Melissa was born and raised in Los Angeles by traditional Chinese parents. She knew how to work a wok by age six and learned to cook by experimentation and mimicking cooking shows like Julia & Jacques.
After obtaining a B.A. in Cognitive Science from UC Irvine and graduating top of her class from the Culinary Institute of America, Melissa relocated to San Francisco and trained under several Michelin star and James Beard-acclaimed chefs, most notably Dominique Crenn, Craig Stoll, and Ron Siegel. As Siegel’s Sous Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Dining Room, she adopted a true appreciation for local, seasonal ingredients and the discipline of classic technique.
Most recently in 2014, Melissa appeared on the twelfth season of Bravo TV’s popular series, Top Chef, and impressed judges with her clean and inventive style. She was amongst the final 4 contestants in this cooking competition.
Melissa currently works as a private chef, demonstrating whole animal and farm-to-table movements. In addition, Melissa works with Kitchit (http://www.kitchit.com), a web based culinary service that connects users with local, world class chefs who can create everything from gastronomic fine dining adventures to casual dinner parties, wherever and whenever diners want them.
When not in the kitchen, she enjoys travelling to new destinations to deepen her culinary inspiration, exploring the outdoors, attending concerts and practicing yoga.
At Soul Food Salon Melissa discussed the various techniques for preparation of seasonal vegetables in order to extract the most flavor in a healthy way: roasting, blanching, steaming, etc. She also used a variety of herbs and acids to brighten up the flavor of these foods without needing to incorporate fats. Finally she created a beautiful and tasty spring garden vegetable and whole grain salad as well as a cauliflower & caper dish.
Good Eggs (www.goodeggs.com) provided the produce and grains for this salon. Good Eggs combines the goodness of the farmers market with the convenience of online grocery shopping. Choose from the best local produce, dairy, meats, cheeses, fresh bread and more. Order exactly what you want and we’ll deliver it all—for free!
CONTACT INFO FOR MELISSA:
INSTAGRAM: @mel_the_butcher TWITTER: @chefmelissaking www.chefmelissaking.com
Click here to get the recipes from the salon.
