Terry Farris came to cooking as a second career, having worked as a photojournalist in the States. Her first cooking memories were of baking chocolate-chip cookies in her grandmother's kitchen.
After moving to the UK, she received a diploma with distinction in 1994 from Leith's School of Food and Wine. She has cooked for Pierce Brosnan, King Constantine of Greece and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester as well as researched and tested recipes for Reader's Digest and Tesco cookbooks. In addition, she teaches adult cookery classes at Richmond Adult and Community College in west London.