Melony conjured the origins of Manna Moon in her Brooklyn apartment with four of her close friends while living in New York. What initiated as a combination of an intension setting ceremony on the Full Moon, and thought curated Sunday Suppers with her chosen family, soon evolved into a thirty-person monthly lunar dinner which transformed her entire apartment.
Born on a Full Moon eclipse, this nomadic epicurean is constantly in search of food for the soul with which she nurtures everyone who is able to enjoy Melony’s cooking. She expresses her love through cooking for her community and is what anchors her during times of change. Determined to overcome the recurring challenges in her life and to positively embrace her fears, Melony started developing her own rituals to release what no longer served her and to get into alignment with what she wanted. The Moon has always served as a guiding light in her life and an anchor during the ebbs and flows of her life. She combined all the elements of her personal practice, her love for cooking and building community to create enchanting evenings with friends all dressed in white.
Melony grew up in a small town in the Cape Winelands of South Africa and attended Stellenbosch University obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree. Multi-talented, she worked in sports marketing, modeling, brand management, television branding, and production as well as co-presented a travel series traveling by road from Timbuktu to Cape Town.
In 2006 she moved to the United States with only a green card in hand, two suitcases, and a box of her favorite cookbooks where she gave herself three months to find a job. Her inner guidance ultimately led her to the travel industry designing private travel to Africa and representing luxury hotels and safari lodges located on the mother continent. As a natural traveler in life, therefore it is no surprise that Melony shares DNA with the Khoisan people, one of the oldest surviving civilizations and considered to be the first nomads of the world.
Melony now lives in Miami Beach, eats her way through the world, all while continuing her work in fostering impact driven partnerships within the tourism industry. She also personally hosts the Manna Moon dinners which have evolved into dinner communions and workshops following a lunar calendar.
Melony is passionate about building sacred and deep community through food, and helping you become the highest version of yourself.
“Melony has the most amazing warm, welcoming and positive energy and she is one of the best cooks that I know. There was always great wine, and her energy is so contagious that all the guests seem to also be genuinely warm, outgoing and positive as well”
— Wayne H.
