MICHELLE MCKENZIE is a professional cook, culinary instructor, food writer, food stylist, and recipe developer. She is the author of Dandelion & Quince: Exploring the Wide World of Unusual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs, nominated for both the James Beard and IACP Awards. Previously, she was the longtime program director and chef at 18 Reasons, a community cooking school in San Francisco.

Michelle graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in nutrition and a minor in biochemistry, giving her a deep understanding of food properties and their complex implications within the human body. She later graduated from The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, where she immersed herself in health-supportive cuisine prepared from whole, organic, and seasonal foods. Michelle has worked at some of the best restaurants in the country, has been featured on the Cooking Channel, and has been a contributor for websites such as Food52 and publications such as Sunset magazine.