all about mel

I was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, but I have lived in small towns all over the state. Since I was young, I have always loved food, particularly fresh, whole food. My cousins and I used to spend days at my grandmother’s farm, where she would enlist our help in her garden or in her general store. Today, women like me long for the simplicity of a life like my grandmother’s—the whole family gathered around the table to eat farm-fresh produce, long stretches of uninterrupted family time—but the reality of the modern world often keeps us from making space to just be. Life gets crazy; kids have sporting events and social events to attend; husbands get slammed at work. When does it all slow down?

For me, life became pretty crazy pretty fast. My wonderful husband John and I got married in 1998 and welcomed our first daughter Maggie into the fold in 1999. Just a couple of years later, our son Boone was born. John and I were busy with his oral-maxillofacial practice and our kids’ hectic schedules. I attended every class party, every sporting event, and every church event in which my kids were involved. I was all in for my kids and my husband; all the while, I was running every day for my physical and mental health. Life was crazy, but it was so much fun. Then, my father got cancer. I was devastated, but my problem-solving brain wanted to figure out what healthy lifestyle changes we could implement to help my father through his treatments. Additionally, I wanted to know what my family and I could to do fight and prevent cancer. I started researching what foods can fight cancer, and my love for learning about whole foods grew from there. Even after my father’s recovery, I continued to experiment with healthy whole foods recipes for myself and my family.