Melissa Maedgen

Melissa Maedgen owes her passion for cooking and gardening to her parents. Like her mom and dad, she’s fond of improvisational cooking with a focus on fresh produce from her garden or from local farmers. She enjoys cooking outdoors, sometimes in a particularly rustic manner—she once roasted a goat on a spit (actually just a piece of rebar) over a fire in a field in Texas. Maedgen was raised to be a DIYer, so she often makes her own tofu or beer. She’s been following Leite’s Culinaria since 2001, when she was studying Portuguese and developed an interest in Brazilian and Portuguese food. She became a tester in 2009 and loves that she gets to cook foods she might not otherwise make.

Melissa Maedgen

Homemade Maple-Espresso Bacon

Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Stovetop Fruit Pie Filling

Carnitas ~ Mexican Braised Pork

Homemade Ketchup

Blue Cheese Balls

Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers ~ Moo Yang

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Honey

Peach and Rhubarb Jam

Bayou Fried Shrimp

Baked Mushrooms in Foil Packets

Cheater’s Gochujang

Grated Carrot Salad

Baked Asparagus with Parmesan and Balsamic Vinegar

Red Chicken Posole

Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Roasted Sweet Potato and Feta Salad

Korean Steak

Jamaican Beef Patties