Plant City residents might see Whitney Miller Humphrey in the grocery store and think nothing of it. The 28-year-old blends in with the small-town atmosphere, having been raised in an even smaller one.
But checking out the cookbook section of the store and seeing her face on some of thecovers would have people doing double-takes.
Miller Humphrey, an internationally-known chef, was the first person to win Fox’s MasterChef television show at age 22. She’s got one cookbook, “Modern Hospitality,” under her belt and is in the process of editing a new one, “New Southern Table.” The Poplarville, Mississippi native’s cooking has taken her across the globe, preparing meals for celebrities and charities.
“It’s really neat, thinking of where I came from, and I’ve gotten to travel to four different countries the year after I won MasterChef,” Miller Humphrey says.
Her life has taken her from a town with one red light to the biggest cities in the world, but she’s now enjoying a new chapter in a town with just a few more red lights.
HOSPITALITY
Poplarville is so small that it “makes Plant City look like Orlando.” The town’s population hovered around 2,800 in 2013. Even so, that one red light has gotten plenty of use.
“That was our claim to fame after Hurricane Katrina,” Miller Humphrey says. “We had so many people moving in from Louisiana that we had to eventually have a red light, just to contain the traffic.”
She learned to cook from her mother and great-grandmother, Mary Strahan, who is her biggest influence.
“She taught me about hospitality, and she made me want to be in the kitchen and cook for people,” Miller Humphrey says. “She made them happy, and she just always had something to offer people … I want to make people that happy through food.”
Miller Humphrey originally wanted to be a pastry chef. Her parents gave her kitchen tools for Christmas, including a blowtorch for creme bruleé.
She earned a tennis scholarship to play at Pearl River Community College, and graduated with an emphasis in nutrition from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her time at USM, however, took a little longer than expected.
MASTER CHEF
As a senior at USM, Miller Humphrey decided to try out for MasterChef. She got a part and, thanks to her advanced knowledge of desserts, won the competition.
Her fame took her to countries such as China, where she cooked for Kenny Loggins. It has also enabled her to work chefs Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri.
“(Emeril’s) wife’s from Mississippi, and he has several cooking schools there,” Miller Humphrey says. “I’ve worked with him … and he was gracious enough to write a quote for my second cookbook.”
The fame has also enabled her to do plenty of charity work. With former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow’s foundation, Miller Humphrey auctions her cooking services. She also cooked for the United Food Bank’s fundraiser dinner, where she met her husband, Ryan Humphrey.
Miller Humphrey works with the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America to help raise money for research and provides healthy cooking recipes for those who have the disease, such as her father.
ON TOUR
These days, Miller Humphrey is putting the finishing touches on her latest book. It is rooted in Southern cooking, but Miller Humphrey’s trips to Asia have had an effect on her style. She has targeted a release date of Oct. 27.
Miller Humphrey will be on tour this winter. She will make a stop in Plant City Saturday, Nov. 7, at Fringe Boutique. There she will have a book signing and food tasting from 5 to 7 p.m.
About Whitney
Who is your hero?
My great-grandmother. Her name was Mary Strahan. My mom was named after her, and she got a lot of her great qualities. I hope that, one day, people can say I had a lot of those qualities as well.
Use three words to describe yourself.
Risk-taker, creative and adventurous.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I used to be a night person, and now my husband has us going to bed a lot earlier. I now consider myself a morning person. I go to bed at about 10 p.m. and wake up at 7:30 or 8 a.m.
What is the weirdest food you’ve tried?
Duck tongue in China. I think I put a mental block about the whole experience. And durian, a fruit, in Malaysia. It tasted like it smelled, and it smelled like a dirty sock.
What message would you put in a fortune cookie?
Use whatever gift you’ve been given to serve others. — 1 Peter 4:10
Tips for success?
• You have to take risks. You never know if you’re going to achieve something or fail, and you have to know that, sometimes, you are going to fail.
• I feel like it helps to be creative.
• Be comfortable in front of people. Taking a speaking class or just getting up in front of people and getting over that fear.
— Justin Kline