Melissa Donovan d'Arabian is an American cookbook author 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 Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

Early life and education

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 Maryland, d'Arabian attended the University of Vermont, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. d'Arabian joined

Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Chi Omega (, also known as Alpha Chi or A Chi O) is a national women's fraternity founded at DePauw University in 1885. As of 2023, it has more than 140 active collegiate and 170 active alumnae chapters in the United States and has initiat ...

. After a period working on cruise ships as part of the entertainment staff, d'Arabian studied at Georgetown University, earning her MBA.

Television and professional career

After winning ''Food Network Star'', d'Arabian launched her show, ''Ten Dollar Dinners'' in 2010. The show focused on affordable meals that cost ten dollars or less to make. The show ran for three seasons. 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, d'Arabian began hosting a show on the Cooking Channel, ''Drop 5 Lbs. with Good Housekeeping'', which featured low-calorie recipes and weight loss tips. d'Arabian is a frequent judge on ''

Guy's Grocery Games '' Guy's Grocery Games'' (often nicknamed ''Triple G'') is an American reality competition television series hosted by Guy Fieri and his son Hunter on Food Network. Each episode features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination contest ...

'', where she has demonstrated her ability to speak fluent French. She has also appeared on several other Food Network series, such as ''

The Best Thing I Ever Ate ''The Best Thing I Ever Ate'' is a television series that originally aired on Food Network, debuting on June 22, 2009 (after a preview on June 20). The program originally aired as a one-time special in late 2008. After being cancelled by The Foo ...

'', ''Chopped'', ''

Food Network Challenge ''Food Network Challenge'' is a competitive cooking television series that aired on the Food Network. In each episode, professional chefs vie in a timed competition in their professional specialty. The winner receives a check for $10,000 and a go ...

'', and ''

The Best Thing I Ever Made ''The Best Thing I Ever Made'' is an American cooking reality television series that aired on Food Network. It featured a rotating lineup of chefs demonstrating how to prepare their favorite recipes. The series is a spin-off of ''The Best Thing I ...

''. Her recipes and budgeting tips have also been featured on the Today Show, CNN, People, ''

Food Network Magazine ''Food Network Magazine'' is a bi-monthly food entertainment magazine founded by Hearst Communications and Scripps Networks Interactive based on the latter's popular television network Food Network. The magazine debuted in 2008, originally as tw ...

'' and iVillage.com.

Ten Dollar Dinners

''Ten Dollar Dinners'' is an American cooking television program hosted by d'Arabian. It debuted August 9, 2009 at 12:30 PM EST. Melissa d'Arabian is the winner of the fifth season of ''

The Next Food Network Star ''Food Network Star'' is a reality television series that aired from June 5, 2005, to August 5, 2018. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for seasons 9-14. It aired on the Food Network in the ...

''. The second season of her program premiered in January 2010 on the Food Network. During this season, she received a new kitchen set, which has the set up similar to a home kitchen. The third season of her program premiered in July 2010. In each episode, d'Arabian shows the viewers how to cook up a dinner for four people based on a budget of $10 USD.

Personal life

While working in merchandise finance in Euro Disney, d'Arabian met her husband, Philippe. They live near San Diego, California, with their four daughters. d'Arabian identifies as a Christian and attends the First United Methodist Church of San Diego.

Mother's suicide and related charitable work

On April 12, 1989, d'Arabian lost her mother to suicide. d'Arabian described the loss of her mother as taking a toll on her financially, logistically, and emotionally. Following the death of her mother, d'Arabian states that she entered into a "decade-long tail spin". She attributes this period of time to the isolation she felt due to the stigma of suicide. This experience led d'Arabian to become involved in mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Specifically, d'Arabian advocates for reductions of stigma against suicide, mental health, and substance abuse as well as encouraging people to reach out when they feel suicidal. Since 2009, d'Arabian has worked with the

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that advocates for research and education around suicide, based in New York City, with a public policy office based in Washington, D.C. The organization's s ...

(AFSP). Initially, the AFSP approached her after she dedicated a recipe to her mother on an episode of

. They published one of her recipes at a National Survivors of Suicide Day event. d'Arabian has participated in the San Diego Out of the Darkness Community Walk, been a part of the AFSP panel at the Congressional Spouses for Suicide Prevention and Education congressional briefing, and donated cookbook proceeds to the organization. In May 2013, d'Arabian was awarded the Survivor of Suicide Loss Award by the AFSP. She has also competed on

, Chopped, and

Cutthroat Kitchen ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' is an American cooking show hosted by Alton Brown that aired on the Food Network from August 11, 2013 to July 19, 2017. It features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination cooking competition. The contestants fac ...

for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. d'Arabian has volunteered with a number of other charitable organization including teaching family cooking courses for Coronado Substance Abuse Free Environment and live-tweeting her

mammogram Mammography (also called mastography; DICOM modality: MG) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer ...

for

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), also referred to in the United States as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awaren ...

Filmography

Television

Bibliography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:d'Arabian, Melissa American television chefs Food Network chefs Food Network Star winners Living people Writers from Tucson, Arizona American women food writers American women chefs American cookbook writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers People from Anaheim, California McDonough School of Business alumni Writers from San Diego People from Bethesda, Maryland Christians from California Chefs from California University of Vermont alumni People related to suicide prevention Year of birth missing (living people) Chefs from Arizona Chefs from Maryland Christians from Arizona Christians from Maryland 21st-century American philanthropists 21st-century American women philanthropists Philanthropists from Arizona Philanthropists from California Philanthropists from Maryland