A native Detroiter – including a stint on the line in a Detroit auto plant – Melina Hammer blossomed into the premier, acclaimed cookbook author behind the very practical and popular “Kid Chef” and the sublime, award winning “A Year at Catbird Cottage.” “Kid Chef” has served as a pathway for thousands of new cooks – youth and adults – for preparing healthful, everyday sumptuous recipes and even appeared in the Disney movie with Bill Hader and Anna Kendrick, ‘Noelle’. It is a best-selling book to empower every aged person in the kitchen. “A Year at Catbird Cottage” was developed in New York’s Hudson Valley with seasonal, locally sourced, and foraged dishes, filled with celebration eating to commemorate special occasions. Captured in stunning photography, it is accompanied by a superbly written, lived narrative.