San Francisco chef Melissa Perello may not have known that she was destined to cook, but her mother certainly did when, one day after school, she found young Melissa de-boning a leg of lamb at the tender age of 12. Growing up, Perello drew inspiration from the cookbooks and TV shows of Julia Child and Nathalie Dupree, and from her biggest role model, her late grandmother Frances Seidel, with whom she spent summers in Northern Texas cooking and baking for hours on end. Her first professional job was in the kitchen of a local country club after her family moved to Houston from her hometown of Nutley, N.J. Perello then returned to the east coast after high school to study at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, where she honed her culinary talents and prepared for life in the restaurant industry.

Following her passion for food, Perello moved to San Francisco to work under the tutelage of executive chef Michael Mina of Aqua. After working with Mina, whom she cites as a major influence, Perello transferred to Aqua's sister restaurant Charles Nob Hill, where she would rise to become executive chef.

It was at Charles Nob Hill where Perello garnered great critical acclaim for her California-inspired French cuisine. Her accolades include the San Francisco Chronicle's Rising Star Chef honor in 2002, one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2004, and three James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef nominations in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Perello cites her time working alongside mentor Ron Siegel at Charles Nob Hill as another defining experience. "Ron taught me how to create relationships with purveyors and make ingredients shine," she says. Inspired by weekly Saturday morning trips to the farmer's market and helped establish longstanding relationships with local purveyors, which inform her seasonal American menu that showcases artisanal products from Northern California's exceptional farmers.

Her numerous accolades attracted the attention of Fifth Floor, a San Francisco fixture consistently named one of the country's top restaurants, where Perello took the helm as executive chef. Fifth Floor was subsequently awarded a Michelin star in 2006 under her leadership.

In fall 2009, Perello opened her first solo restaurant, Frances, which quickly garnered glowing reviews and earned a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award nomination for Best New Restaurant. Located at the intersection of San Francisco's Castro and Mission districts and named after Perello's grandmother, Frances offers modern California cuisine in a relaxed neighborhood setting.