Melissa King Shares Exactly How She Brings Springtime to Her Kitchen

As the arrival of spring brings fresh flowers, herbs, and more, Melissa King is inspired to start her day with one specific beverage. "Something about that blooming reminds me of coffee," the Bravo's Top Chef winner says in the video above. "I'm definitely a coffee in the morning person."

While Melissa has been enjoying Starbucks ® Spring Day Blend and Honey & Madagascar Vanilla flavored coffee as her morning drinks of choice, she has taken her love for coffee one step further by using the Spring Day Blend (which she notes has "such a vibrant flavor and beautiful, rich aromas”) as a cooking ingredient. "I felt inspired to create a Dutch pancake with coffee syrup, which I've never done before," she says, explaining, "When you think of a warm cup of coffee, you think about breakfast and that always kind of goes hand-in-hand."

"The Dutch pancake, to me, is something that blooms and blossoms," she adds. "That freshness really translates to the table." (For a step-by-step guide to making Melissa's Dutch pancake recipe, click here.)

Noting that "so many things are new and exciting" in the spring, Melissa incorporates plenty of other seasonal ingredients in her cooking. "I love playing around with just anything that looks fresh and beautiful and coming out of the earth," she says. "I like to look around, see what's around me, and take those ingredients back home and experiment."

She applies the same concept to her tablescapes, because, as she explains, "I like my spring table to just feel really homey." To make each meal feel perfectly seasonal, Melissa uses "really vibrant plateware that has a nice color just to add a little pop to the dining table."

Of course, her tables are also topped with freshly brewed coffee and plenty of fresh foods, including "fresh berries, fresh herbs, and some fresh eggs. A lot of fresh things," she says. "It's really what you think of when you think of spring."