How do you make an Italian butcher who is proudly and loudly dressed in the colors of his country's flag weep tears of joy?.If you're chef Melissa King, you make tiramisu—but you make it personal.When the lights shone brightest, King defeated her competitors by weaving together the story and flavors of her life.The resulting four-course menu built momentum with each dish and clearly set her apart from the other finalists.Born in Los Angeles to a Cantonese mother and a Shanghainese father, King was raised in the San Gabriel Valley.She came up through the Bay Area ranks in kitchens like Campton Place, Luce, and the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton.But King has managed to redefine what it means to be a chef, and she’s doing it without four walls or a large staff.Her projects include pop-up dinners, a line of handcrafted signature sauces; and being a trailblazer for LGBTQ chefs­.I can create my own version of what it is to be a successful chef, Melissa King