Gaby Melian

Gaby Melian(born 1969 or 1970) is an Argentinian chef and cookbook author. After completing college, Melian moved from Argentina toNew York City, where she attended theInstitute of Culinary Educationand worked as a chef and in various roles in culinary education. Around 2016, she joinedBon Appétitmagazine to work in thetest kitchenand later become test kitchen manager, appearing in videos for the magazine'sYouTubechannel until 2020. She has since released a memoir,Food-Related Stories, and a children's cookbook of Latino foods,Gaby's Latin American Kitchen.
Gaby Melian was born inBuenos Aires, Argentina in 1969 or 1970, and was raised there.She recalls that, starting at the age of 8, she spent much of her time growing up assisting her family in the kitchen, where she helped prepare food, tried different ingredients, and fell in love with food. Her grandmother Porota taught her how to cook.After her grandmother taught her to crimpempanadas, she became the family's "crimping expert" and would assist in making empanadas for parties.
Melian later earned a degree in journalism.While she was in college, her father, an artisan, would create silver and leather goods to sell in outdoor marketplaces, where she would often sell food to the other vendors.After completing college, she relocated to New York City with the goal of working for a Spanish publication.She enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education in 2003, after discovering theirwork studyprogram, and completed programs in culinary management (2005), culinary arts (2005), and pastry arts (2006).According to her personal website, she worked at the Institute of Culinary Education as a chef assistant and was a chef instructor for New York-based organizationsCity Harvestand The Cooking Room. In addition to other jobs in culinary education, she has held "many other jobs as a teacher, waitress, babysitter, organizer, and space designer".
After Melian's mother died from cancer in January 2016, she decided to put a hold on her business ventures and look for work.She was then employed atBon Appétitmagazine as a test kitchen assistant and then the test kitchen manager.In August 2020, two months after the resignation of editor-in-chiefAdam Rapoportand the subsequent fallout regarding inequitable pay for staff and contributorsof color, Melian and several other members of theBon AppétitTest Kitchen announced they would no longer film videos for theBon AppétitYouTube channel as discussions withCondé Nast Entertainmentregarding pay remained unresolved.
Starting in 2020, Melian has focused on publishing content on her YouTube channel,Gaby's Kitchen, according to her personal website.In 2022, she published a memoir and a children's cookbook of Latino foods.
Melian's memoirFood-Related Storieswas published byPenguin Workshopin January 2022. It is part of thePocket Change Collectiveseries of books illustrated byAshley Lukashevsky.The book contains stories of her culinary career and "how food has always been present in all my battles", and it was written for young adult readers.
In late 2022, Melian released a children's cookbook of Latino foods titledGaby's Latin American Kitchen: 70 Kid-Tested and Kid-Approved Recipes for Young Chefs. It contains recipes from her childhood and those she learned after she came to the United States. It is part of the series of books associated with the cooking showAmerica's Test Kitchen.
As of 2023, Melian resides inJersey City,New Jersey.