Melanie Coiro & Summer Shack – Cambridge, MA

Pastry chef Melanie Coiro started her culinary career in 1978, in Buffalo, New York by working at a collective run vegetarian restaurant called Greenfield Street, and from there, moved to Manhattan in 1984, to work at a small-scale bakery called Yeast-West and then, continuing her interest in natural foods, worked at an alternative place called Arnold’s Turtle.  Three years later she moved to Boston looking to expand her interest in classical cuisine. Her first home was a bistro called Rebecca’s, but the lure of fine dining wouldn’t let her rest.

In 1993, she then settled into the kitchen of Great Chef Jasper White, as his sous chef. Great Chefs was there to tape both Chefs Jasper and Melanie for Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs – Great Cities series in 1994.