San Diego mom and businesswoman Melanie Dunn has proven that it is never too late to try a new career path. In 2018, Dunn gave up her 15-year career as a high school teacher to live her dream of becoming a chef.
Dunn, a mother of one child, said she was teaching high school English when a former student told her about Le Cordon Bleu. One summer, Dunn took the leap to train in Paris before later opening her North Park eatery.
Today, Dunn is the owner of Pâtisserie Mélanie in North Park, an inviting bakery and restaurant where customers can indulge in French pastries such as croissants, eclairs and more. The eatery also serves a Parisian dinner and lunch menu with offerings such as French beef stew and braised chicken.
“If you have spent any amount of time in France, you’ve come to know that the corner bakery is essential to the French way of life,” Dunn said. “I wanted to create that for the North Park community, which has always stood out to me as a vibrant village of creativity and taste. Not a day goes by that someone in the community doesn’t stop into Pâtisserie Mélanie and tell us how glad they are that we opened, that we are exactly what NP has been missing. It is satisfying to be a neighborhood gem in a neighborhood filled with gems.”
Although her dishes are beautiful, Dunn said she cares more about the authentic taste of her dishes more than its aesthetics — even in the world of Instagram.
“I hold myself to a high standard,” Dunn said. “I hold myself accountable as an ambassador of French baking and its techniques. Our croissants take three days to make. The almond paste and raspberry compote in our best-selling raspberry almond croissant is fait à la maison [made in-house], as is the brioche in our croque monsieur. These are just two examples of how there are no shortcuts at Pâtisserie Mélanie. We understand this makes a difference in the taste of the final product. I am very proud of my team and their commitment to authenticity and to high standards.”
Dunn’s North Park kitchen brings her back to her childhood when she often baked with her mother.
“My mom influenced me becoming a pastry chef,” Dunn said. “But not in the classic way where I learned by standing at her elbow in the kitchen while she baked. I did help her a lot in the kitchen when she baked birthday cakes and special occasion desserts.”
Dunn said her mother also empowered her to make her own foods as a child.
“I was an 80s ‘Latchkey Kid’ — very independent,” Dunn said. “My brother and I would get home from school and be responsible for doing homework, chores, and making our own snacks. I think my interest in cooking came out of this experience—being given lots of responsibility and the resources to cook on my own at a young age. It was very empowering.”
As a mother today, Dunn hopes to bring that same empowerment to her own child.
“I hope my child sees perseverance — holding onto a vision of your business,” Dunn said. “But also that talent and creativity is not enough. Planning, organization, long work days, are the necessary hard work to see your dreams through to fruition. When my child laments mom not being home, I remind her of my commitment to my goals as a new business owner, which right now — because we are in the first year of operation — is a considerable time commitment. But I also remind her it’s not forever, and so it is important for the two of us to continue to talk and craft and bake together to maintain our close relationship.”
____
San Diego Moms is published on Saturdays. Have a story idea? Email hoaq@timesofsandiego.com and follow her on Instagram at @hoawritessd.