‘MasterChef’ Winner’s New Store ‘Completely Destroyed’ After Christmas Eve Incident

A MasterChef winner’s gourmet cookie shop was destroyed by a fire, delaying the shop’s opening. WSMV reports Whitney Miller’s gourmet cookie company, Whitney’s Cookies, was flooded after a fire on the second floor activated the sprinkler system. The store has been under construction for months, with the fire occurring on Christmas Eve.

Miller won Season 1 of the FOX reality cooking competition series. The store was set to open this month. 

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. 💛 Our Nashville store was destroyed, and the outpouring of love, prayers, messages, and support has meant more to us than we could ever put into words. This community has wrapped us up in kindness, and we feel it deeply,” Miller captioned a video to Instagram. “If you’ve asked how you can help us rebuild, one way is by purchasing our Nash 🍪. It’s available both in-store (downtown Franklin) and online. Every cookie helps us take one step forward. 🤍 We are heartbroken — but we are not broken. This will not steal our joy. We’re so grateful to walk through this with all of you. Thank you for standing with us. Thank you for loving Whitney’s Cookies.”

Her personal page boasts 39.5k followers. Her cookie shop’s Instagram account boasts over 14k followers.

Miller told the media outlet: “A lot of work has gone into this space to really make it something special. We hope we can build back really soon and just pray for our neighbors, too, who were affected.”

“Those wanting to help Whitney’s Cookies rebuild can place an order for nationwide shipping, or visit their flagship storefront location in downtown Franklin (100 4th Avenue North at Main Street),” Nashville Publicity Group shared.

As of now, there’s been no determination of how the fire started. An investigation is currently underway. Outside of the cookie shop, Miller has two cookbooks. Modern Hospitality was released in 2011 and offers fresh takes on classic dishes that have been passed down throughout generations of Southern women in her family. New Southern Table is her more recent release, where she experiments with different flavors giving her family recipes updates.