Phone: (805) 565-7550 x 111
Email: [email protected]
Fax: (805) 565-7554

Melissa’s journey through life has naturally led her to the s’Cool Food Initiative as an advocate for healthy children and healthy foods.  From a young age, she learned about the close relationship between food production and the health of people and the earth.  She spent time in the garden and the kitchen with her mother and in the field with her father who is an avid huntsman.  Exposure to these activities planted the seeds for what would eventually grow into a true passion for food.

Her interest in wholesome, sustainable foods has led her to farmers markets, kitchens, tables and gardens throughout California and around the world.  Working as a volunteer at Three Stone Hearth community supported kitchen in Berkeley, she learned the importance of active engagement in the modern food system as a means of reforming it.  As the cook at Camp Cavaignac, a small non-profit summer camp which encourages children to break free from their regular inactivity, Melissa integrated produce grown on-site into the menu. 

Now, as the s’Cool Food Programs Manager, Melissa enjoys working directly with school food services staff to explore what is possible in their kitchens.  She strongly believes that any change can happen when members of a community come together to support one another.  Melissa will continue to work towards giving our next generation access to fresh, whole, sustainably grown food and she is eager to empower the community to change the way that people relate to their food.