Melissa Kelly (chef) facts for kids

Melissa Kelly is a famous American chef from Rockland, Maine in the United States. She is known for her amazing cooking and for using fresh, local ingredients in her dishes.

A Top Chef's Journey

Melissa Kelly has won many important awards for her cooking. She received the James Beard Award for "Best Chef in the Northeast" not just once, but twice! She won this special honor in 1999 and again in 2013. The James Beard Awards are like the "Oscars" for chefs in America.

Learning to Cook

Chef Kelly studied cooking at a very well-known school called the Culinary Institute of America. She was a top student and even graduated first in her class! After school, she worked with other famous chefs like Larry Forgione and Alice Waters. These experiences helped her learn different cooking styles and how to create delicious meals.

Primo Restaurants

Melissa Kelly is the co-founder and head chef of her own restaurant, Primo. At Primo, she cooks Italian cuisine and Mediterranean cuisine. This means she makes dishes inspired by countries around the Mediterranean Sea, like Italy, Greece, and Spain.

What Makes Primo Special?

Primo is famous for its "farm-to-table" approach. This means Chef Kelly uses ingredients that are grown or raised very close to the restaurant. She often gets fresh vegetables from her own gardens and meat from local farms. This helps her create meals that are super fresh and taste amazing.

Primo's Locations

Chef Kelly has two Primo restaurants. One is in Rockland, Maine, where she lives. The other Primo is located inside the JW Marriott Resort Grand Lakes in Orlando, Florida. The Orlando restaurant was completely updated and reopened in 2021. It now celebrates Chef Kelly's family history, tracing her roots back to Puglia, Italy.