Hi! I’m Mackenzie
As a self-taught private chef and entrepreneur from Upstate NY, all of my work revolves around one idea: that eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring, complicated, or restrictive. I believe in using seasonal, whole foods to create bright, flavorful, nutrient-dense recipes that just happen to be good for you– meaning, they lead with flavor first. No sad salads here!
A little background
I grew up in a very health-conscious home, where we read ingredient labels, avoided artificial dyes, and used herbs to heal (almost) all. I’m very grateful for my naturopath mom who instilled so much awareness around healthy living before it was trending. I didn’t initially follow in her footsteps, but years later found myself enrolling at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, eager to learn more about holistic health.
Shortly after, following many wonderful years in New York City, I moved back to my hometown (Rochester, NY) and launched this blog. What started as a little side project began to expand into a pretty cool (and winding) career.
In 2019, I started hosting pop-up dinners where strangers would come together to share a seasonal 5-course meal around one long table. The menu was always a surprise and new friends were made often. In 2020, when everything restaurant-related shut down, I spent six months private cheffing for a family of five in the Finger Lakes area. From there, in 2021, I somewhat fell into a virtual kitchen business (Crosby Lane), selling all kinds of better-for-you desserts and pantry items like granola, hummus, and dairy-free cheeses. It was such a fun, creative and challenging venture that allowed me to connect with the local community more and also sell some of the goodies I’d previously only shared online.
In between it all, there were also online courses, in-person wellness talks, virtual classes, and recipe development for brands like Love Beets and Fromager D’affinois. One thing has always led to the next and you could definitely say that experimenting in the kitchen has been (and continues to be) the connecting thread.
As for life these days, I’m mainly focused on private dining experiences — sort of like the old pop-up dinners, but at someone’s house. Where the guests are yours, but the hosting duties (and dishes) are definitely not. (Learn more about booking a private dinner here!)
I firmly believe that food can be both delicious and nourishing, that we don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.
My Food Philosophy
All in all, I find it’s less about labels and more about simply eating real food (most of the time). Yes, I make a lot of recipes that happen to be gluten free, refined sugar free or even vegan. But I also love fresh sourdough bread and couldn’t live without butter; the ingredients and overall quality are what matters. And sometimes, your aunt’s famous cookies are the “healthiest” choice, because let’s not rule out eating for nostalgia and joy. Food serves many purposes and, in my opinion, being overly regimented isn’t a way to live. While important, it’s not the only thing that impacts health.
Everyone’s body is also very different (and ever evolving) so only you can determine how you feel best. I just hope to inspire you to cook along the way!
