Dreams Come True

The Lord is so good ya’ll. I titled this blog post Dreams Come True because they DO! As you know, my first dream came true when I won Fox’s reality cooking show Masterchef. I won the first season and am still the youngest to have won. Crazy! I still can’t believe the opportunity the Lord gave me. With winning, I was able to write my first cookbook, Modern Hospitality which opened the door for me to write a second cookbook. If you only knew that as a little girl in my kitchen in a small town in Mississippi, I always dreamed of being able to share my love of cooking with others. The cherry on top of the sundae was that my cooking hero, Emeril Lagasse wrote a quote for my second cookbook, New Southern Table.

“Whitney Miller has brought Southern cuisine to life. She keeps it simple for the home cook with approachable recipes that embody the true hospitality of a Southern family.” – Emeril

I can’t even tell you what it meant to me for Emeril to say those things about my cooking. I grew up watching his show Emeril Live. I had a shirt that said BAM! To say I was a fan was an understatement. Emeril inspired me at such a young age. He is who influenced my love for Cajun cuisine.

Fast forward to now…..I am not so young anymore haha. This 30-year-old still has dreams and aspirations just like that 22-year-old college student who wanted to be a chef so crazily auditioned for a reality cooking show.

My professional dreams took a back seat when I became a mom. When my son, Miller was born. It was one of the most amazing days besides meeting my husband and marrying him. It is honestly hard though to get back into work mode when you are a mom. Especially when you are a mom working from home. What inspires me though is that I want Miller to be proud of me. He pushes me to be the best. So does my husband, Ryan. Ryan had me write down my goals the beginning of this year. One of my goals this year was to become a better business woman. Two of my other goals that were a year or two or three down the road was to open my own restaurant and to have my own cooking show.

Why a restaurant? My great grandmother inspired me at a young age to cook. I loved how she made people happy through her food. I have always wanted to do the same. In my restaurant, I want them to feel like they just walked into their grandmother’s kitchen.

Why a cooking show? I want to inspire people to cook just like Emeril did for me.

So why am I sharing with you my dreams now? Because my dream of opening a restaurant could become a reality soon thanks to T.J. Maxx.

How?

Ryan and I were in Los Angeles in May for me to shoot an online cooking series with Cooking Panda. After a long shooting day, Ryan and I rented bikes from our hotel and explored. We ended up at a T.J. Maxx. As we were shopping, Ryan noticed a camera and light set up. He asked an employee what was going on. She said they were interviewing women about their dreams and goals for their Maxx You Project. I was like ok that sounds like fun. I also got a $50 gift card for sharing. This mom needed some new clothes. So I sat down and shared my story.

Fast forward to July, I was on my way to New York for the Maxx You Project workshop. Yep, I was chosen to be one of 80 women to attend the workshop led by Barbara Corcoran and Laila Ali. I was blown away by the experience. Talk about checking off becoming a better business woman on my goal list. I was inspired and learned so much. It was also a great time to connect with other women and be inspired by their stories. 



It was such an awesome experience! It doesn’t stop there though. But first let me tell you. I didn’t just write my goals and dreams down. I have also prayed over them. The Lord knows my heart’s desires.

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

My God is so good! I was contacted by the T.J. Maxx team and told that I was chosen to as a GRAND PRIZE WINNER! AHHHH!!!!!!! I can’t believe it. My dream of opening my own restaurant is that much closer to happening.

Stay tuned for more details. Until I am able to reveal more, please keep me in your prayers.

Also, I want to encourage you to go after your dreams. No matter if you are young or old. I would love to hear your dreams or goals. Please share them with me. I will be in prayer for you.

8 Comments

  • Reply
    Cory Aldouby
    August 9, 2017 at 11:33 am

    Wow!…. God IS soooo good! I still remember your audition was the first MasterChef here in America was starting. I remembering telling my husband… watch, that young lady is going to win the whole thing… and you did! You were so awesome under pressure! I’m sooo excited to hear that hopefully Very soon your dream of opening your own restaurant will be a reality! ????????????????

  • Reply
    Brittney
    August 9, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    This is wonderful news!! And well deserved!! Who better than to show women you can still be a mom and follow your dreams! I pray fervently that all your dreams come true.. ???????? Brittney Borbash (Richard Giannini’s daughter)

  • Reply
    Leandra Wallace
    August 10, 2017 at 7:52 am

    Congrats!! I love shopping at TJ Maxx, great store. We’ve been watching Master Chef from the first season, and I remember your win- we were rooting for you! My dream is to be a published author. I’ve been working at it for nine years now, and heard lots of no’s, but I’m determined not to quit. The book I’m working on now feels like the best thing I’ve written so far (lots of practice, heh) so I’m hoping this will be the one to get me an agent/book deal. Anyway, I hope to one day eat at your restaurant! =)

    • Reply
      Whitney Miller
      August 11, 2017 at 8:43 am

      Hey Leandra! I love TJ Maxx too. I love shopping their clothes but also their kitchen isles. I definitely want to encourage you to keep pushing to get your book published. It took me a while to get my second cookbook deal. It was definitely the work of the Lord that it happened.

  • Reply
    Doyla Ashe
    August 11, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    Congratulations, Whitney! You are such a sweet, talented, and deserving young woman! You have made your hometown proud! May God bless you and your family as you follow your dreams!

    • Reply
      Whitney Miller
      August 14, 2017 at 12:39 pm

      Thank you Mrs. Doyla! I love my hometown! I hope to inspire others to go after their dreams.

  • Reply
    JC
    February 21, 2019 at 11:26 pm

    There is truly power in prayer! I decided to watch masterchef recently (I know ..9 years late lol) and I remember seeing the camera get a shot of you praying .. I knew then and there you were going to win because the Lord was on your side! and He continues to be on your side. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it :). You will be in my prayers.. keep up the good work, you are an inspiration.

    • Reply
      Whitney
      March 7, 2019 at 11:26 am

      Thank you! The Lord is so good.

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.