Melanie Hawkins
MBA, RD, LDN
At Centered Chef, Melanie utilizes her talents as a registered and licensed dietitian, marketing wiz and educator. Her contributions and passions for melding food and wellness are centered in research, recipe development and marketing strategy.
Melanie moved to Chicago from Seattle, in 2012, in pursuit of a career change after more than a decade of experience in food and hospitality. During this time she obtained her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Bastyr University, the nation’s leading natural health sciences university. This was a very impressionable time in Melanie’s life, where she learned to respect the healing power of nutrition by modeling an integrative approach to education, research, and community service.
While moving on to Dominican University’s Coordinated MBA and Dietetic program, Melanie’s passion for food was evolving. During this same time she was part of the team that opened the fine dining restaurant concept, Senza, which soon after earned Michelin star status, under the helms of Chef Noah Sandoval.
Melanie’s ultimate goal was to obtain the credentials allowing her to merge her love of food service, marketing, and nutrition. This unique trajectory in education and professional work is where she found her starting point as an intern with Centered Chef. With years of food service, clinical, and community experience, she’s committed to exploring new expressions for nutritional support and making healthy food delicious and attainable for all.
Since earning her MBA and RD/LDN, Melanie has worked as a Food Service Operations Manager for a major healthcare system in the Chicagoland area, as well as New Product Specialist for a leading sports nutrition company. She is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, as well as a member of dietetic practice groups Management in Food and Nutrition Systems and Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine.
When she is not busy researching and applying the latest nutrition trends and science, Melanie enjoys staying active by boxing, HIIT workouts, and participating in local Chicago 5K or 10K races for charity.
