Meet Chef Missy
The French Magnolia
The Southeast’s Premier Personal Chef
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Chef Missy moved to New York City at the age of 23 without her parent’s financial support. Although she had a college degree in Interior Design, she called on her talent and passion for cooking to support herself. She scored a prep job in a prestigious kitchen and within a short time rose to executive sous chef developing menus and recipes for Manhattan’s elite.
Chef Missy was soon invited to be Executive Chef at a prestigious manhattan prep school. After two years and with the encouragement and support of her friends and sometimes clients, Missy started a catering company Consummate Caterers.
Due to her love of design and art, Missy decided to take a break from the pressure and long hours of the professional kitchen. She founded an interior design business, MC interiors LLC. For 10 years, she had clients in New York City, Atlanta and Charleston. In addition to her design work, Missy also planned and executed many soires, weddings and high-profile culinary events for her clients. In 2007 Chef Missy returned to school for a degree in holistic nutrition and soon after, began cheffing again full-time. Once again, Chef Missy quickly rose through the ranks in several fine dining restaurants in Charleston before accepting an Executive Chef position at a 5-star Relais & Chateaux restaurant & property in Blowing Rock, NC.
Obsession Can Be a Good Thing
Over the course of her career Chef Missy has been obsessed with all things French. With an obvious emphasis on French cuisine, her passion for French decor, design and culture is captured on her beautiful pates and in her uniquely creative culinary & wine experiences & intimate weddings. While mostly self-taught, Chef Missy spent decades ‘learning by doing’ in both professional kitchens and at home. Her fervor for studying, embracing and executing French techniques and recipes spilled out into her southern roots. In 2016, her passion for both the South and her French DNA led her to create The French Magnolia. Originally, a food blog-vlog, Chef Missy and her huband, long-time restaurant & hospitality veteran, Thomas Fraley, decided to turn The French Magnolia into a luxury in-home fine dining company with a focus on all-inclusive culinary & wine experiences. As of 2022, Chef Missy & her huband, Thomas (a pretty serious wine expert), have palnned and executed over 500 elevated culianry & wine experiences and served almost 7,000 people from all over the world.
In January of 2022, Emmy Award winning producer/director Jacob Dellinger approached Missy & Thomas about doing a television culinary show. With a passion for writing and a love of the south and all things farm, Chef Missy (and team) developed FRENCH MAGNOLIA COOKS, a show that honors the farms & food of the magnificantly beautiful region of Southwest Virginia.
Join Chef Missy as she takes you from Hunt & Farm to Chef & Wine to the Table all in one day. Field and Stream teaching with, John C. Gurley. Wine pairing & teaching with Thomas E. Fraley and recipes taught with warmth & humor by Chef Missy. An inspirational, savory and educational epicurean journey through Southwest Virginia.
Season One premiers PBS Passport DECEMBER 2022.
ADDITIONAL EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
Chef Missy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from Converse College (an all-women liberal arts college in Spartanburg, SC) and a conservatorial degree in acting from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Missy also received a degree in holistic and integrative nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. She is Board Certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She has also obtained additional training and credentials in Immunology and Endocrinology from the Institute for the Brain Potential under the American Medical Association.
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