Melissa Trimmer, CEPC is the senior application chef at global bakery leader, Dawn Foods. In this role, she works hand-in-hand with Dawn team members and customers at the company’s Innovation Studio in Jackson, Mich., to drive creative new offerings informed by the latest trends and consumer insights. Chef Trimmer also works on creating innovative recipes and photography for Dawn’s quarterly inspiration guides, product launches, and its Batter Up magazine.

Chef Trimmer graduated from Johnson & Wales University with an Associate degree in Baking and Pastry Arts in 2001 then took an internship at Confiseur Bachmann’s in Luzern, Switzerland. She has utilized her Swiss training and techniques in many roles throughout the Midwest; highlights include leading the pastry department as Executive Pastry Chef when both Lula Café and Nightwood Restaurant received the Bib Gourmand rating from The Chicago Michelin Guide’s inaugural edition in 2010 as well as a tenure as Executive Pastry Chef at C-House, Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant in Chicago. Chef Trimmer went on to serve as department char at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago and then spent time as a corporate chef for US Foods and Aryzta.

Chef Trimmer is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef from the American Culinary Federation (United States) as well as World Association of Chefs Societies Word Chef’s Pastry Chef (France). She has received acclaim from top-tier publications and looks forward to sharing her ideas with IBIE.