Meet Bia Rodrigues-Perry: National Finalist, Award-Winning Founder, Storyteller

Ask Bia Rodrigues-Perry what she does, and you'll hear a long list - presenter, producer, entrepreneur, author, marketing strategist. Ask her who she is, and she'll give you a much shorter answer.

"I'm a storyteller," she says. "Everything else exists because of that."

It's a distinction that matters to her, and it's the reason her story deserves to start somewhere other than her businesses or her trophy cabinet. Before BIA'S Kitchen Show, before the awards, before the marketing agency - there was a woman who moved to another country for love and had to rebuild almost everything about herself from the ground up.

The Woman Before the Brand

Bia grew up in Brazil, where she says she learned early that food was never really about the meal itself. "Around a table, people celebrate, laugh, cry, forgive and dream," she reflects. "Food brings people together, but it's the conversations that stay with us." She didn't know it yet, but that idea would end up shaping the rest of her life.

By the time she moved to the UK, Bia had already built a genuinely successful career in Brazil, working in marketing with internationally recognised brands and running her own businesses. Then she met her husband, and life changed course. She moved to Britain for love - and almost overnight, went from being professionally recognised to being someone nobody knew at all.

"I had to adapt to a new culture, improve my English, build a new network and rebuild my confidence from the ground up," she says. "It wasn't easy."

The Chapters She Doesn't Hide From

What makes Bia's story land differently is her willingness to talk about the parts that weren't easy at all. There were moments, she admits, when she questioned whether she'd lost the person she used to be. Alongside the disorientation of starting over, she experienced depression - something she now speaks about openly.

"I don't want sympathy, but I do want authenticity, because so many people are quietly fighting battles nobody else can see," she says. "If sharing my story gives even one person hope, then it has a purpose."

She's clear that those years changed her - and not only in difficult ways. They taught her resilience. They taught her empathy. And they left her with a belief that now sits underneath everything she creates: that every person carries a story we know nothing about.

How a Kitchen Became a Platform

What began as survival eventually became a purpose. During the pandemic, Bia launched BIA'S Kitchen, a premium takeaway business that combined her love of food with a desire to bring comfort to people during an uncertain time. It wasn't intended to become a media brand. It was simply a way to keep moving forward while helping others.

As the world reopened, Bia realised something important. She wasn't just a chef. She was also a marketer, producer, storyteller and presenter. Instead of leaving those skills behind, she brought them together.

That vision became BIA'S Kitchen Show. The first series, Empowering the Independent Food Industry, celebrated 21 independent restaurants and chefs across the UK, shining a light on businesses rebuilding after one of the toughest periods the hospitality industry had ever faced.

The response went far beyond expectations. The series led to the publication of Bia's first book and transformed BIA'S Kitchen Show into something much bigger than food.

"Food is still the invitation," Bia says. "But the real purpose has become the people behind it. Every story has the power to encourage someone else."

Today, BIA'S Kitchen Show continues to grow with new series exploring wellbeing, menopause, travel, entrepreneurship and community, while remaining true to the mission it was built on: using food to start conversations that matter.

Using the Platform for Something Bigger

For Bia, having an audience comes with an obligation. Supporting charities and community projects, she says, isn't a PR exercise - it's part of who she is. "If I have a platform, I believe I have a responsibility to use it for good."

That sense of purpose is at the centre of her newest project, Hot Flushes & Hot Foods, a series opening up honest conversations around menopause, nutrition, movement and wellbeing. "If one woman feels less alone because of something we've shared, then we've succeeded," she says.

Building a Legacy for Her Children

Away from the cameras, Bia is a mother of three - and she's candid that her children are one of the biggest reasons she works as hard as she does. "I want them to grow up seeing that resilience, kindness, purpose and integrity matter far more than titles or trophies," she says. Everything she's building, she adds, is also part of the legacy she hopes to leave them.

The Recognition - Held Lightly

None of this is to say the recognition hasn't mattered. Bia is the author of BIA'S Kitchen Show: A Culinary Journey of Gratitude and has picked up an Outstanding Entrepreneur Award, an Achievement Award, and Best Marketing Company at the Cotswolds Awards, alongside a national finalist nod for Content Creator of the Year 2026.

But she's quick to put those achievements in their place. "They're not the reason I do what I do," she says. "They're simply recognition of the journey." What she'd rather be remembered for is a message she sometimes receives from a stranger: your story helped me keep going. "That's success," she says.

Opening Up the Conversation on Menopause

Bia's most personal project yet may be her newest original series, Hot Flushes & Hot Foods. The show tackles menopause, nutrition and wellbeing head-on, creating space for honest, often under-discussed conversations. It's a subject matter shift from her culinary roots, but not really a departure - it's the same mission of using conversation to make people feel informed, empowered and less alone, just pointed at a topic that's long overdue for open discussion.

Where She's Headed

Looking forward, Bia is careful to draw a line between fame and purpose. "I'm not trying to become famous. I'm not trying to become 'just' a content creator," she says. Her ambition is to build a sustainable media brand - one that produces documentaries,meaningful television, and community-focused content that helps people feel seen and believe they can achieve more than they thought possible.

It's a vision she sums up in a single line, one that seems to capture everything she's built and everything still ahead of her:

"Food brings us together. Stories connect us. And every person has a story worth telling."

Follow Bia Rodrigues-Perry's journey at biaskitchenshow.com, or connect with her on Instagram @biaskitchenuk