She was representing Dunedin after winning the 8-and-under category of the regional competition last year, and was up against budding young chefs from across the country.
The aim of the contest was to highlight vegetables, and affordable healthy meal choices for entire families.
Mia loves vegetables, so it was no surprise when she sailed through the national heats with her mushroom soup and garlic bread dish.
She went on to win the grand final with her vegetable koshari.
"It's an Egyptian dish. It's got rice, a tomato vegetable sauce and crispy onions on top.
"It's one of my favourites."
She said the grand final was hectic because she only had 30 minutes to prepare her dish.
She has been practising making the dish for weeks which allowed her to handle the pressure like a professional - even when the gas cooker temporarily cut out.
Although she is only 8, she said winning the award was already making her think seriously about a career as a chef.
The senior final winner was Erynn May, of Palmerston North, who created a parsnip and sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla mascarpone.
