Melissa Miranda is an American chef and restaurateur. Miranda was named one of Food and Wine Magazine's 2022 Best New Chefs and is a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist.[1][2] She is the founder of Musang, a Filipino restaurant located in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Melissa Miranda | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Culinary career | |
Current restaurant(s) | |
Award(s) won
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Early life
editAs a child, Miranda recalls her father's passion for food, as well as watching her grandmother cook, both of which served as moments of inspiration for her career as a chef.[3]
Miranda studied at the University of Washington, graduating in 2007 with a degree in sociology.[3] As a student, Miranda began working front of house in restaurants to earn some extra money.[1] Following her graduation, Miranda worked at Nordstrom in fashion management, eventually moving to Italy.[1] She attended culinary school in Florence and cooked at restaurants in New York City before moving back to Seattle.[4][5]
Career
editIn 2016, Miranda founded Musang as a pop-up.[4] Miranda named the restaurant after her father's nickname, meaning "wildcat' in Tagalog, which was given to him because he drove a Mustang.[3][6] She got funding to start a brick-and-mortar restaurant via Kickstarter, raising a total of $91,000.[7] The restaurant opened in early 2020. Miranda appeared on Marcus Samuelsson's PBS show "No Passport Required" at the start of 2020.[5] In March 2020, Miranda shut down the restaurant as the COVID pandemic hit, eventually pivoting to create a community kitchen.[7] Eventually, she reopened the restaurant.[8]
In her restaurants and her publications, Miranda focuses on combining classic Filipino flavors with locally sourced, seasonal produce. At Musang, she focuses on educating the public about Filipino food through the restaurant's menu.[3] She also founded the Musang Little Wildcats program, a Filipino food education initiative for kids.[9] She also starred in multiple videos for Bon Appetit Magazine and published six recipes on their website.[10][11][12]
In 2022, Miranda was named one of Food and Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs.[1] Furthermore, in January 2023, Miranda was named a James Beard Award semifinalist.[13]
As of 2023, Miranda is working on opening Kilig in Seattle's International District, which will serve bulalo and pancit.[14][15]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Shah, Khushbu (12 September 2022). "Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2022: Melissa Miranda". Food & Wine. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "The 2023 James Beard Awards Semifinalists". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ a b c d "What it's like to have dinner with Seattle chef Melissa Miranda". UW Magazine — University of Washington Magazine. 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ a b Amanda Ong (2022-03-24). "Chef Melissa Miranda of Musang Nourishes Community Stories Through Food". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ a b "Community Driven and Community Focused: Chef Melissa Miranda, by Danielle Krull". Womanly Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "How 5 Top AAPI Chefs Are Putting a New Spin on Fusion Cuisine". Vogue. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ a b Yap, Liz. "Melissa Miranda". outofprint.ph. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Melissa Miranda Reopens Musang for Takeout". Seattle Met. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Musang Is Seattle Met's Restaurant of the Year". Seattle Met. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "These 6 Filipinx Recipes Turn Pantry Staples Into a Cozy Winter Menu". Bon Appétit. 2021-02-19. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Melissa Makes Chicken Afritada", Bon Appétit, retrieved 2023-06-22
- ^ "Melissa Makes Pork Sandwiches", Bon Appétit, retrieved 2023-06-22
- ^ Eater Staff (2023-01-25). "Seattle's Semifinalists for the James Beard Awards Have Been Announced". Eater Seattle. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Seattle chef named one of the best new chefs in America". The Seattle Times. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ Estoque, Ronnie (2023-01-06). "Musang's New Filipino Restaurant Kilig Is Coming to the CID". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved 2023-06-26.