We had Chef Mel over for my Dad’s 70th birthday celebration and I can’t say enough positive things about her. She was super responsive leading up to the dinner, working with me directly on menu options and dietary restrictions. The food was incredible all the way from the first course to the last. She was truly lovely to have around, very polite and considerate. It can be tough to choose a private chef when you’re limited to online research, but trust me when I say you won’t be disappointed with Chef Mel!
Melissa exceeded our expectations- delicious food, amazing presentation, great service. We can’t wait to have her back!
Chef Melissa exceeded my expectations, she was so professional yet warm. We loved having her at the house. She really heard what we wanted in terms of menu style and delivered. The food was absolutely delicious, my husband and I are actually trying to recreate one of her dishes the very next day because it was so good. She sources as much as she could locate which was important to us. 10 out of 10 and look forward to hiring her again!
My love of cooking stems from touchstone memories of learning from my Italian grandparents in the kitchen and garden.
After culinary school, I spent several years of my early career in NYC Michelin-starred fine dining, which afforded me the opportunity to work with the most sought after ingredients in our world, learn incredible technique and, learn how to move with purpose.
My time cooking in Alaska set a dormant flame ablaze within me—I foraged morels, made my own sea salt, I realized what a gift it is to connect to the origin of an ingredient and carry that love and appreciation into the dish I was to create with it.
In 2018, I began to offer private chef & events services in the Hudson Valley, NY, finding the last crucial piece of what drives me—the connection to the guest.
I am grateful to see the care that goes into the ingredients that I cook with, feel the love that connects back to those touchstone memories in the kitchen with Nonna, experience the connection among guests at the table.
I see food as the common denominator; the best facilitator of connection, love, and celebration.
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