Chef Melissa Martin

Melissa Martin’s cooking is a love letter to sustainability and coastal Louisiana

Come one, come all: Chef Melissa Martin’s Mosquito Supper Club is a communal dining experience that pays homage to her South Louisiana upbringing.

A native of Chauvin, Louisiana, Martin comes from a family of fishermen and a fishing community. She founded the Mosquito Supper Club in 2014 as a way to share her Cajun roots, through both cuisine and storytelling. Meals at Mosquito Supper Club feel more like an intimate dinner party than a traditional restaurant. Courses are served family-style and diners mostly sit at communal tables, turning strangers into friends as Martin weaves stories of her upbringing in Chauvin into each dish that comes out of the kitchen. 

Central to Martin’s cooking is her passion for sustainability, support of local fishermen and farmers, and having a true connection to the food that you bring into your kitchen. Her debut cookbook, also titled Mosquito Supper Club, is a visually stunning love letter to Southern Louisiana, and the culinary and ecological landscape that shaped her experience as a chef. The book went on to win a James Beard Award in 2022 for Best Book under in the U.S. Foodways category. You can even sample a recipe from her cookbook here.

Operating as a prepaid restaurant, diners buy tickets in advance and come to the Mosquito Supper Club with an open mind. The menu changes based on seasonality and availability, so you’re in store for a treat each time you visit. If you’re more interested in stopping by for a casual cocktail and snack, the bar at Mosquito Supper Club is first come, first serve, and offers an enticing menu of natural wines, cocktails, and small bites such as raw oysters.