3 Qs for: Melissa Perello

The chef-owner of Frances in San Francisco is an inspired cook in her restaurant—or around the campfire with her dog, Dingo.

photo from SFWeekly

What are your favorite pursuits outside the kitchen?

MP: I try to ride my bike. I snowboard. And I really like camping and hiking in Mount Tamalpais state park or Point Reyes or Big Sur. More often than not, it's just myself and my dog. I bring a book, a cookbook, my diary and just veg out.

Any thought of a campfire cuisine cookbook in your future?

MP: I've been toying with that idea. That's the funnest part for me, getting creative and cooking outdoors. The last thing I did was a roast chicken in a big metal pot [over the campfire]. It was roasted with kale, potatoes, lemon, marjoram and garlic. Dingo enjoyed it as well—he's a little bit spoiled.

Do you actually cook from cookbooks sometimes?

MP: For me, a recipe should be a source of inspiration. My mother is an amazing cook, but she'll grab a recipe from a book or magazine that she is excited to try and she's hellbent on cooking it specifically to the recipe—exact ingredients, exact amounts. I'm always harping on her to do a little of this, a little of that, change it up. The more acclimated you feel doing that, then you're able to go to the market, grab a handful of ingredients that look beautiful and really sing to you, and bring them home and inject them into whatever you want to cook.