When it comes to the Australian food industry, chances are that Melissa Leong has written about it, broadcast it, promoted it, been friends with it, or initiated a Twitter fight about it at some point. Starting out as a freelance food writer, she took a 5 year detour into restaurant marketing and PR consulting, specialising in building and launching brands as well as digital presence.

After kicking asses and taking names (co-founding The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide award winning restaurant industry initiative TOYS Collective in 2009 with Belle’s Hot Chicken chef Morgan McGlone), she returned to what she knows and loves best; writing, radio broadcasting, television presenting and generally shouting from the rooftops about what makes the Australian food scene so great.

As a freelance food writer, she specialises in cookbooks, recipe editing and chef wrangling, and has most recently had a hand in bringing to life books for chefs Colin Fassnidge, Dan Hong, Sydney pub group Drink’n’Dine’s This Could Get Messy,  and best seller The Great Australia Cookbook.

Melissa is also a MasterChef Australia judge alongside chefs Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen.