Melissa M. Martin grew up on the Louisiana coast and has lived in New Orleans for 20 years. After graduating from Loyola University in New Orleans, she worked as an adult literacy teacher until she evacuated to Northern California during Hurricane Katrina. While living there, she worked at some of the top Napa Valley vineyards and restaurants, and this is where she honed her self-taught culinary skills to a professional level. Martin returned to New Orleans three years later and opened Satsuma Cafe, a casual farm-to-table restaurant, and worked at Cafe Hope, a nonprofit restaurant, teaching at-risk youth to cook seasonal food. In 2014, she opened Mosquito Supper Club, where she serves family-style meals to small groups of guests who reserve a place at her table months in advance. Find her on Instagram @mosquitosupperclub.
"Mosquito Supper Club . . . is here to try to prevent the region's Cajun cooking from slowly disappearing. Martin's as much of a teacher as she is a cook; there's barely a recipe in here that doesn't have an extra paragraph of information on ingredient sourcing, prepping, and serving." --Epicurious, The 55 Books We Want to Cook From Now "Martin shares the history, traditions, and customs surrounding Cajun cuisine and offers a tantalizing slew of classic dishes. . . . Writing in elegant prose, Martin is less concerned with the still-life plating of entrees than she is with painting the landscape of her upbringing." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "Mosquito Supper Club is a lovingly rendered valentine to the sadly disappearing Cajun world. It's a must-have work for anyone who cares deeply about the food of the United States." --Jessica B. Harris, cookbook author, consultant, culinary historian "With Mosquito Supper Club, Melissa Martin opens the door into the savory-scented kitchens of mothers, aunts, and sisters. She reveals a world that is rich and complicated, a way of life that is sustaining and unique--and she also mourns what we have already lost and stand to lose yet in this endangered region and culture. This book's fantastic recipes will fill your belly with bounty, but its stories will thrill your heart while tugging at your soul." --Ronni Lundy, author of Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes "Home cooks will find equal joy in cooking and eating Melissa Martin's unique recipes and in reading about her efforts to preserve and share her native culture." --Nina Compton, chef and owner, Compere Lapin "Melissa Martin's ability to evoke a story, a history, and a sense of place through dishes like Velma Marie's Oyster Soup is a true testament to her love of where she comes from. Mosquito Supper Club is a stunning tribute to the Cajun way of life." --Kelly Fields, chef and author of The Good Book of Southern Baking "While no one can teach you more about how to expertly eat crawfish or make perfect blackberry dumplings, it's Melissa's dedication to the traditions of her community that will affect you the most." --Tara Jensen, baker and teacher, Smoke Signals Baking
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