Chef Melissa
Verified chef
Chef Melissa uses cooking to bring food enthusiasts together, and to celebrate cultures and curiosities. After spending her youth in her home country of Taiwan, she worked as a food writer and spent dozens of years in Boston honing her craft alongside renowned chefs. Part story-teller, part educator, and part food and wine lover, Chef Melissa blends her Asian roots, her world travels and her love of food and culture to bring joy and inspiration to people everywhere.
- Boston
- Newton
- Private Chefs
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Chef Melissa
Cooking Classes
Cozymeal guest reviews for Chef Melissa
Lisa
11 Jun 2022
We had a wonderful experience with Chef Melissa!! She was so patient, understanding, and a great instructor, even when I made a mistake!! This was our first time taking a cooking class and she definitely set the standard high! Chef Melissa even made our night more special by taking the time to get an extra dessert to celebrate my husband's birthday! Definitely A++
Jenny
02 Jun 2022
Chef Melissa was an incredible instructor! My partner and I were given gifted this experience and it was top tier: the recipes Chef Melissa created were all wonderful, accessible for beginners, wonderfully tasty, and she was always available to help us truly learn the recipes rather than just providing instructions. She made the class fun with her open herb farm, preparation of all the ingredients, and was generously willing to improvising for any food restrictions. We are hoping to book another class soon; we truly felt like we connected with her and the other attendees!!
Robert
29 May 2022
We had a great time taking this class. Melissa is a great teacher and an excellent chef. We learned so much about the art of making dumplings and can recommend this class to everyone who is interested in learning how to make them. Melissa will make sure you will feel at home immediately.
Thomas
21 May 2022
Cooking with chef Lee was so enjoyable! The ambience was great and her personality was outstanding! She was able to show us different flavors of herbs, how to chop herbs, and the different types of knives and equipment used in the kitchen. Was a very good experience and felt right at home. She is an amazing chef! Thank you for your class, chef Lee!!!
Alexandra
21 May 2022
Chef Melissa was so fun to have this class with. She does a great job making the experience very interactive and educational while keeping it light and enjoyable. The food was great and we can’t wait to use the skills we learned to start making sushi at home. This made a great gift for my husband who kept saying how much fun he had!
Andre
20 May 2022
We had an absolute blast with Chef Melissa! We left with full bellies and full spirits. The whole experience was extremely informative and accessible, and we left feeling confident we could try making dumplings on our own!
florent
15 May 2022
We had a lovely evening with Chef Melissa and the other guests, food was amazing and ambiance was great, we are already looking at her other classes ! Thanks a lot for the class.
Brianna
07 May 2022
We had such a great time with Chef Melissa! We learned so much about sushi and all of the recipes she showed us are possible to do at home as well. Can't wait to cook sushi on our own!
Suzanne
21 Apr 2022
Melissa was fantastic. She has an impressive resume and is a great instructor. You can tell she is passionate about cooking and bringing people together to make memorable experiences. This was gift to my mother-in-law from her daughter and (2) daughter-in-laws. She adored the experience as did we. Melissa went that extra step and lit a candle, sang happy b-day, and even gave her a cool gift. The food exceeded my expectations and the best part is I now have the knowledge and skills to whip up those amazing dumplings and a pot of wonton soup.
Sheri
09 Apr 2022
Great class! Chef Melissa was so much fun and personable. I was initially nervous as I attended the class alone, but I was immediately at ease when I met Chef Melissa!
Kim
08 Apr 2022
Chef Melissa was so friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. We had a wonderfully delicious time!!!
Melissa
26 Mar 2022
Chef Melissa has such great energy and we loved her passion for food and teaching. She was very accommodating towards dietary restrictions and created a cozy and hospitable environment for us to learn from her. Would highly recommend to anyone!!
Kelly
20 Mar 2022
My husband and I had a great time learning new Japanese creations from Chef Melissa! Her home was so inviting and was the perfect setup for an intimate cooking class. Everything turned out delicious and we definitely will be trying these recipes on our own!
Norma
12 Mar 2022
Chef Melissa was great. She taught us so many techniques, including knife skills and for different styles of sushi. My son and I left feeling confident that we could do this at home with our family and friends. Everything was delicious. She made sushi making completely doable for a home cook, something I thought would not be possible. I definitely recommend this class!
Isaac
16 Feb 2022
I highly recommend the Classic Japanese Comfort Food class with Chef Melissa. We learned how to make a three-course meal which includes Okonomiyaki, miso ramen, and matcha crepe. I enjoyed tremendously both the cooking activities and the delicious finished product. Chef Melissa is a wonderful host for this memorable event. The class is well planned ahead and organized so that once the cooking is complete, we could all relax and enjoy the company.
katie
13 Feb 2022
Chef Melissa was wonderful! She is knowledgeable, hospitable, and friendly. The meals were delicious and unique and she taught you how to easily recreate them at home. She was accommodating to me and my guests dietary restrictions. I walked away with some great cooking tips. What a fun experience! I would highly recommend her class.
Sergio
30 Jan 2022
Melissa's sushi class was fantastic! I had fun and learned so much about making sushi. She was also very personable and sociable. She told fantastic stories about her culinary experiences. I will be doing more classes with her in the future.
Alex
29 Jan 2022
Melissa and her sushi class were both really fantastic! We had fun, laughed a lot and learned some useful fundamentals about sushi making. The Sushi was so yummy, it will be hard to order out anytime soon. We would absolutely and highly recommend this experience to others and in fact are hoping to try a dumpling course with her in the future!!! Great night out.
Abigail
24 Jan 2022
Chef Melissa was amazing! We had so much fun learning, and the food was so so good! We’re excited to try out our new skills at home.
Brianna
23 Jan 2022
This was my second time booking with cozy meal and Chef Melissa made it a great experience. Anyone can show you how to make the meal, but her energy, humor, and gratitude is what stood out. There were only four students, so she took the time to really teach us, help with any questions, and laugh with us. Everything was organized and prepared when we got there, and her apartment is beautiful. She showed us proper knife techniques, the differences between the ingredients, how fold the dumplings correctly, and served us wonton with her homeade broth that was made beforehand. She even gave us homeade stickers to take home :) Definitely recommend Chef Melissa!
Emily
23 Jan 2022
We took the dumpling class and it was a wonderful experience! Chef Melissa was warm and welcoming, and she made it a fun and engaging experience. She is very knowledgeable and taught us a lot of great tips along the way. We would love to take another one of her classes!
Cecily
22 Jan 2022
Melissa was an incredible coach and the night was one of the best times we've ever had. She gives practical sushi tips for the home cook which makes it seem possible to make sushi at home all the time. From the ambiance to the food to the company I can't imagine a better way to spend an evening. Best sushi we've ever had!
Abby
22 Dec 2021
Chef Melissa provided such a warm and wonderful experience! The authentic ingredients and thought she puts into her client experience is unmatched! We will be certainly schedule a large group session in the future!
Megan
21 Dec 2021
Chef Melissa was amazing! My family and I took the Sushi Making Essentials class and had a blast! Chef Melissa thought of everything and made the class very easy to follow and fun to interact with. We learned so much - knife skills, sushi rolling, and how to make our new favorite, Temaki! I cannot recommend one of Chef Melissa's classes more!!
Isabel
19 Dec 2021
Amazing experience, incredible food and super friendly chef! It was worth every penny and we were super satisfied with the meal and the teacher. Highly recommend if you like gifting experiences!
Guest reviews for Chef Melissa
Andy
08 Dec 2021
I had Melissa cook for my family as a Christmas gift and we all had a blast! We wanted a French Theme so Melissa gave us a bunch of options including different dessert ideas. We ended up picking a classic French seafood bouillabaisse and sticky toffee pudding! Melissa was well prepared and asked us many questions to make sure we had everything we need in order to cook properly. If we didn't have something, she would bring the tools that we didn't have. She gave each of us an assignment and taught us the proper way of cutting ingredients, measuring, techniques, and history. It was all done with humor and fun! Melissa is very patient with high energy and passion. The end results was the best Bouillabaisse my family ever tasted and we all made with the help of Melissa! The sticky toffee pudding was fantastic too. My 11 year old nephew even helped put the frosting on top. I highly recommend Melissa for a fantastic time and learning experience!
Adam
06 Dec 2021
Melissa is a dynamo of energy, charisma and great knowledge. She understands the food and beverage world in combination better than most people out there. Moreover, Melissa can communicate deep knowledge in a way that is relatable, insightful and engaging. Her election of recipes and beverage pairing can be unique and eye opening. i recommend Melissa as a teacher and speaker. She will amaze you
Claire
06 Dec 2021
I hired Melissa for a private cooking session since I grew up in Asia and have always wanted to learn how to make authentic Asian comfort food after I moved to the US. Before the class, Melissa ensured that we would have all the equipments and ingredients, which made our class go very smoothly. During the class, Melissa was very patient to guide me through the whole process, shared about the history behind the dishes, and taught me some basic techniques. I learned so much from her class. Melissa is very tentative and extremely fun to cook with, and of course the meal (we made okonomiyaki the Japanese pancake and potstickers) was just delightful and delicious. I highly recommend her class.
Kristen
06 Dec 2021
Don’t hesitate to book an in home cooking class with Chef Melissa! You pick the menu to suit your guests. Melissa keeps the cooking fun and easy, teaching the how and why of measuring, mixing and baking. With three sons and my husband, we made Parmesan monkey bread and moist chocolate cupcakes with marscapone frosting. Delicious. Everyone got involved and had a great time. Planning a dumpling class for Spring.
Andy
06 Dec 2021
I had Melissa cook for my family as a Christmas gift and we all had a blast! We wanted a French Theme so Melissa gave us a bunch of options including different dessert ideas. We ended up picking a classic French seafood bouillabaisse and sticky toffee pudding! Melissa was well prepared and asked us many questions to make sure we had everything we need in order to cook properly. If we didn't have something, she would bring the tools that we didn't have. She gave each of us an assignment and taught us the proper way of cutting ingredients, measuring, techniques, and history. It was all done with humor and fun! Melissa is very patient with high energy and passion. The end results was the best Bouillabaisse my family ever tasted and we all made with the help of Melissa! The sticky toffee pudding was fantastic too. My 11 year old nephew even helped put the frosting on top. I highly recommend Melissa for a fantastic time and learning experience!
Connie
06 Dec 2021
My kids had the best time with Melissa during the dessert class. Melissa came to our home and was great with the kids. She was professional, friendly and patient and we love her hands on approach. They made mini apple pies and cupcakes. The kids had fun mixing, cutting the apples, rolling out the dough for the crust and decorating the cupcakes. We had Melissa come close to the holidays and she brought the cutest holiday sprinkles for the cupcakes. Everything was delicious and the kids can't wait for their next class with Melissa!
Danielle
02 Dec 2021
My husband and I had recently been talking about ramen, and how we would love to learn how to make it. I hired Melissa for a private in-home cooking lesson as his Christmas gift; we spent a few hours together learning about proper cooking techniques, made ramen noodles from scratch, and enjoyed a delicious meal together. For desert, we enjoyed green tea cakes that we made from scratch while learning all about sake. It was such an enjoyable evening, filled with lots of laughs (we found out we've been holding chopping knives wrong our whole adult lives) and great memories. I highly recommend Melissa!
Colleen
02 Dec 2021
Melissa is a knowledgable, friendly and enthusiastic instructor. Her thoughtful teaching style is tailored to the student's needs. Her lived experience makes her perspective unique and valuable. She can truly do it all; from dumplings to pastry, Melissa's passion is infused into her work.
Ryan
02 Dec 2021
My wife and I hired Melissa for a private cooking session and we were very impressed with her menu, technique and professionalism. Before we started she made sure to consult with us about our likes, dislikes and food allergies. She also asked about kitchen equipment to ensure that he had everything necessary for a successful outcome. We opted for an heirloom tomato salad with homemade dressing and burrata, followed by seared scallops with chorizo and corn and made from scratch banana bread for dessert. Everything was not only delicious, but she made sure to go slowly and explain the proper cooking techniques as we progressed through each dish. She is also a trained sommelier and paired some very nice selections with our meal. Not only did we have a great meal, we came away from the session with a better understanding of how to make the most out of our recently renovated kitchen. I highly recommend booking a lesson with Melissa -- you won't be disappointed!
Sequoia
02 Dec 2021
Words can't say enough how amazing Chef Melissa Lee is in spirit and in her work. She presented/taught a quick Japanese salad at our For Womxn, By Womxn Summit and was fabulous. She is the perfect mix of intentional teaching and big spirit for an amazing and fun cooking experience. I wholeheartedly would recommend Chef Melissa Lee for any cooking lesson or segment. She's that good!
Mary
02 Dec 2021
Melissa is a wonderful cooking instructor and chef! My family decided to take a two-hour cooking and baking class with Melissa because her passion for teaching, cooking and baking are inspiring. What an amazing family activity to take her class, even for an 11 year old boy and that's saying something! We came to the class with three different cooking experience levels and we all left happy. We had such a good time (and our tummies left happy!) that my husband and I plan to book more classes as a date night activity. It is hard to top learning together in an engaging environment with a teacher whose passion is like no other. Work with Melissa and you'll be glad you did!
Brandon
22 Nov 2021
Chef Melissa is absolutely wonderful! Her charismatic personality and fun approach to classes make for a great time. She has such great knowledge on food, sake, and wine. Her passion for her craft shows in her work, you will be delighted after experiencing her classes.
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