Melba Wilson

MELBA WILSON

American Chef, Restaurateur, Advocate, Panelist, Host/Judge, TV Personality, Author

Melba Wilson was “born, bred, and buttered in Harlem”. As a proud mother of a 20-year-old son, owner of a 16-year-old Harlem institution, Melba’s Restaurant & Catering, President of the Board of Directors for The NYC Hospitality Alliance, and recent appointee of New York City Mayor de Blasio’s COVID-19 Small Business Advisory Council, Melba represents her New York neighborhood as one of the most successful Black women in the restaurant and catering industry. Her style, poise, wit and love of entertaining has made Melba’s Restaurant a New York staple. The restaurant, has garnered rave reviews from countless prestigious news outlets including New York Magazine, Time Out, The New Yorker and Zagat.

Melba has appeared on many television series as a celebrity chef and industry expert including

60 MINUTES, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, LIVE WITH KELLY & RYAN, F*CK THAT’S DELICIOUS,

THE WORST COOKS IN AMERICA to name a few, and she famously beat Iron Chef Bobby Flay on THROWDOWN WITH BOBBY FLAY using her signature Southern Fried Chicken & Eggnog Waffles. Melba’s commitment to service extends beyond her providing meals to thousands of frontline and essential workers. She has lent her time and services to support many causes, including Alzheimer’s research, Diabetes relief, Literacy and senior citizen efforts, to name a few. She proudly serves on the Board of Directors for Opportunity Charter School, in addition to her advocacy work with The Girl Scouts of America, NY Women’s Foundation and The Doe Fund.

Melba’s cookbook, “Melba’s American Comfort”, was released in 2016 by Simon & Schuster. This distinct publication combines wonderful stories from Melba’s famed kitchen with secret recipes of her irresistible home cooking.

Wilson was twice awarded the Taste of Ebony Award from Ebony Magazine. Other prestigious honors include: The Westside Spirit Award, The Entrepreneur Award (presented by Congressman Charles Rangel), The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce Award, The Thurgood Marshall Prestige Award, and The Heritage Award.

Melba’s Catering has an extensive list of celebrity clientele and top American Businesses: Target, Nike, American Express, Pfizer, Time Warner, Bank of America, The NFL, The NBA, Transport Workers Union, Universal Records, The Archdiocese of New York, DJ Khaled, Jay-Z, the Zac Brown Band, and Katy Perry.

In 2020 Melba’s celebrates 16 years in business and has served over 2.5 million guests. Next up for Melba? 2 more restaurants, to be announced in 2020/2021!

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