Leamington chef turns author to launch book celebrating food in the community
‘Bia’s Kitchen Show: The Cookbook - A Culinary Journey of Gratitude’ is the first in a collection by Brazilian-born entrepreneur and foodie Bianca Rodrigues-Perry.
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Hide AdIt comes ahead of the first anniversary of the Bia’s Kitchen Show, hosted by Bianca, known as Bia, and celebrates the region that, for the last 15 years, she has called home.
The book showcases some of the area’s local chefs, nutritionists, and food and drink artisans who share some of their own recipes and cooking tips, alongside Bianca’s.
But the project is also rooted in her own journey of overcoming personal mental health challenges through a passion for cooking.
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Hide AdBia has also pledged to donate the book’s profits to Mind Warwickshire, a cause close to her heart.
Bia’s journey of reinvention began when she left her family and marketing career in 2009, emigrating from Rio de Janeiro as the newly married Mrs David Perry - her future devoted to a role as mum of three.
It was also the start of a turbulent period, spending much of her pregnancy in hospital with sickness, battling post-natal depression and a series of health scares involving her children.
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Hide AdThen, in 2020, the family were rocked when Bianca’s brother-in-law took his own life.
Bia’s combined passions of cooking and entrepreneurialism became a lifeline – she went on to win Couple’s Come Dine With Me on Channel Four.
Buoyed by her early success running a food delivery service during lockdown, it was in January 2024 that she stepped into the limelight to start the Bia’s Kitchen brand.
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Hide Ad“It was all a big shock for me when I first moved here,” she recalls. “I lost my identity and had no idea what I was going to do next.
"I just knew that everything comes back to food for me.
"I thrive off feeling other people’s energy and passion for food. After all, cooking is the universal language of love.”
Since then Bianca and her show, which is streamed twice monthly on YouTube, have won the affections of a loyal and growing UK audience, even winning the entrepreneur a national award, recognising the enterprise and compassion she has shown in her work with local businesses.
She added: “As well as sharing great recipes from fantastic local chefs, the idea behind the book is to hopefully inspire with the message that you can have a bad day or a bad period in your life and come back with a determination to succeed all over again.
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Hide Ad“Hence the title ‘A Culinary Journey of Gratitude.’ Through food and through supporting other people, we can all do better.
“Food has played a huge part in my own journey of recovery from a very dark place. I use it as a therapy, you can use anything as a therapy. There is not ever only one way to get out of depression.
"Everyone has their own thing which works for them.
“For me it’s about helping other people and finding something that you love along the way.”
“This is what I am all about and what the book is all about. If sharing my personal story goes some way towards helping and inspiring other people who are struggling, I find that incredibly rewarding. Empowering others is what also empowers me.
“Plus, it was important to me to try and give a bit back along the way by donating all of the profits to charity that means a lot to my family and I.”
Coventry and Warwickshire Mind has been delivering mental health services and promoting positive well-being for more than 50 years through a variety of methods, including phone lines, one to one support, activities, peer mentoring, trauma therapy, counselling, drop-in hubs and workshops and purpose-built mental health recovery unit.
Ian Smart, head of business development at Mind, said: “Coventry and Warwickshire Mind is incredibly grateful to be receiving donations from a project that beautifully combines the love of food with the importance of mental health.
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Hide Ad“Bias’s personal journey, shared through the pages of this cookbook, will not only inspire readers, but also help fund crucial services for those facing mental health challenges in our community.”
"It’s a wonderful reminder that healing can take many forms, and we’re honoured to be part of this meaningful initiative.”
Bia’s Kitchen Show: The Cookbook – A Culinary Journey of Gratitude is published by Birmingham-based The Book Chief.
The book is available for pre-order at: https://buy.stripe.com/4gwcNxaEUbtKc5q4gh and through Amazon, Waterstones and selected independent book shops, soon.
Bia added: “This is a fantastic cookbook full of gratitude, community, and flavour, and discovering how cooking can heal and bring people together.
“I have loved where this journey is taking me so far and have met so many talented entrepreneurs who have also inspired me in their own stories of resilience.
"It’s been a pleasure to share in their passion and I’m proud to feature them in this first book which, fittingly, begins my culinary’ journey of gratitude’ in the adopted community I now call home.”
To view Bia’s Kitchen Show go to: https://biaskitchenshow.com/
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