Dr. Melissa A. Gridley

Melissa’s three years as Naples Bailli were marked by her own very special brand of energy, enthusiasm and imagination. The depth of her knowledge of both wine and food brought her accolades and respect from non-professionals and professionals alike, and the event themes she selected reflected her sophistication and desire to educate as well as provide pleasure. This was evidenced by the Chaine dinner she planned for her induction, a dinner held at the Ritz-Carlton saluting Auguste Escoffier.

In the fall of 1996, the Port Royal Club became the venue for “Un Pique-nique Provencal,” featuring not only a sumptuous buffet but also croquet and boules. Members were asked to dress in whites for this event, and costumes were de rigueur as well for another event, a sunset cruise celebrating Mardi Gras.

Melissa continued the tradition of mounting extraordinary Napled Chaine holiday dinners at The Registry. Over a three-year period, she tapped the expertise of members to orchestrate Christmas in Germany, A Chinese New Year’s Celebration and A French Fantasy. She then started a tradition of her own with highly successful luncheons held at Maxwell’s on the Bay, each with a unique theme.

Mondial events were inventive and numerous. Stand-outs were a single malt Scotch tasting held at the Ritz-Carlton, James Clendenen leading members through a tasting of his wines at The Registry, a coffee tasting and breakfast at La Playa, a champagne tasting held at The Registry, and a seminar by a man dubbed “the one-hour Bordeaux expert,” world renowned wine educator Kevin Zraly, whom Melissa brought from New York for the occasion.

Certainly one of the most unusual dinners in the bailliage’s history and a tribute to Melissa’s originality and careful planning was an event called “Flora and Fauna, Food and Fun,” held at The Conservancy. After exploring the backwaters of this nature preserve, members dined in its Natural History Museum. When the evening came to an end they were scarcely aware that their feast had been a vegetarian one.

Melissa’s tenure with Naples Chaine reflected an extraordinary devotion to the Chaine and its ideals. Her sunny disposition, easygoing manner and engaging smile belied the fact that she worked tirelessly and efficiently to attend to the myriad details that make events successful, and the fact that she did so while at the same time operating a thriving medical practice makes her stewardship all the more remarkable.