Melissa Scheiderer | Executive Director

Melissa Scheiderer is the Executive Director of Chow Chow, the 501c(3) committed to the foodways of Southern Appalachia and the celebration of the creative economy that anchors Asheville. At the helm of Chow Chow, Melissa is focused on strengthening the local, independent food community and empowering economic development. She has long worked at the intersection of event production, impact finance, and entrepreneurship coming out of more than 20 years consulting with clients like Mountain BizWorks and Neighborhood Economics. Also a former food entrepreneur, Melissa started Barbary Brix, a sustainable confections business, in San Francisco.

Originally from the Bay Area, Asheville’s vibrant local food economy drew Melissa and her husband Mark here in 2016. 

Melissa continues to work with Mountain BizWorks as a business coach, helping social entrepreneurs scale their projects efficiently while maximizing both profitability and impact.