Melissa Zapin - Opera Singer/Pie Diva/Former Miss Hawaii

Melissa Short Zapin started as a soprano in Honolulu, Hawaii. An unforgettable rendition of Je veux vivre from Romeo et Juliet won her the Miss Hawai‘i title and a place on the famed Miss America stage. There, she won the talent and swimsuit competitions and finished in the top ten. Melissa was first in the NSAL Opera Competition, performing Christine in Phantom of the Opera and Cinderella in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Both performances won Po’okela awards for Best Female Performer in a Musical. She was a featured guest artist at several galas for the Hawaii Opera Theater. After receiving the Hungarian Arts Music Festival Award, Melissa accompanied famed tenor Marcello Giordani in several concerts appearing at the Fresno Grand Opera House in Dayton, Ohio. Her operatic performances included La Contessa in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello at Vero Beach, and Musetta in La Boheme. Melissa was the featured soloist in Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de Consessore and John Rutter’s Mass at the world-famous Carnegie Hall, both of which were highlights of her career. Melissa also worked as a voiceover artist and performer, appearing on television in the hit shows Sex in the City and Elementary with Lucy Liu.

In 2015 Melissa retired as an Opera singer and began Grandma Ruth’s Pies, baking handmade, all-natural, preservative-free pies. What started as baking for family and friends to enjoy during the holidays quickly expanded to local farm stands in the Hamptons. When she moved to Los Angeles in 2017, Melissa’s business boomed, reaching a larger audience. She started servicing the entertainment industry and local farmers’ markets, turning Grandma Ruth’s Pies into a year-round operation. She currently sells online, offering local delivery in Los Angeles and the Hamptons and flash-frozen pies shipped nationally. Some crowd favorites are the Vegan Apple Crumble Pie and Chocolate Cream Pie. Grandma Ruth's Pies bring families together with fresh, handmade, natural ingredients molded by skilled hands into perfection. Made from scratch and with her Grandma Ruth’s love, the pies brought Melissa’s family together throughout the years. Melissa now delivers that sentiment to the homes of everyone that eat her delicious pies.

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