Melissa M. Martin grew up on the Louisiana coast and has lived in New Orleans for over 25 years. She graduated from Loyola University New Orleans and honed her self-taught culinary skills to a professional level. Martin spent many years at Café Hope, a nonprofit restaurant, teaching at-risk youth to cook seasonal food. In 2014, she opened Mosquito Supper Club, a Cajun restaurant created to celebrate the bounty of the shrimpers, oystermen, crabbers, fin and crawfish fishermen, and farmers that define bayou cuisine. Her first book, Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou, was named a Best New Cookbook by Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, NPR, The Splendid Table, Eater, Epicurious, and more. It was awarded Cookbook of the Year and Best American Cookbook by the IACP and James Beard foundation. She has been nominated twice as Best Chef South by the Beard foundation. She writes about food, life and love, not always in that order. Follow her on Instagram at @mosquitosupperclub and on Twitter at @mosquitosupper.