- Melba Wilson's life changed after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited her NYC restaurant.
- Wilson said Prince Harry ate her signature fried chicken and waffles during his lunch at Melba's.
Melba Wilson's life completely changed when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went on a date at her Harlem restaurant.
And Wilson told Insider she was honored when the Duke of Sussex ate her signature fried chicken with his hands.
Wilson recently sat down with Insider to chat about Flavors of the Open, where she'll be feeding 700,000 US Open fans alongside top chefs like Pat LaFrieda and "Chopped" star Alex Guarnaschelli. And she was happy to spill all the details about the royals' visit to Melba's.
As the world slowly reopened in September 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in New York City for the Global Citizen Live charity concert. It was the couple's first joint public appearance in more than a year, and the first since their explosive bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey that March.
So when Harry and Meghan chose Melba's to have a very public lunch, all eyes turned to Wilson's restaurant.
"I thought someone was playing a joke on me when I found out they were coming," Wilson told Insider. "I thought I was being punked."
Wilson said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn't want the restaurant to be closed to the public during their lunch date. In fact, they spent much of their time talking to the chef and her diners.
"From the moment I greeted them outside Melba's, the warmth that radiated through both of them was so genuine," Wilson said. "Seeing the love they share for each other, the kindness, the way they spoke to one another, it was so beautiful."
During their visit, Harry and Meghan shared Wilson's spring rolls, country catfish, yams, collard greens, and her signature chicken and eggnog waffles.
"Prince Harry was like, 'Wow, I love the waffle,' with his British accent," Wilson recalled. "And I was really honored that he picked up the chicken with his fingers — he used the proper etiquette!"
"I was like, 'Wow, Harry knows how to eat fried chicken,'" she added with a laugh. "I was really impressed by that."
Wilson's chicken-and-waffles dish features both dark and white chicken meat and is served with strawberry butter and maple syrup. The chef told Insider that one of her secrets is marinating both the meat and flour.
"When you bite into it, you're going to get the crispy chicken skin on the outside and that crust is going to be delicious because the flour's been seasoned," she said. "And when you bite into that chicken, it's going to be moist because the chicken has been marinated. Pops of flavor all throughout — that's what a good piece of fried chicken is all about."
Wilson said Harry and Meghan's visit to Melba's had a major impact on both the business and spirit of Harlem.
"People wanted to eat where Meghan and Harry ate," she added. "It was great for the community, but it was also great for people who have dreams. When you start at the bottom, how do you get the duke and duchess to come and dine at your restaurant? Those are the things that we read about in storybooks — but they actually do come true."