Hi, I'm Mel!

My passion for cooking started at the early age of 9.  I would watch my mom cook us a homemade meal each night inclusive of a dessert.  They were simple, consistent, and plentiful. She made the best pot roast!  On Sunday we would go to my grandmother’s for a fancy sit down in the dining room dinner.  The New York Times cookbook lay on the counter with the binding cracked open to her favorite recipes.  I remember the shish kabobs like it were yesterday. And boy were her cookies the best. My baking legacy began then. Whipping up batches of cookies, homemade cakes, reading and studying recipe after recipe.  

My love of cooking blossomed into formal schooling, working in the famed Disney World restaurants, opening my own café and catering business, cooking classes, cookie business, and food truck all under the brand we know and love today – Gourmeli’s Taste – Style, Flavor Family! As a chef, I find great comfort and satisfaction in cooking on a day-to-day basis.  It soothes my soul, nourishes my loved ones, and brings friends and family together.  As Julia Child once wrote: “ Find something you’re passionate about and stay tremendously interested in it. “