Grand Master Elba “Cookie” Melendez Mission Statement: “Empowering the World One Community at A Time Through Martial Arts, Self-Defense, and Fitness”
- 10th Degree Black Belt
- Founded Melendez Martial Arts & Kickboxing, Inc.
- Creator of I’M B.A.D. (Beautiful. Armed. Dangerous) All Female Open Martial Arts Championships & Fitness Challenge
- Hall of Fame inductee
- Certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Fitness Nutrition Coach, Kettlebell and Spin Instructor, CPR, AED, First Aid Certified
Grand Master Elba “Cookie” Melendez, a native New Yorker, has over 50 years of experience in martial arts and self-defense. She started karate in 1968 and entered her first tournament in 1972, competing in over 300 tournaments. Her kickboxing record includes 34 fights with 31 wins, 2 losses, 1KO ( male in Colombia, SA 1977 Male v Female bout ) and 1 draw. Cookie founded The Shotokan Karate Studio in 1980 and holds the rank of 10th Degree Black Belt. She is New York’s first Female World Kickboxing Champion, having paved the way for women’s kickboxing by competing at a PKA ( Professional Kickboxing Association) event at Sands Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, NJ.
Cookie trained under numerous masters across various disciplines and was known as one of the toughest female martial artists and kickboxers on the East Coast and globally from the mid-1970s to the 1990s. Cookie has judged and refereed major kickboxing and karate events and served as Vice President of L.U.M.A.S. She has received multiple halls of fame inductions and has been featured in magazines and local newspapers, making television appearances.
Cookie has conducted workshops for various organizations including NYC Police Academy, hospitals, churches, colleges, and senior centers. She has appeared in films such as “Shaolin Popeye” with Michele Yo and “The Empty Hands Movie.”