Meet the chef

 She is a chef, pastry chef, entrepreneur, mentor, and personality on international live cooking shows and TV. She is also a photography and travel enthusiast.

Originally from Panama, Chef Melissa has managed to combine her love of cooking with her passion for technology, marketing, and photography. She has successfully combined her love of cooking with her passion for technology, marketing and photography.

She is the founding partner of Panama Mills S.A., a company dedicated to producing flour from tropical tubers for use in pasta, bread and other finished foods for local sale and export.

In 2012, she won first prize in the 3rd UNCTAD Women in Business Award, presented by the United Nations and UNCTAD EMPRETEC in Doha, Qatar, for her project on gluten-free products made with tropical tuber flours.  She has developed complete lines of pasta, bread, energy biscuits and desserts using flours from tubers grown in Panama. All products are 100% Panamanian exports.

She appeared on FOX Latin America's third season of La Pastelería, sharing the spotlight with four other Latin American chefs. The programmes are broadcast on Canal Utilísima 3 throughout Latin America and the United States.

Chef Melissa is a dedicated scholar who holds a degree in Hotel and Tourism Management from a renowned Mexican institute. She is a culinary arts professional who has graduated from prestigious academies. 

While in California, she delighted the palates of hundreds of families who enjoyed her Chef at Home personal chef service. She then returned to Panama, joining the prestigious Riba Smith Group as Pastry Chef in 2003 to develop the Fine Pastry Department.