Meet Melissa Irons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Irons.

Hi Melissa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up going to work with my mother, who ran a kitchen inside a St. Louis hotel for over 17 years. Granted, she would have me in the kitchen by 5:30 am before school, but I loved it- hot blueberry muffins, the smell of fresh coffee, people laughing and jazz music filled the air. As I grew older, I was encouraged by my mother to “.. .not end up in the kitchen”, so I studied Chemistry at Jackson State University (Jackson, MS). While in undergrad, I started to host at a restaurant. By the end of my 1st year with the company, I was on the cook line. While at JSU, I was also on the Cheerleading & Women’s Golf Team so I found myself falling in love with “hosting” gatherings on or off-campus for my friends. Once I completed my degree, I moved into management with the restaurant company running kitchens in Lake Charles, LA, and Atlanta, GA for over nine years. Prior to covid-19, I was the Executive Chef at The Hive Buckhead but found a greater love for cooking outside of the restaurant environment.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’d like to think that every bump or struggle has gotten me to where I am today. From being female or petite and coming into a male-dominated industry that others went to school for and placing myself in the same room as them and sometimes as their superior. I always have to work harder, prove that I deserve to be where I am.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Chef. With over 12 years in the culinary industry, I think I have proven what hospitality means. The passion I deliver to my clients time and time again is what makes me proud. Right now, I am a personal chef to a great family here in Atlanta, so it has taken away my time to offer weekly/daily meal prep services. However, I do offer event services.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The past year has changed the food and beverage industry forever. I pray for the businesses that won’t make it these next few months. There’s a rush to get back to normal. However, there is this stigma of large social gatherings. Hopefully, 2021 brings good news of a vaccine that will shift the way we move as a society. However I feel like we’re in this “take-out” phase a little longer. But I do think the next wave is “infused” I think this generation of chefs will come up with a way of sustainability for the future.

Contact Info:

• Email: ironscuisines@gmail.com
• Website: ironscuisines.com
• Instagram: @chefmelissairons