Dominique Alexis Woolf (born 1978) is an English food writer, entrepreneur, and former musician. She runs The Woolf's Kitchen and, after winning Jamie Oliver's The Great Cookbook Challenge, published the #1 Sunday Times bestselling cookbook Dominique's Kitchen (2022). This was followed by The Asian Pantry (2024).
Dominique Woolf | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dominique Alexis Woolf 1978 Saudi Arabia |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Children | 3 |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Asian (South East, fusion) |
Television show(s)
| |
| Website | thewoolfskitchen |
Early life
editWoolf was born in Saudi Arabia to an English father and a Thai mother and grew up in Qatar, where her father taught English, until age 8. She also has Chinese heritage on her maternal side and Dutch and Swiss heritage on her paternal side,[1] and her father is a distant relative of Virginia Woolf.[2]
Career
editAfter working in sales and recruitment for a decade, Woolf went into music. She fronted a group called Wolfette[3][4] and featured on and contributed to a number of artists' tracks in vocals and songwriting. She played at gigs such as Glastonbury Festival.[5] Woolf retired from music to make time for her family.
Upon deciding to pursue cooking professionally in 2019, Woolf enrolled in an online Leiths School of Food and Wine course and an Amazon Small Business programme.[6][7] In June 2020, Woolf founded her business The Woolf's Kitchen, selling an array of homemade sauces, condiments, and other pantry items.[8] As of 2021, her products were being stocked in shops such as Selfridge's[9] and by 2022, The Woolf's Kitchen was generating £150 thousand in revenue per year.[10] Woolf was a finalist for the Enterprise Nation's Female Start-up of the Year Award, and her brand received four 2021 Great Taste accolades.[11]
Also in 2022, Woolfe won Jamie Oliver's Channel 4 competition The Great Cookbook Challenge, through which she published her debut cookbook Dominique's Kitchen via Penguin Michael Joseph (PMJ).[12][13] Dominique's Kitchen became a #1 Sunday Times bestseller.[14]
Woolfe reunited with PMJ to publish her second cookbook The Asian Pantry June 2024.[15][16] The Woolf's Kitchen was launched on Ocado that autumn.[17]
Personal life
editWoolf lives in Crouch End with her husband and their three children.[18]
Bibliography
edit- Dominique’s Kitchen: Easy Everyday Asian-inspired Food from the Winner of Channel 4's The Great Cookbook Challenge (2022)
- The Asian Pantry: Quick & Easy, Everyday Dishes Using Big Asian Flavours (2024)
References
edit- ^ Silvers, Isabella (24 June 2024). "Dominique Woolf: "I don't feel Thai, but it's familiar"". Mixed Messages. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Martin, Gavin (5 August 2011). "Dominique Woolf packs a punch". The Mirror. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Lester, Paul (19 July 2011). "Wolfette (No 1,065)". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Wolfette covers Giorgio Moroder & Philip Oakey". Popservations. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "The Glastonbury singer turned spicy sauce entrepreneur". Enterprise Nation. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Alumni: Dominique Woolf , Food Writer & Founder of The Woolf's Kitchen". Leith School of Food and Wine. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ Magnus, Emma (10 June 2022). "How Great Cookbook Challenge winner Dominique Woolf quit music and turned her 'foodie' passion into a living". LondonWorld. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Yedroudj, Latifa (17 February 2021). "Glastonbury singer turned saucy entrepreneur". Elite Business Magazine. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Munbodh, Emma (19 October 2021). "Mum who started business using family recipe now turns over £70k a year in Selfridges". The Mirror. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Oluwalana, Ayokunle (3 November 2022). "North London mum makes £150k in 2 years after creating her own sauces at home that are now stocked in Selfridges and Co-op". MyLondon. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Lynch, Ben (25 February 2022). "'Very surreal': Crouch End entrepreneur in final five of Jamie Oliver's new show". Ham & High. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Brown, Lauren (15 March 2022). "Woolf wins PMJ book deal in Jamie Oliver and Channel 4's Great Cookbook Challenge". The Bookseller. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Meet Dominique Woolf, winner of The Great Cookbook Challenge". Penguin. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Aujla, Rupy (14 July 2024). "Bold Asian Flavours with Dominique Woolf". The Doctor's Kitchen. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Wood, Heloise (6 February 2024). "Dominique Woolf's second cookbook due from PMJ in June 2024". The Bookseller. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Ibrahim, Mex (27 June 2024). "Dominique Woolf's 'The Asian Pantry' – Reviewed". Women in the Food Industry. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Woolf's Kitchen by Dominique Woolf launches into Ocado.com". The Phoenix. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Magnus, Emma (22 May 2024). "'It was the food that drew us in': chef Dominique Woolf on the culinary delights of Crouch End". Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 August 2024.