MELISSA FINN

Mixologist and Forager

Melissa’s career in food & beverage is rooted in her passion for natural ingredients and the fascinating stories of where food comes from.  As a bartender in an award winning fine dining restaurant focused  on local seasonal cuisine Mel had the opportunity to learn more about and explore the complexities and pleasures of mixology . Her career accelerated from there leading her into various General Management positions providing the chance to vastly expand her knowledge of the hospitality industry . 

Mel’s passion for wild, local, and seasonal ingredients continues to inspire her lifelong commitment to the exploration of food and beverage . She has made it her mission to connect directly with the ingredients that she uses, taking the time to learn how to mindfully cultivate an edible garden and by studying the cycle of bees and the art of beekeeping.

In 2018 Mel acquired her hunting licence  and joined Kevin Kossowan, the award-winning filmmaker and creator of the series From the Wild, as a guest. Together with Kevin and his crew Mel experienced her first hunt in the boreal forest . Mel has collaborated with Kevin contributing content for his Vimeo On Demand series with a focus on foraged wild foods for creative cocktail making.

Using the ingredients found around the From the Wild ‘bear camp’  Mel created her signature cocktail, The Smoked Boreal Manhattan, using Alberta rye. She concocted this smoked spirit  using only forest ingredients —crafting a vermouth made from the same ingredients used in the smoke, cooked over a camp stove. This resulted in the expressive essence she was determined to capture: this cocktail is an ode to the forest garnished with candied lichen, and a split twig  .

After over a decade of methodically exploring ingredients and meticulously making notes in her journals, Mel feels like she is only getting started on her journey. An avid forager and  mushroom hunter, she challenges herself and pushes the boundaries  with creations that rely on a foundation of foraged flavours from the wild.  She enthusiastically seeks out neglected natural edibles and what some consider weeds to create delicious natural treats like sodas made with wild harvested yeast from foraged ingredients that express stories of the seasons.