Melissa grew up in a large Italian family where “Mangia!” was a common word heard around the family dinner table. Melissa has fond memories picking figs, cucuzzi, potatoes and tomatoes from her grandparents’ garden She learned at a young age that family meals, healthy foods and eating wholesome food were a priority. Melissa also had an active childhood as a competitive gymnast. She was fortunate to have supportive parents and mentors throughout her gymnastics career that taught her the benefit of balancing her food choices and staying active. Building on her childhood experiences, Melissa found her calling while studying to become a registered dietitian. She loved learning about the relationship between different foods and the impact they had on a person's health, and was also inspired to help others understand this relationship so that they too could enjoy healthy and hearty lives. Melissa's career has not only allowed her to develop relationships with clients and help them on their health and wellness journeys, whether it be weight loss, weight gain, or general healthy eating habits, she also developed a specialty practice in helping those clients with diabetes and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) to better manage each condition.

As a mother of three (twin boys and a girl), Melissa has learned firsthand the challenges that come with feeding a family, including the joy of battling children that won't eat their vegetables. Melissa has used her years of knowledge and training, along with a healthy dose of trial and error, to help her family stayon the right path and find balance in their eating. Melissa enjoys the opportunity to share and fine tune those learned strategies to help guide other families with their individual healthy eating challenges.