We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Reome a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Many years ago, I was a pharmacy intern working in a retail pharmacy while I was on break from pharmacy college. For anyone who is not aware, working in retail pharmacy is a very high stress job. Big box pharmacies are forced to be horribly understaffed by corporations and that puts a lot of pressure on the staff. To offer some kind of reprieve, I took over one of the drawers in the back of the pharmacy and always had it filled with snacks for the staff to eat.

The majority of retail pharmacists were never given lunch breaks and it was nice to have snacks nearby. When I had to leave to go back to college, one of the pharmacists gave me the sweetest gift which I will never forget. It was a plastic see-through briefcase that was loaded with all of my favorite snacks and decorated with the cutest stickers. She gave me a card and told me it was my own “portable snack drawer” to bring back to college. I sobbed. I didn’t have much and was in a financially hard place trying to get through school. It was during a time I had to take a year off from school because my mother had leukemia. The fact that someone took the time and effort to make something so thoughtful who had only known me a few months was so special.

Melissa , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Although I am a pharmacist by trade, my business is not related to pharmacy at all. Around ten years ago I only had a gas grill and was obsessed with getting a grill I could smoke food in. Where I lived there certainly wasn’t any great barbecue and I wanted to make my own. I’ve always loved to cook even from a young age but this was new territory to me. My first grill that was not a gas grill was a Big Green Egg and I cooked on it year round. I called that grill my gateway grill because I eventually owned a large number of grills and smokers. I began to post what I would cook on Instagram and there, my Grill Momma account took off really fast. At that time, there weren’t a lot of women creating grilling content on social media.

Eventually that led to many brand partnerships and a number of people asking when I would create a website. A couple years later I created my website www.grillmomma.com. On my website I focus on creating recipes that can be cooked both on and off of a grill. I realize that many people don’t have access to a grill, so I try to give directions for both. Readers do appreciate the flexibility. I share all of the little details that many people leave out of recipes which make a big difference in a successful cook.

When I started this adventure, it was all new territory to me. Photography, editing, content creation, writing, learning how to manage a website was overwhelming at the time. I didn’t have a mentor to help me with any of it and it was a large learning curve. At the time I was working as a full-time pharmacist and was also a mother. Honestly though, it was a great creative escape from my high stress job as a pharmacist which I appreciated. I’m proud of all of that hard work and what I have created.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

When I started my social media accounts years ago it was only for fun. Eventually that turned into thoughts of having a source of secondary income in a world that was getting more expensive day by day. As I became more inspired and successful, I considered eventually making this my full-time job. It is a big leap certainly and at the moment, I’m not ready to leave my pharmacy career permanently. It would be prudent for me to have a steady and reliable income prior to leaving my professional career.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Without a doubt, the friendships and relationships I have made with other content creators has made a huge impact on my life. There are people I have kept in touch with regularly since the beginning of my blogging journey. Having people you can lean on for support and advice in this realm truly helps to drive your success. In addition, the positive feedback I receive on my website is incredibly rewarding. Knowing that someone impressed their family with an impressive meal then took the time to thank you gives you that reassurance that your time and effort was all worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.grillmomma.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grillmomma
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grillmomma
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-reome
• Twitter: https://www.x.com/grill_momma