Melissa d'Arabian

Melissa d’Arabian
d'Arabian in 2016
Born	(1968-10-01) October 1, 1968 (age 48) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Culinary career
Cooking style	American and French Food
Television show(s) Ten Dollar Dinners Kitchen Survival Guide (pilot)

Melissa Donovan d’Arabian (born October 1, 1968) is an American chef and television show host. She won the fifth season of Food Network Star in 2009. Following her victory, she went on to host Ten Dollar Dinners on Food Network.

Born In Anaheim, California, d'Arabian moved throughout her childhood to Tucson, Arizona; San Diego, California; and Bethesda, Maryland. During this time, d'Arabian attended several private Christian schools. d'Arabian's parents divorced when she was a few months old, and she and her sister were raised solely by her mother. Because her single mother was paying her way through medical school, Melissa discovered her passion for cooking and developed her budget strategies very young. In an interview with Food Network, she said, “That's where I learned about cooking as a way of showing people that you care about them.” After high school at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Md, d’Arabian attended the University of Vermont, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. Melissa is a member of Alpha Chi Omega women's fraternity. After a period working on cruise ships as part of the entertainment staff, Melissa studied at Georgetown University, earning her MBA.

Following the birth of her four daughters, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom. Melissa applied her methods for saving money on foods while still providing her family tasty and satisfying meals, snacks and "company fare." She began to speak at women’s groups, sharing her budgeting techniques with other moms, teaching them how they could cut their grocery bills up to 70%. A video made for local moms on making homemade yogurt would eventually become Melissa's audition tape, part of her application to the Food Network for the Season Five of Next Food Network Star. Despite having no formal culinary training, d’Arabian won the fifth Next Food Network Star in 2009.

After winning Food Network Star, d'Arabian launched her show, Ten Dollar Dinners. The premise of her show is to give healthy, family friendly recipes and meal ideas that cost under ten dollars. In every episode, she follows her Ten Dollar Promise: “four people, ten bucks, infinite possibilities.” In 2012, she published her first cookbook, Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes and Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week, which became a New York Times best seller. Also in 2012, Melissa began hosting a show on the Cooking Channel, Drop 5 Lbs. with Good Housekeeping. She shares healthy recipes and lifestyle tips to help people learn how they can lose weight and still enjoy good food. She has also appeared on several other Food Network series, such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Chopped, Food Network Challenge, and The Best Thing I Ever Made. Her recipes and budgeting tips have also been featured on the Today Show, CNN, People, Food Network Magazine and iVillage.com.