From the Test Kitchen to the Great Outdoors: Cooking with Melissa Knific

On the podcast, I recently sat down with Melissa Knific. Melissa is a recipe developer, writer, magazine editor, and editorial food director with over 20 years of experience with some of America’s iconic food brands and media outlets, including New York Times Cooking, Allrecipes, TODAY Food, National Geographic, and more. With a background in journalism and a culinary degree from the French Culinary Institute, Melissa began her food media career as a Food Editor for Family Circle. She has developed content for HelloFresh and was recognized for her work as the Food Director of Rachel Ray in 2021 with an Eddie Award. Throughout her work, she helps make cooking approachable and joyful for home cooks everywhere.

Melissa and coauthor Nina Elder have written the upcoming National Geographic National Parks Cookbook: Dishes Inspired by America’s Great Outdoors, which is scheduled for release in February 2026. 

In this episode, we chat about how she creates recipes her audience will love, how she finds cooking inspiration for her own family, and how she and Nina Elder researched and developed recipes for their upcoming book.

Listen to the full episode or keep reading for some of the highlights from our conversation.

How Did You Get Started in Food Media?

Cooking has always been a cornerstone of my life. I grew up helping my mom in the kitchen. Whether it was family dinners, birthdays, or holidays, food was how we came together. But it wasn’t until after I started my career in journalism that I found food as my profession.

After college, I was working as a trade magazine writer, and my mom actually decided to enroll in culinary school. Helping her take that leap made me think about how I wanted to make a change as well. So, I left journalism to attend the French Culinary Institute in New York.

From there, I joined the food team at Family Circle. There, the test kitchen became my classroom. I learned how to develop, test, and edit recipes for real home cooks. Every recipe had to be tested multiple times to ensure it worked perfectly for the home cook.

“That was the starting point for everything I do today.” 

Working alongside talented editors and chefs, including my coauthor Nina, who worked in the Rachael Ray Magazine test kitchen next door, was like being part of a big culinary family. Later, becoming a mom gave me a new perspective on cooking. Suddenly, I was balancing time, dealing with picky eaters, and navigating real-life mealtime chaos. 

“Being a mom has made me a better recipe developer. I think about what people can actually do at home when it’s 5 pm and everyone’s hungry.”

Tell Us More About Your Book, National Geographic National Parks Cookbook

There are 63 national parks across the U.S., and this book celebrates them all with 100 recipes inspired by their landscapes, history, and communities. Each park is represented by one or two recipes. Some of the recipes are submissions from local park lodges and chefs, while others were developed based on local inspirations and ingredients.

For Yosemite, for example, there’s a boysenberry pie adapted from a historic lodge recipe, with easy swaps like blackberries if boysenberries aren’t available for you at home. Another favorite is a warm citrus wassail I developed for the book. It is perfect for the holidays and a cozy nod to the park.

“I think people will be surprised by the range of recipes in this book. Most people expect campfire food, but many dishes are quite elevated for special occasions—like the bison osso buco.”

Each recipe is thoughtfully paired with a story that connects it to its park, highlighting the regional ingredients and cultural significance.