From Judy Rodgers' Kitchen to Roman Classics: The Culinary Journey of Melissa Reitz

After crafting a career that reads like a who's who of culinary excellence, Chef Melissa Reitz is bringing her wealth of gastranomical experience to Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley through her innovative new venture, The Produce Smuggler. After trading her art studies at Philadelphia's Tyler School for the heat of professional kitchens, Reitz cut her teeth at the now-legendary Django – that intimate BYOB that revolutionized Philly dining in the late '90s – and the innovative Susanna Foo, where French technique met Chinese flavors before fusion was fashionable.

But it was a transformative backpacking odyssey through Northern Spain that ignited her passion for food's cultural significance – feasting her way from the molecular gastronomy hotbed of Barcelona to the pintxo paradise of San Sebastián, where chefs like Pedro Subijana and Juan Mari Arzak were redefining Basque cuisine.

Landing in San Francisco in 2004, Reitz secured a coveted position with Michael Tusk at Quince – years before his James Beard Awards and those coveted Michelin stars. There, she absorbed Tusk's fanatical dedication to Northern Italian traditions executed with hyperlocal California ingredients.

Not content with secondhand knowledge, Reitz immersed herself in Italy's culinary traditions through WWOOF, making cheese in Abruzzo alongside families who had perfected their craft over generations. Upon returning to San Francisco, she enjoyed a career-defining stint at the iconic Zuni Café under the late, legendary Judy Rodgers, whose obsession with perfect simplicity and that famous roast chicken forever shaped Reitz's approach to flavor balance.

Her education continued under Charlie Hallowell at Oakland's Pizzaiolo, where she embraced the true California ethos of cooking with fire and reverence for ingredients that Hallowell had honed during his years at Chez Panisse alongside Alice Waters.

Italy called again, and Reitz answered with a stage at Osteria La Libera in Alba, the white truffle capital of Piedmont. Working in an intimate kitchen where dinner service was followed by private tours of neighboring wineries hosted by producers like Bruno Giacosa and Gaja, she developed an uncompromising respect for regional Italian traditions.

"Melissa and I cooked together for many years at my restaurant Camino," says acclaimed chef Russell Moore. "During that time she showed not only dedication and commitment to excellent cooking but also in finding the very best ingredients available. She forged lifelong relationships with Bay Area farmers which put our restaurant first in line when vegetables were at their peak."

These farmer connections became Reitz's signature strength. At Bar Agricole, her commitment to hyperlocal sourcing earned the restaurant three stars from the San Francisco Chronicle and restored its place on the coveted Top 100 list.

James Beard Award-winner Craig Stoll of Delfina Restaurant Group recounts: "As the chef of our San Francisco restaurants Locanda and Delfina, Chef Melissa regularly prowled Bay Area farmers markets in search of top quality, inspiring products to drive our daily-changing menus. Her strong personal relationships with farmers and other producers gave her priority access to some of the world's best produce. Melissa's deep knowledge of individual varieties, geography, weather and growing practices, plus the way in which a fruit or vegetable evolves throughout its season enable her to put each to its best use in the kitchen."

After managing the acclaimed Delfina restaurant and pizzeria through the challenges of the 2020 pandemic, Reitz moved to Aspen in 2021. 

Today, when not on the slopes or trails of her mountain home, as founder/owner behind the Produce Smuggler, Reitz is poised to bridge the gap between exceptional farmers and discerning Colorado food lovers, preparing to bring her culinary expertise and unparalleled ingredient knowledge directly to Roaring Fork Valley kitchens through her meticulously curated produce deliveries.