With a Jewish mother and an Italian father, Melissa Petitto was raised around an eclectic collection of food in the unlikely city of Birmingham, Al. With two seemingly diverse cultures that center life around the kitchen, Petitto gained an early appreciation for food and its impact on a person's life. However throughout elementary and high school Petitto was convinced that ballet was her passion and her future. Then while still in high school, Petitto apprenticed with world-renowned chef Frank Stitt at Highlands Bar and Grill, and she was smitten with a new and familiar passion for cooking and for food. Attending Johnson & Wales University from 2000 to 2004, Melissa Petitto was afforded the opportunities of working for The Governor's House Inn as the bed and breakfast chef and at Cooking Light magazine in the test kitchen. Graduating from Johnson & Wales University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Nutrition in 2004, Petitto received the top honor of Apprenti Cuisinier. In order to enhance her skills and opportunities, she furthered her education at Emory University Hospitals with a dietetic internship. Upon passing her registered dietician's exam, Petitto made the move to New York City to pursue her career goal of becoming a personal chef and cookbook author. Nine years later, Melissa's career is on an evolving path of writing cookbooks, creating individualized meal plans for her clients and enjoying all this amazing city has to offer involving food and nutrition.