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.