As host of Tina Cooks, which is produced through the facilities of Leominster Access Television ­ a pubic access cable channel in Leominster Massachusetts, Tina Piermarini is a bona fide TV cook phenomenon. Ask Tina how it all began and she will tell you, "I've always liked to cook."

The idea of channeling a deep Italian food affection into a career didn't occur to Tina until after she graduated from Leominster High School in 1975. Indeed, it was at the Culinary Training & Education program at the old Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner that Tina found herself.

Graduating with honors in 1976 from the program as the only woman in her class, she commenced working in restaurants immediately in the North Central Massachusetts area, taking off time only to marry her high school sweetheart Carl Piermarini in 1979. Tina's restaurant experience peaked with a long career as head chef at the King's Corner Restaurant in Leominster in the late 1970's. It was also during this period that Tina worked in her "spare" time starting a small business as a then unheard of "personal chef " and also running a catering business for small functions.

In the interest of starting a family, Tina left full time restaurant work in 1981. She worked for a while in various smaller restaurants and pizza houses as a part time manager where she discovered her love of teaching and instructing others in the fun, simplicity and ease of home cooking, a passion that would give focus to her subsequent work in television. In the late 1980's, Tina took a part time job making soups and pasta for Bobby Chic's Italian Café in Leominster. Two years later she again took over the reigns as head chef and stayed on when the restaurant changed hands and became Maddie's Italian Café.

Tina was still toiling in restaurants when an opportunity opened up for her to work in a less physical capacity as a bookkeeper for a local law firm and also for the Leominster Telecommunications Corporation in 2001. At the urging of her husband Carl, Executive Director of Leominster Access Television, in October of 2002, Tina was asked to try hosting a cooking show for LATV to help fill out the viewing schedule on the cable channel. Tina's love of basic home cooking (with a heavy Italian flair) and keeping traditions alive by passing on the love and ease of cooking was an instant success. Three years and more than 30 shows later, Tina Cooks is still going strong today.

Tina is working on a cookbook and a website, but she will be the first to admit that it is a slow process and a lot of work. It embodies Tina's mission as both cook and TV host: To encourage everyone to cook delicious and healthful food at home with family and friends.

Tina lives in Leominster with her husband. She has two grown children and is patiently waiting for grandkids to spoil.