Meet The French Magnolia

Hi. I’m Chef Missy, a true blue southern gal with a whole lotta French blood running through my veins. After I received an undergraduate degree (BFA in interior design),  I underwent a rigorous and fiercely competitive audition process and was accepted to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and at the age of 23, I moved to New York City without my parents financial support.  

At the beckoning of friends, I called on my gifts and passion for cooking to support myself. I scored a prep job in a prestigious kitchen and within a short time rose to executive sous chef and later executive chef developing menus and recipes for Manhattans elite.

Once again with the encouragement of friends, I started a small catering company, Consummate Caterers, which I ran successfully in New York and eventually Atlanta. Due to my second love of architecture and design, I decided to take a break from the pressure and the intensely long hours of the professional kitchen. I founded an interior design studio and business, MC interiors and for 10 years worked with clients in Atlanta, Charleston and NYC. In addition to my design work, I planned an executed small weddings, social soirees and culinary for my clients.

KA-BOOM! 

During the economic crash of 2007-08 I returned to school for a degree in Integrative Nutrition and soon after, began cheffing again. I 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 in Blowing Rock, N.C.

Over the course of my career I’ve had an obvious emphasis on French cuisine, my passion for French history, design and culture is captured on my plates and in my uniquely creative culinary & wine experiences. 

The Accidental Chef

I truly dislike the term ‘self-taught’. The truth is that I gained my training and ‘learned by doing’ in both professional kitchens and at home over 3 decades. I have an intense work ethic and fervor for studying, embracing and executing French techniques and recipes and these obsessions spilled out into my southern roots.

In 2016, my passion for both the South and my French DNA led me to create my present-day culinary brand, The French Magnolia. It really began as a food blog, but pretty soon my husband, (long-time restaurant & hospitality veteran) Thomas Fraley, decided to turn French Magnolia into a luxury in-home fine dining company with a focus on all-inclusive culinary & wine experiences and catered events.  

As of 2024, they had planned and executed over 1,250 elevated culinary & wine experiences and served a little over 10,000 people from around the world.

In January of 2022, the television network PBS and Emmy Award winning producer/director Jacob Dellinger approached me about doing a television culinary show. With a passion for writing and a love of the south and all things farm, I developed the now multi-Emmy Award winning FRENCH MAGNOLIA COOKS, a television show that honors the farms & food of the magnificently beautiful region of Southwest Virginia.

Join me, Chef Missy (and our team) on PBS where we take you from farm, field and stream to the table – all in one day.  With warmth & humor discover the inspirational, savory and educational epicurean journey through Southwest Virginia. 

WOW!

In 2023 I earned an Emmy Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. In 2024, I earned two more Emmy Award nominations – for Best Show and Best Writer.  Most recently, we have been Emmy nominated for Best Show..again!

In my personal time, I love spending time with my husband and dogs. I also loves writing, gardening and watching French films. Yes, I am a self-proclaimed Francophile, as I love all things French. I will continue to tell that story both in my personal life and on the plate.  But at the end of the day, you can take a girl out the South, but you can never take the South out a girl.