Born and raised in New York City, Melissa O’Donnell has worked in New York City restaurants her entire adult life; earning five Michelin Bib Gourmand awards over the course of her restaurant ownership. In all of her restaurants Melissa strives to bring people together through good food in a warm atmosphere.
Melissa opened her first restaurant, Stella, in the summer of 2001 earning rave reviews from The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily and numerous other publications. With one of the first communal tables in the city, Stella started a restaurant trend that Melissa would continue in her next restaurant Salt.
Salt opened in the summer of 2002. The dining room, defined by the 3 long whitewashed tables, was one of the first communal dining restaurants in The United States. Salt also built its reputation as one of the first Farm to Table restaurants in the city and received accolades for sourcing the best seasonal ingredients. Salt Bar, the Lower East Side outpost, opened in 2003 and was one of the city’s first gastro-pubs and a destination for Beef Wellington. Both Salt and Salt Bar were named top 100 restaurants in New York by New York Magazine and Time Out New York. Salt received a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2011. In 2013, Melissa opened Thelma on Clinton, a mezze restaurant with a menu reflecting the diversity and immigrant culture of the Lower East Side. Thelma on Clinton was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2015, 2016, 2017. Lil’ Gem, a “Lebanese-ish” restaurant reflecting the flavors of her childhood opened in 2017. It was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2019.
Most recently Melissa was The Executive Chef at The Williamsburg Hotel including the Mediterranean restaurant Seven Seeds and all of the hotel’s food outlets.
