjournal.co.uk. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Thomasina Miers". waterstones.com. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Wild Gourmets". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ "A Cook's Tour of Spain". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ "Mexican Food Made Simple". Channel 5. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ^ HarperCollins, 2005, ISBN 0-00-722937-2
- ^ Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7475-9157-3
- ^ Hodder, 2010, ISBN 978-0-340-99497-9
- ^ Campbell, Scott (7 May 2014). "Wahaca owner's recipe for success". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ "Wahaca". Caterersearch. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ "Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers to launch second Wahaca". Caterersearch. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ Wahaca Mexican restaurant chain
- ^ "Locations". Wahaca. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017.
- ^ "Locations – Wahaca". Wahaca. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ "The Asia team – Who we are – Liontrust Asset Management PLC". www.liontrust.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Urwin, Rosamund (30 January 2017). "Wahaca co-founder Thomasina Miers on Donald Trump, tacos and norovirus". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Cosmopolitan fan William presents OBE to former editor-in-chief". East Lothian Courier. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2021.