Thomasina Miers

Thomasina Jean Miers was born in February 1976 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. She pursued her education at St Paul’s Girls’ School, studied modern languages at the University of Edinburgh, and further honed her culinary skills at Ballymaloe Cookery School. Her early career involved work as a freelance cook and writer, significantly influenced by time spent in Mexico, which would later shape her professional direction.

A pivotal moment in Miers’ career occurred in 2005 when she won the BBC TV cookery competition “MasterChef.” Her distinctive cooking style, which impressed judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace, laid the groundwork for her future endeavors. Following this success, she co-founded Wahaca, a chain of Mexican street food restaurants, with Mark Selby in 2006. The first Wahaca restaurant opened in London’s Covent Garden in August 2007, and a second location followed in October 2008 at Westfield London. Under her leadership, Wahaca expanded, launching its first mobile street kitchen in 2011 and growing to 25 branches by the end of 2017.

Beyond her restaurant ventures, Miers has maintained a visible media presence, presenting cooking programs like “Wild Gourmets” (2007) and “A Cook’s Tour of Spain” (2008) for Channel 4, and “Mexican Food Made Simple” (2011) for Channel 5. She has authored several cookbooks, contributing to the popularization of Mexican cuisine in the UK. In recognition of her contributions to the food industry, Thomasina Miers was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in January 2019, receiving the honor from the Duke of Cambridge.