Executive Pastry Chef at Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow (Russia), he is known for his chocolate sculptures and the use of natural and seasonal ingredients in his desserts.
Melnikov grew up in Kamchatka, in the far east of Russia, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. From a very young age, even in preschool, he told everyone he wanted to be a chef, and in his own hometown he began developing his professional career in restaurants and hotels.
Once in Vladivostok, he expanded his knowledge working in a French restaurant and a five-star resort, and placed third at the Russian World Chocolate Masters, winning the special prize for best chocolate sculpture. He was subsequently invited by the Chocolate Academy Centre in Moscow to join its team of chefs for two years, until the Four Seasons Hotel contacted him for an interview.
