Hailing from Co Tipperary, there is no doubting that Roz Purcell is proud of her country roots. “When people ask about my background, I would say: ‘I’m a farmer’,” she says.

With a best-selling cookbook and a successful modelling career and blog, she credits her rural upbringing for the development of her work ethic. “I would have grown up mucking out stables and delivering foals. Like, we were never allowed to sit in front of the TV, we were out on the farm working and helping as much as we could. I’ve always been super active.”

The former Miss Universe Ireland is now gearing up for her appearance as a mentor on RTÉ One’s Taste of Success, joining Eunice Power, Domini Kemp and JP McMahon. The show gives food entrepreneurs the opportunity to have their product stocked in Lidl. Roz acts as Leinster mentor and the first episode of the series will see her choose one person to put forward for the region.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The show was changing things up, and I’m different from all the other mentors they’ve had, as I’m not a trained chef. It was really exciting to be part of it and we had so much fun,” she says. “There’s seriously great food – I had a tough job picking. We were kind of worried that people entering would think I would only pick healthy things; but no, there’s a really nice mix. It was really good to meet people who have innovative ideas when it comes to food.”

Roz’s own career in food started in 2013, when she launched her Natural Born Feeder blog. However, her love of food started from an early age.

“I’ve always been a huge foodie, and love cooking and baking. My dad and gran and my aunt are all really into cooking and baking. That’s kind of where it came from,” she says.

She moved to New York in 2010, when she was signed to Donald Trump’s modelling agency, following the Miss Universe competition. Roz says this gave her the profile to pursue her interest in food.

“I always saw modelling as a stepping stone to do something else. I wasn’t always sure what it was, but I knew food and fitness were my passion,” she says.

“I can look back on modelling and say it was fantastic for me. I met so many great people through it and it gave me such a huge platform to launch my blog. I think it was really social media that helped me with it too, in terms of me showing people my passions and getting an interest back.”

Roz is also involved in Paint it Pink, a cause close to her heart after her sister Rachel was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) this year, which is an incurable form of cancer.

“This year has been a tough one, with Rachel’s diagnosis. I always did their campaign for them, but this time around was a bit of a no-brainer. It’s only really when it’s an immediate family member that you see the real benefit of the cancer research fund,” says Roz.

“Even with Rachel’s medication, 10 years ago it wouldn’t be the same as it is now. There is so much more information, and it is continually getting better and better. It’s just a worthy cause. In our lifetimes, every one of us will be affected by cancer in some way or another.”

Though Roz currently lives in Dublin with Rachel and their dog Wilko, it’s clear her heart lies at home.

“I try to get home as much as I can, and this year we all tried to spend a little bit more time together. It’s nice to get home and unwind in the countryside, because there’s no noise,” she says.

“And I’m always cooking in Dublin and it’s nice to go home and have someone else do all that for you,” she laughs. CL

Taste of Success airs on RTÉ One on 25 October at 8.30pm