When she cooks she likes to feed a crowd – 10 to 20 people is her ideal-size dinner party at the home she built with partner Josh Whelan.

“I like easy dishes that I can prepare beforehand so I can spend time with our friends,” Mell said.

“I have a number of good, go-to recipes that are tried and true. All my friends think I should belong to Over-caterers Anonymous because I always cook too much food.” 

While Nestle food technologist Josh did most of the cooking at home during the week, Mell said she was happy to cater for crowds at social gatherings.

As winter had now arrived she favoured Irish stew, gnocchi and Beef Bourguignon.

“In the warmer months I’m the salad queen,” she said.

“I would do a butterflied lamb on the barbecue with a range of salads.

“I have a watermelon, fennel and pomegranate salad as well as a go-to green salad but we have access to a wide range of salad produce in the North East.”

Originally from Orange, Mell worked in her home town, Sydney and Canberra before she moved to Rutherglen in 2000.

Having been raised on “meat and three veg”, her interest in food spiked in a hospitality job at Orange and later living in the capital cities.

“Sydney has an amazing range of different cultures and food so I was introduced to ‘not meat and three veg’ options,” she said.

“I still didn’t cook much because Sydney was so cost-effective to eat out.”

In the North East she worked for Campbells Wines for about three years and then later for Cofield Wines for five years.

“I was fortunate to find foodie friends here in Rutherglen,” she said.

“I grew up on grey veg and grey meat!”

Now regional marketing manager for the Findex Group/Crowe Horwath, Mell is also establishing her own new business Starfish Marketing.

“When I came to Rutherglen my intention was to move on to Adelaide but I’m still here 16 years later,” she said.

“It’s a beautiful community in a lovely wine district.

“We built a house on the outskirts of Rutherglen and moved in about five years ago – we have beautiful views out to Corowa.”

Six things I can’t cook without: Garlic, onion, fresh herbs, chocolate, a good set of sharp knives and a glass of wine.