Getting Cheesy with Food Blogger, Food Network Star, & Executive Chef - MacKenzie Smith

And I think I just I had this look of like shock on my face.

And I think he could tell that.

So he pulled me aside.

And I no joke, he was like, Your Uncle Bro wants you here.

And I was like, What?

Like, oh my god, like I'm like crying thinking about it right now.

I was like, what?

He's like, you're here for a reason, just remember that.

And I was like, oh my god, like, oh my god.

Like, okay, get it together, we can't see.

SPEAKER_03: Like so many people think that my story is inspiring.

How I became blind at just 17 years of age.

They always want to know how I've done it and how I've kept smiling all along the way.

Well, I've just chosen to focus my attention on thinking the positive side of the top.

And on the podcast, that's what I want to do for you.

Because no matter what you may be going through tonight, I hope to inspire you to focus on the positive.

And you know what?

I hope that I can also be a source of inspiration for you to just spot smile.

Hey, what's happening?

Welcome to the podcast.

My name is Kevin Lilo, and I am the host here on The Lowdown with Kevin Lil.

And I'm here to bring you episode number 64, where we're getting totally cheesy on today's episode.

That's right.

If you want to pour up a glass of wine, I'll bring the cheese because today we're sitting down with food blogger, travel blogger, and well, food network superstar McKinsey Smith.

McKinsey's life is as rich in her past as it is in the recipe she creates today.

And well, her past is rich in family and food.

Two things that are definitely close to my own heart.

And that's what I thought was super cool about McKinsey.

Is because if you follow her on Instagram, you just see McKinsey as this absolutely incredible woman who's making these absolutely delicious meals while being a super awesome mom and wife to ex-pro surfer.

She's definitely what I would consider the ultimate Florida girl.

Now, what was cool about my interview with McKenzie is because we not only got to touch on the high points of her life, like being on Guy's Grocery Games, where she took home the win, but we also got to talk about some low points in her life, like the loss of her uncle, her uncle Bro.

And well, McKinsey is a pretty awesome person.

And I think today's episode is gonna be one that is gonna have you smiling, is gonna maybe have you tearing up, and it's probably going to leave you feeling a little bit hungry and ready to go home and make yourself a grilled cheese sandwich.

But be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out McKenzie's personal favorite grilled cheese.

So before we get into the interview with McKenzie, I have to give a shout out once again this week to today's sponsor, Acoustic Athletics.

When you start taking advantage of a loophole in neuroscience to help athletes increase their sensory capacity and develop a new, stronger relationship with their senses, you in essence start violating reality and begin creating a whole new future in the world of athletic training.

Welcome to the world of acoustic athletics.

Working with athletes in a variety of sports such as baseball, football, soccer, mixed martial arts, and boxing, just to name a few, the trainers at acoustic athletics are able to utilize recent discoveries in neuroscience that have found that we can rewire the human brain in targeted ways that can profoundly improve human performance.

It's all about gaining that competitive edge in the world of sports.

And well, acoustic athletics is doing that and so much more.

If interested in what acoustic athletics is doing and what they can do for you, please be sure to check out the show notes where you will find a link where you can find out more and get in touch with the team at Acoustic Athletics.

SPEAKER_00: And just, you know, a southern family that cooked every single day of my life.

Like I literally remember growing up and being like, can we just please eat at a restaurant?

And my mom's like, what?

No.

Like I'm cooking every meal for the rest of the 18 years they're living with it.

But yeah, I mean, I've always loved cooking.

My family's been in the hospitality business for generations.

And it was just like this natural thing.

So I I never went to culinary school, but you know, growing up around chefs and at-home cooks, it's just been a way of life.

SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.

That's so cool.

So now talking about like having chefs in your family, your parents actually did something that I've I've never even heard of.

I've heard of flipping homes, but they actually started flipping hotels and resorts.

And they did this with your uncle, correct?

SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes.

So my dad's family has been in the hotel business.

He's the third generation.

And so his job when I was growing up was to take over failing resorts here in Florida and flip them, and we'd move on.

And uh my uncle, my mom's brother, he was always the executive chef.

So he would overturn the kitchens and like, you know, make the revisions and everything.

And so, as you can imagine, we moved around a lot.

And the kitchen was just kind of like my safe space.

It was always the place that I could go and hang out, and you know, Broy would sit my his his my uncle's name was Browie.

He would sit me on the countertop, like out of the way, and be like, here, you peel these potatoes, or you know, just give me a little task that I could do that made me feel like included and just it was fun.

It was, you know, they were on their best behavior at that point.

Probably much different than a lot of kitchens that people have worked at.

But it was a really cool thing for me as a kid, and I had just always loved it so much.

SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.

That's awesome.

So now when you got older, and um, did you where did you go to college?

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so when I got older, I went to Florida State University.

I started out being an art major, and then I had like some psychology elective classes, and I was like, ooh, art therapy sounds like so cool to me.

And so I started taking more psychology classes, and then I was like running research labs and I wrote an honors thesis, and it became more psychology with like a side in art, and I actually double majored in aging studies.

SPEAKER_01: Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00: So I my goal was to do like art therapy for old people around Florida.

Okay.

And then I got into Columbia for grad school in New York, and I moved to New York, and I just I it was a really stressful and hard program because it was therapy-based.

So not only were you doing therapy in your classmates, but you were in intensive therapy, and it was just like it was so much.

And as a Florida girl facing her first winter in New York, like seasonal apact disorder, like totally got me.

And I just started finding comfort in food again.

And, you know, I had always wanted to go to culinary school, but as you can imagine, my parents being in the hospitality were like, no, no, no, you're not gonna work in a kitchen.

And blogging was even a thing.

Like, maybe I could have been a food writer, but like no one knew a food writer, like that was just something that didn't really exist.

So I started this blog in grad school as a way to get some creativity back in my life, find some happiness.

And this granted, this was like 11 years ago, like right when blogs became a thing, but I I just like fell into it and it provided me with so much.

And I was just like, I think I found something that I really like to do.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, that's so awesome.

I I love the just like kind of natural progression of things.

So that's cool.

So now that that blog we're referring to is Grilled Cheese Social.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Grilledcheesocial.com.

SPEAKER_03: And w where yeah, no, no, no.

I was just gonna say, where did the name for the blog come from?

SPEAKER_00: So when I was thinking about a blog, I wanted to have like a niche that was just like something unique that I could cook and I could write about that wasn't going to like break the bank because one, I was a broke grad student, two, I've never written a recipe in my life, and three, I didn't have a lot of spare time.

And I was like, what is a comfort food that I love so much that I always have in my fridge?

Like, I was like, oh my god, grilled cheese.

I like am living off grilled cheese, bread, butter, cheese, and then I've got always something to like put in the middle of it to make it unique.

So I always had bread, butter, cheese, and I was like, oh my god, I'm just gonna do a grilled cheese vlog.

And I'm gonna make unique grilled cheeses every week.

It's easy, it's fun, and everyone loves them.

And I didn't know what I wanted the name to be, but I remember like going to one of my like we had ice cream social for my class, and I was like, oh my god, grilled cheese social, that's what I'm gonna call it.

And it just kind of happened, and I literally went home and I Googled how to build a blog and a YouTube, like how to make a website, and I think I stayed up for like 24 hours like trying to code, which it was not easy.

Now it's like incredibly easy to build a website, which is so funny, but yeah, just kind of for the first like six years, I'd say it was all grilled cheese recipes, and then I was like, all right.

I love grilled cheese, but I gotta do something different.

And so now it's a little bit of everything, but the name stayed the same and still so much cheesy goodness, and yeah.

SPEAKER_03: Well, that's that's so awesome.

That's uh so now you so you're at Columbia, you're going to school, but now you've you've started this grilled cheese social, you know, blog that you've got going.

So, what happened at that point in life?

SPEAKER_00: So I ran the blog for a year and a half, and I always joke around that like the only person that read it for the first three months was my mom.

And she became wildly concerned about me because my recipes, it was kind of like sex in the city meets grilled cheese.

So I would write like a funny story about being like in my 20s in New York and just like learning the city and dating and all this like silly stuff, and partying, of course.

And then it would tie in with a recipe.

So, like a lot of it was like hangover sandwiches.

And it was just, I guess Pinterest started then, and like Facebook and Instagram a few years later, but it was like, oh, social media is here.

Like, so I started sharing it, and then my blog started like picking up, and other people were reading it, and I remember being like getting my first million views and just being like, What just happened?

Like, is this real?

And Stumble Upon was like a really big website, and like I don't know if you remember it, but it would just like generate random websites for you to look at.

Yes.

I had like a recipe go viral on there.

It was like how to make a grilled cheese in a toaster.

Yes, yes, and it was just like what not to do mainly.

Yes, it got huge, and I was on all these crazy websites, and I got interviewed by Sever Magazine, which is an international food magazine.

They've since switched to just being like a quarterly publication.

Oh, okay.

But they're a big deal, they've been around forever.

And they interviewed me about the blog, and I remember one of the questions was like, so like I read on your blog that you're graduating next month.

Like, what are you doing after graduation?

Is the blog gonna end?

Are you gonna get a you know, are you gonna be a therapist?

What's up?

Okay, and I was like, um, I all I know is that I don't want to be a therapist, and will you hire me?

Or something like that.

And they were like, Yeah, actually, do you want to work here?

And I was like, Are you kidding me?

Wow.

And so, yeah, they hired me on as an intern, and so I started working in the food magazine world.

And my job there, I worked as an editorial assistant for their website.

I was their like food stylist, so it was just like this really cool job, but of course in New York you have to have like 500 jobs.

So I did that, and I also became a cheese monger at this really cute cheese store in Brooklyn called Depanair, and all these things just like kept happening, and it I was like all of a sudden, I like clicked my fingers and I was in the food world, and it was like, oh my gosh, I'm in this world that I never thought I could be a part of, and I am loving it.

And it was just this amazing transition that I never expected to happen.

SPEAKER_03: That's so cool.

I love just how these different things in your life are just kind of just kind of falling into place, you know?

And and I love it.

So now I have a couple questions.

So food stylist and cheese monger, what exactly are both of those?

SPEAKER_00: So, as a cheese monger, you basically learn all about these fancy cheeses from all over the world, and you sell expensive cheese to people who want to impress people.

So our store had a bunch of different cheeses, and people would come in and be like, give me like your favorite cheese.

And I would basically like tell stories about the cheese, give samples.

You're basically like a cheese expert.

You're selling expensive cheese to rich people, is basically what the job is.

Yes, yes, yes.

Because I mean it it's not cheap.

Like it we sold really fancy stuff, and I would uh build these huge cheese platters at the cheese store for parties and catering and all this, and it was just like I would basically treat these cheese like my babies.

Like I would come in in the morning and I would rewrap them and I would taste them and I would move them around in the case so that they've got the proper care that they need.

I will just say that.

And then for the food stylists, that was a really cool job because I obviously was doing it for my website, but I had never had proper training.

It was just something that I was like thrown into.

So as a food stylist, I learned how to basically take like art school concepts and transition them into food and food photography.

So I learned just how to make plates really pretty, how to make the food look really good.

And at Sever, like the rule was like we're not using anything fake in our recipes.

Like a lot of food stylists, like when you think of like the Burger King commercials or you know, McDonald's, like like there's hairspray on the patty to make it like listen like that.

So at Sever it was like very hardcore.

Like we're naturalists, like we don't use anything fake.

Like we what you see with our food is actually what you're getting.

So I learned this like really pure form of food styling there, and it has since led to so many things.

So I styled my whole cookbook.

I don't know if you've ever been to a first watch restaurant, but I'm their food stylist there.

So I love first watch.

Oh, yeah.

So any like pictures that you see there, if there's ever a hand in it, it's most likely my hand.

My hands are on their cover of their cookbook.

And it's it's just you know, making food look pretty and appetizing and yeah, delicious.

SPEAKER_03: Well, that's so awesome.

So now I have to ask the other question was what in the world was the phone call like to your parents when you said, okay, so I know I've come all the way up to New York to go to this super nice college, yeah, but now I'm actually not doing anything with that, and I've gotten into an industry that you didn't want me to get into the first place.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so that's a great question.

I actually remember that phone call so vividly because it was something that I was like dreading.

And honestly, my parents are the best.

They were so good.

They were like, oh my god, thank God.

They were like, you are so like intense, like being in therapy and like questioning every single thing that they did to raise me.

I think it was just a big relief to them that I wasn't gonna be in this industry because then they didn't have to deal with me, being like, and how does that make you feel, Mom?

Yes, yes, can we just be our daughter again?

So they were really cool about it.

And I mean, being in a family that loves food, they were all for it.

And you know, when I started working on this big food magazine and started going to all these cool events and like just being a part of this world, they were like, that is so cool.

Like, I'm just so happy this opportunity opened for you, and they were great, they were much, much more relieved than I thought that they were gonna be.

SPEAKER_03: Absolutely, and I have to imagine that that your uncle was probably pretty proud.

SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, yes, he was like beaming because I would be like, Hey bro, I need to like write, I'm going to Thailand next week.

I need to like pick some topics to like pitch for my story ideas.

And he he like has been reading Sever since it came out, like ages and ages ago.

And he he was just so helpful and so excited for me.

And he was like my mentor, my guru.

Like anytime I had a question, I'd be like, Yo, bro, yeah, what is this?

Like, what is a sense wine?

Like, I don't know.

I've never I'm you know, never heard of it.

And he would like give me the history of it, and it was just like I mean, we talked like three times a day, you know.

It was it was really a special bond that we had, and I'm sure we'll lead into this, but he actually got super sick, and a lot of things changed since then.

SPEAKER_03: But yeah, yeah.

Well, no, no, no.

I I think that's really special and really awesome.

And that's why I just I couldn't help but sit there and think, wow, before you even answer the question, I was thinking, despite whatever her parents say, I have a feeling her uncle Bro is gonna be super excited about this transition of careers.

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00: And so he was so into it.

And what's crazy about him is he was born with spinal bifida, so he had a really hard time walking because he was actually one of the first kids or babies, I guess, that had a reconstructive surgery that led him to be able to walk.

Before that, you were always in a wheelchair.

So he actually took the train to New York to come visit me.

And we did this like epic food tour, and I took him to work, and I took him to the cheese shop, and it was just one of these times that it was like he he didn't travel because he, you know, he had such a hard time getting around.

But this was like the top trip of both of our lives, and it was just so cool and so lucky to be able to do that and show him my world and let him be a part of something that he'd only like, you know, read about and watched, and it was awesome.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, that's that's so, so cool.

So now, so at this point, you're living the high life, you're jazzing it up, you know, selling your fancy cheeses.

You you're you're now starting to travel and do all this amazing stuff.

So at what point then do things change and you come back to Florida where you are today?

SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

So I, you know, New York, I call them like Peter Pan boys.

It's just like being in your late 20s as a young girl, you're like, I want to be with someone that like actually likes me and cares about me.

And I was just like in all these terrible relationships.

And I was having a great time in my career, but it was just like kind of unfulfilling.

So I was like, all right, I'm gonna get out of this, I'm gonna change my scenery, I'm gonna move to San Francisco, and I'm gonna change like my vibe, right?

I'm gonna start in a fresh city, blah, blah, blah.

So in January, I went to San Francisco, found a place to live with a friend, and it was set.

I was moving out there.

I had like a month and a half left in New York of just like doing whatever I wanted, right?

Like taking full advantage of the city.

And my parents had just opened up our hotel, the Black Dolphin Inn, here in New Smyrna Beach.

And um, oh wait, I also left off something.

It's kind of vital to the story.

I a few months before that, I was in Morocco on an assignment from Sever, and I got attacked by a camel and broke my arm.

And this was like it was like my demise.

Like, I couldn't cook, I couldn't clean, like it was just like I couldn't walk my dog, I couldn't even get a puffy coat on because my cast was so big.

And I was just like I was in this depressive mode again.

I was just like, oh my God.

So that's kind of what led me to be like.

I gotta get out of here.

Like, let's go somewhere new.

And my parents had just opened up this hotel.

And I remember my mom being like, I can't even come up there because we just opened this hotel and like I'm, you know, the housekeeper and helping your dad and your uncle.

And my uncle was the chef there, of course.

So what happened was we had this wedding in the beginning of February.

And like I was thinking I was going to California like two weeks after this.

So my mom was like, hey, your uncle's not feeling well.

Can you come down here and help cater this wedding?

Like, I was like, of course.

Like, this is my cup of tea.

Like, I'll just cook with bro, it'll be great.

So I flew down, and I remember being like, I remember getting to the hotel, and my uncle was like lying on the couch, which was very unlike him.

He was he was like, I call him like a chill Gordon Ramsay.

Very serious about his craft, but like he would never lay down on the job, you know.

Like he'd be like, There's no sitting in the kitchen.

Get up.

And I was like, something is wrong with him.

I thought he was sick.

And you know, he had health issues because of his spinal bifida.

And it was just like, I just knew something was up.

So on Monday, I told him I'd go to the doctor with him, and my mom went too.

And it was just like this is weird.

And so we get there, and I remember like sitting in the office with him, like, or in the you know, the exam room, and the doctor being like, All right, so we've got your results.

And I was like, results?

Like, what?

Like, you knew something was wrong.

And they were like, You have three months left to live.

And I just remember my heart stopped, like the room spun.

I was just like, What the h?

Excuse me, what the beep?

And just being like, this is not real.

Like, there's no way you have three months left to live.

It it just it didn't even compute that like that could not happen.

And they said he this man never drank a day in his life because when he was little, he had a blood transfusion and got hep C.

And he just knew that he could never do that because it would, you know, mess up his liver.

So he ended up getting liver cancer and liver cirrhosis and hep C.

And just tore him up, and they said he had three months left to live.

And I was like, this can't happen.

And I remember like driving home that day and being like, all right, we're gonna get you on a vegan diet, we're gonna like get you healthy, like you're gonna beat this.

And he was just defeated.

He was like, Kenzie, I love you, but no.

And I was like, What do you mean, no?

And we went to my parents' house and they had like this room in the back, and I remember we like laid down and watched like Reno 911 or some silly show, and he never got out of the bed.

He died seven days later, and it was probably the most traumatic thing I've ever been through.

Like tearing up thinking about it, but it was like it was just so shocking and so abrupt to lose somebody like that, and just to have them totally, completely like not wanting to fight, right?

Because in your head, you're like, oh, you're gonna fight it, like you're gonna be fine.

And he was just my family and I think that he probably knew it longer than than we did.

We don't think he maybe told us.

Yeah, he passed away, and I was just in this like terrible place that I was like, oh my god, like I'm not gonna move to California and be away from my family because Broight, he was like a dad to me.

Like he like was always a part of my life.

And I was like, I'm not gonna move away and be so far from my family, and I'm hella sure not going back to New York in the middle of winter.

Like, I already know how that goes for me.

And I said, Alright, I'm gonna stay for three months and heel and be with the family, and I'll take over Broly's job, and I'll help train someone new, and then I'll end up going to California.

And then I met Jeremy, who was this like local surfer who was just so different from any guy that I'd ever been with, and we started dating, and fast forward, he's now my husband, and we have a baby, and I'm pregnant again.

Wow, yeah.

So, you know, like it's one of these things, and not to say that his death happened for a reason, but I also believe that everything does happen for a reason in its own way, and it brought me home and it brought me this life that I never would have had, and I still miss Bro every day, and I talk, we I mean, we talk about him every day, like he's still here.

So it's just it's crazy.

I mean, cancer is the worst, and it's just very traumatic.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we just we we never but you know it's just I just listened to the story, and I don't know.

All I can sit there and think is just like how life like things work out like in crazy ways, but also just like I don't know how tough life can be.

True.

And you know, and and just just like that.

I mean, from the from the fact that I mean you you came home to help out, you get home, you you realize he's not doing good, you you get him to go to a doctor, you go to a doctor, the doctor says three months, and then that turns into one week.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's just so insane.

It it's like the biggest curveball, heartbreak, guttural, like experience that anybody can go through.

And I mean, it's still like I still feel sick to my stomach when I think about it.

But I also, you know, I feel so lucky that I had him so close to me because I know so many people aren't, you know, they don't have extended family like that, that's like a parent figure to them and who helped them so much with their lives and their career.

And I feel very lucky, but still so sad at the same time.

SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.

So how long ago was that that he passed away?

SPEAKER_00: So that was six years ago.

It'll be it'll be seven years in February, which is so weird to say.

SPEAKER_03: Yes, of course, of course.

So wow.

SPEAKER_02: So now I mean it's just it's just heartbreaking passive.

SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's one of those things though, where I look at your story and how you have such this just amazing, electrifying, bubbly personality about you.

Your story so far, we're talking about this this young girl who's had this just very different type of childhood, but amazing childhood than you know has brought you all the way to New York and and blessed you with these amazing experiences.

Yeah.

And then though, but in our lives, all of us face challenges.

SPEAKER_00: Yes.

SPEAKER_03: You know, in very different ways.

And and you you were all of a sudden dealt the most difficult of challenges, the fact of losing someone you love.

And what I find remarkable is the fact that here he was kind of the the reason that you you got into to cooking and and fell in love with the kitchen was from your uncle.

And what I love about it is the fact that losing him did not make you turn away from that.

But obviously, I'm assuming probably drew you even closer to the kitchen.

SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, totally.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: It was like I had to keep his legacy going, like I had to show the world like all these things that he taught me.

And I mean, my whole approach on my website is making approachable recipes that are delicious and you know, exciting.

And that was kind of like how Broy taught me to cook.

Like he was this, you know, four-star chef who could make anything.

But when it was me in the kitchen, we were making things that like that I wanted to make and that I wasn't afraid to make, and that, you know, I could he taught me that I could do it.

He taught me these like skills that were necessary.

And you know, that's a big part of my cooking and in the way that I do things is I want I want people who aren't comfortable cooking to feel comfortable cooking.

SPEAKER_03: And I love that, you know.

SPEAKER_00: I love that.

SPEAKER_03: So now so after he passed away, you make the move back to you know, New Smyrna, you're living there.

So then how do things progress?

We're gonna get to that life about Marion the Surfer and all that, also.

But but I'm curious how how the part of your life progressed as far as cooking, because I mean, you didn't just stay just this cheesemonger.

I mean, you you've gone on to to be on the the food network on on you know guys' grocery games and and all of this amazing stuff.

So I'm wondering how in the world like what happened, yes.

SPEAKER_00: So that's such a good question because it was definitely like you know, trials and tribulations.

Like I went from being this party New York girl, like cooking all this like crazy food and eating at all these wild restaurants, and then I was in a relationship living in Florida in a tiny little beach town that no one had heard of.

And a part of me was like, I'm gonna quit the blog.

Like, no one is gonna care what I have to say, like it's just it's not it's not who I am anymore.

And this was like my internal dialogue, and I think like you know, the depression from losing him was a big part of this like self-doubt.

But I never quit.

I just like would maybe post like once every three months, and it was social media, so people were still following my story, even if I didn't post a new recipe every week, like I had been doing for the last six years.

I just I stuck with it, and I was just very real about what I was going through.

And I I would talk to people and I'd be like, you know, I don't know, like it's I'm not the same person anymore.

Like, no one's gonna care what I have to say.

And the feedback was like, oh my god, shut up.

Just like sharing the recipe again.

And I was like, okay, I will.

So I started back up again, and all these crazy things just started happening.

Jeremy and I got asked to do a show for Visit Florida, it was like a YouTube docuseries where we'd drive around Florida and like find the best places for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in all these different towns.

Oh my gosh, that's a dream.

Yeah, it was so it was amazing.

And I was like, what?

What is this?

And then I remember getting getting a DM on in on Instagram being like, hey, I'm casting for the Food Network, and we're looking for cheese loving chefs, and we're wondering if you're interested.

I swear to God, I thought it was spam.

I was like, oh my god, and I was like, okay, I'm just gonna write back.

And like I Skyped the next day, and I was like, oh my god, wait, what?

This is real.

I mean, the the tryout for the show was like five sessions of like Skyping and talking about the kitchen and like my type of food.

And I actually told Broy's story because this was like within the year that he died.

SPEAKER_02: Yes.

SPEAKER_00: And of course, I'm like a very emotional person, so I'm like crying in each interview and just like telling the story about Broy.

And so like I didn't hear anything back, and I was like, oh, I didn't get the show like that that blows.

And then all of a sudden it was like, hey, so your episode is gonna film next week.

We're gonna need you in California on a plane like next Thursday or something.

And I was like, What?

Okay, let's do it.

And I showed up at the airport, and I remember like they always pick us up in a big van together, and everyone in the on the episode with me was like, one owned a restaurant chain in San Francisco, one or one owned, like uh she was like uh oh, what did she do?

She actually has got a huge YouTube page, she's like a YouTube chef, and and the other one was this like San Diego cheese.

He owned three cheese restaurants.

Okay.

And I'm like, oh my god, I'm like, I think I was like 29 or something.

Yes.

I was like, oh my god, what what have I done?

And I just I think my face, you could just see that I was like, I am not, I'm going home.

Like, there's and it was so crazy because we got to the set and I was just so intimidated.

And Guy comes out and gives like this pep talk before we even start filming, and he's like, You're here for a reason, like you guys are all so talented, like I've read all your stories.

And I think I just I had this look of like shock on my face, and I think he could tell that.

So he pulled me aside, and I no joke, he was like, Your uncle Bro wants you here, and I was like, What?

Like, oh my god, like I don't mind thinking about it right now.

I was like, What?

He's like, You're here for a reason, just remember that.

And I was like, Oh god, like, oh my god, like, okay, get it together, Mackenzie, like we gotta win this, and I won it, and it was so crazy because on the first episode, like at the end, when I'm you know winning it, guys like, hey, I just have something that I gotta do.

I gotta give you one of Uncle Bro's big bear hugs, and like there was no way that he would know that like bro was like this, like Bro, it was like huge, this huge dude who would just like lift you up in these huge teddy bear hugs.

And um, he did that, and I was just like, this is the most magical time.

I was hysterically crying, by the way.

SPEAKER_01: Yes.

SPEAKER_00: And I won$16,000, and then my goal, you know, they always ask you, what are you gonna do with the money?

And I said, My family has had a really tough year.

We opened this bed and breakfast, we can't travel because you know, we're all we're all here running it.

So I'm gonna take my family to Italy and we're gonna do like a celebration of life for Broy, and we're just gonna eat all this food.

And so we ended up going to Italy.

SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00: My whole family out there, and we just like blew the prize money on this amazing trip, and my Jeremy, my then boyfriend, proposed to me on it.

Oh my goodness! So I get back and I get another call to be on a champion episode of Guy's Grocery Games, and and it was so crazy because it was another cheese champion.

It was a burger competition or a cheeseburger competition.

And once again, I'm up against people who have won Guys Grocery Games, a Michelin star chef, a guy who's won like 15 food network shows, and I forget who the other person was right now, but another big deal.

And I'm like, I'm going home again.

Like why I keep torturing myself.

And I made it to the final round, and it was like you had to spin the wheel and it landed on goat cheese.

So I had to make this crazy, extravagant, gluttonous burger with goat cheese.

And as you know, goat cheese like doesn't melt.

It's not like I don't think of it as like an extravagant, like that's not very gluttonous, it's more like a health cheese.

Yes, okay.

So I'm like in the final round, and I and I'm just like working my ass off trying to like make this crazy gluttonous grilled cheese, and I make uh caramelized onion and goat cheese sauce for this burger, and then I'm flipping the patty, and in my head, my uncle bro says goat cheddar, and I was like, what?

And then like this light bulb happened, and I was like, oh my god, I there's more than one type of goat cheese back there.

And I ran to the back and I found goat cheddar and slapped it on those burgers, and then I finally had this like melty, extravagant, gluttonous cheeseburger.

And Guy and all the judges were like, Oh my god, like I didn't even know goat cheddar was a thing, and I was like, either did I.

I just heard it in my head, and they were like, What?

And then I started crying again because I was like, Broy, like, what how is this real?

And I won$20,000.

Wow, and it was just this, and it's just been this crazy thing, and it's just I know if Broy's was alive and he saw me or heard me on the food network, he would lose his mind.

And I swear he's he's just been with me through every single part of this, and he may not be here physically, but he's still with me spiritually, and I'm crying right now.

SPEAKER_03: Well, I can tell you this from the story that you just shared.

I don't think you have to question or say if he saw you on the food network and go crazy because I think he was on the food network with you.

SPEAKER_02: I think so too.

SPEAKER_03: Because uh, you've just taught me something new about goat Jetta.

I know.

I'm like, I've never heard of such a thing.

SPEAKER_00: I know it was so crazy too, because even I mean, like the judges were like, you just out cheesed, and that's why you're working.

You didn't even know that that was a thing back there.

He's like, I've been filming this show for years, and no one's ever used a goat cheddar.

SPEAKER_03: That is so funny.

That is so funny.

So now I gotta ask you.

So I actually just recently preparing for our interview, thank goodness to on demand, I actually found those episodes of the guys' grocery games that you were on.

Oh nice, and so I'm curious.

Yes, is there any time that like we don't see on the camera that like you have time to actually like think about like what you're gonna make?

SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.

I freaking wish.

No, it is no, it is the most intense show.

It's literally like, and maybe if Guy wasn't such like a rock star, then you would have some time.

But like this man doesn't repeat things, like everything that he does is just like first take, right?

Yes, so like when when you're filming that scene where it's like this is the challenge, there's no like, all right, take two.

It's like, all right, one, let's go.

And you're just like, what?

And it is so stressful.

I swear.

I always joke that I just black out, like, and my brain is just like on autopilot trying to decide what to make because the stress is so real.

There's no time, you don't have any clue.

Like, you know, the theme of the episode, like knowing that I was doing a burger episode was actually great because I was like, oh, okay, there's a sand, like I'm doing burgers, like I can I can, you know, think about burgers, but like all the other episodes that I've been on, it's like cheese.

Like, okay, there's a million ways to use cheese.

Like, I have no idea.

But it really is truly this like fast moving show.

I mean, you film one episode in a day, yeah.

And then at the end of it, that's when you go in the back room and you have like a producer that's or I guess your own little director that's like assigned to you, and they're like reading you back each step of things that you did, and they're like asking you why.

And thank goodness, because I don't like half the things that they say, you're like, I did that.

You're like, I don't remember.

And they're like, Yes, Mackenzie, for the 15th time you did that.

Because it's is truly just like, and it's so hot.

It's like that little kitchen that you're in, the grill is on like 400 degrees, your your oven is on 400, your fryer is on, your salamander's on, everything is so is is hot.

You right, your water's boiling, so like that you're ready to go.

But on top of that, all the camera lights, and on top of that, you're running in this grocery store, and it's just you're so hot that you're just like, oh my god, what is happening?

Like, houses, like, how am I functioning?

And then you just somehow do.

It's a miracle that I've made it out of any of those shows alive.

SPEAKER_03: That is so awesome.

Now, is it a grocery store like specifically made for the show?

SPEAKER_00: Yes.

So the very first season was filmed in a real grocery store, and then after that, they built a grocery store.

Everything is real.

What's really cool is that they film so many episodes back to back.

Like they I think they do like two or three seasons at a time.

So the food doesn't really have a chance to go bad, but at the end of each filming like session, they donate it all to local charities, to like when the Northern California fires were going on, like they used everything in that grocery store to feed the firefighters and the people that were without homes.

And Guy is like the most charitable dude ever, so nothing goes to waste.

Which I always a lot of people ask me, like, God, it just seems so wasteful.

It's like it may seem like that, but it's truly not.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, I absolutely love that.

That's so awesome.

So now, yeah, at what point then?

Because so I'm assuming maybe after this that you went viral with your uh TikTok sensation with the baked feta pasta?

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so that was such a crazy thing.

So one of my girlfriends actually met her through The Black Dolphin.

She was from Finland, and she was like, hey, like, you gotta try this recipe.

Like, everyone in Finland is obsessed with it.

And of course, it was in Finnish, so I couldn't like read it.

She's like, here, let me like kind of walk you through it.

So she walked me through it.

And then I remember I did on an Instagram story one night.

I was like, one of my friends just told me about this recipe that's like really taking off in Finland, and the Finnish grocery stores are running out of feta because it's so popular, and this is my this is my spin on it.

And this was like right before the pandemic.

And so during the pandemic, when everyone was like cooking all the time and like not leaving their house, it became this like Instagram viral thing.

Like I was getting tagged in it probably 20 times a day.

And my website was just blowing up, my Instagram was blowing up, and then you know, the pandemic, like everything kind of became hopeful again, like around January, February the next year, or this this past year, I should say.

It's all a blur, like honestly, totally, right?

And so I got TikTok because I was like, all right, I'm finally I'm giving in.

I'm gonna give this platform, I'm gonna become one of the cool kids and learn how to edit videos.

And so I did, and it was like, I think probably like my fifth video, and I shared the bake feta pasta video on TikTok.

And then I went to bed.

The next morning I was like, wow, what?

Like my phone had like a million alerts.

It was like you got like 70,000 new followers.

I was like, what?

And then it was like, your video has a million views, and I was like, what in the heck?

And my friend Feel Good Foodie, who I had just like before the pandemic, we went on a cheese trip together in Wisconsin, and she's always like on top of the viral.

So she's like, Kenzie, I gotta make this video.

Like, this is so crazy.

And I was like, Yeah, do it, like, go for it.

And so she made it, and she has like a million followers on TikTok.

I think she has three million on Instagram, and so she made it, and then both of ours started blowing up even more, and I ended up getting like three million views in like the first week or something.

Wow.

And it was just so crazy, and then all this drama came along with it.

Like the original blogger that I attributed it to in Finland turns out she actually wasn't the first one to make it over there.

She had like, you know, claimed credit for it, and it was like fetigate.

Like, I was just like, oh my goodness, like this is so crazy.

And then I got interviewed by like Vogue, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Rachel Ray Show, like it was just this insane video, and now it's like it's my number one recipe on my website.

It's just my Instagram.

I think I gained like 50,000 followers.

I mean, my TikTok, I'm almost at like 80,000 because of it.

And it's just been this wild, wild thing, and it's still going.

Like, I still get like 3,000 page views a day from you know, Google searches for baked feta pasta, which is so wild.

SPEAKER_03: Well, I must say, you know, for for anyone listening to this podcast, if you want to understand just how monumental this baked feta pasta is, before I ever even knew who McKenzie Smith was, was I had her baked feta pasta thanks to my sister, thanks to my sister who had been following you on Instagram.

She saw it and she's she gets the stuff to make this recipe, and it's so simple that there's no way it could be that delicious.

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: Right?

That's like the magic of it.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.

My sister makes it, and oh my gosh, it has become my favorite meal.

And and so I'm like, I fell in love with McKenzie Smith before I even knew who McKenzie Smith was.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00: It is, it's so crazy.

It's been like, it's just been such a wild ride.

And and we still, I mean, we made it two nights ago, like Poppy ate every dinner last night.

It's just this super easy dish, minimal ingredients, and it comes out perfect every time.

And it's like you don't have to babysit it, you just pop it in the oven, boil some pasta, and you got this tasty meal within under an hour.

SPEAKER_03: And I think the thing that I think is is special about it is the fact that it comes out though feeling fancy.

Right.

Like when you serve it, like it legit is like I should be going to a restaurant to get this type of dinner.

Yeah, it is that it is that kind of good.

It's like if you if you're thinking to yourself right now that you got to check it out, well, be sure to check out the show notes where you'll find the link to it as well as all the link for McKinsey.

But just know, like, do it for a date night.

Be sure you have some good wine on hand and like get ready to really indulge because I'm telling you, like, you're gonna question why you would ever go to a restaurant again when you could just make this at home.

SPEAKER_00: I love that.

Thank you.

That it's it's such a stellar recipe, and of course, yeah, so so into it still.

SPEAKER_03: Yes, well, that's awesome.

Awesome.

How because you know, anybody following your your blog, yeah, you continue to put out amazing recipes, and and like you you allude to earlier, is your recipes are are they're so creative, they're so delicious, everyone we've ever made, but they're so simple too.

And I just have to ask, like, how does somebody like you keep coming up with new recipes?

Because I don't know, I guess to me, I think, well, everything's already been made.

SPEAKER_00: Like honestly, when I used to travel, a big part of it was travel, but now it's just like I don't even know.

I mean, a lot of it is me just looking on the internet.

I do a lot of research on Google to see what people are like what recipes people are Googling, and then I'll be like, okay, well, if they're into this, they'll probably be into this.

And it's just this creative outlet for me.

And yeah, I don't know.

I just I freestyle it and growing up cooking and eating a lot of things, it's just a lot of family recipes.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, that's awesome.

That's awesome.

Well, before we we wrap it up and go into a new segment here on the podcast that I'm gonna be uh presenting to you soon, I first have to ask though, we we made mention a little bit of of your life today with with your husband and stuff.

And so I'm just kind of curious what life looks like for you today.

SPEAKER_00: So yeah, today I am 20, almost 26 weeks pregnant.

I have a one and a half year old, and she is the coolest little baby ever.

She's really good at eating, which makes her mama very proud.

Most of my days I recipe test all day and then shoot videos and photos and write on my computer.

I work at the hotel only two days a week these days, just because the blog has become this huge thing.

I am working on another cookbook, which I don't even think I've mentioned.

I also have a cookbook out.

Ooh.

Yep.

And so I'm working on a second cookbook, and yeah, I mean, recipes are life for me.

SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: We live we live right here on the beach, so a lot of beach time.

We've got two little dachshins that are just insane, but insanely cute at the same time.

SPEAKER_03: Oh, well, that's so cute.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just living the mommy chef recipe developer life.

And I've got a it's you know, Q4 for blog life is insane because it's the holidays, and this is like when my career gets the busiest because it's when all the brands want, you know, me to develop recipes, and not just me, but all the bloggers to develop recipes, and it's it's kicking into high gear right now.

So I'm full-fledged into Thanksgiving recipes right now, and I'll start on Christmas right after that.

But it is there's a lot of fall food going on in our house, even though it is like 90 degrees outside.

SPEAKER_03: That's so so what is the name of your cookbook and where can people find it at?

SPEAKER_00: Yep, so my cookbook is called Grilled Cheese Social Super Fun Recipes for Super Fun Times.

And you can buy it on my website, grilledcheesocial.com.

It's also on Amazon.

SPEAKER_03: Awesome.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I self-published this one, so my goal is to not self-publish the next one, just to kind of to see what it's like to have someone who helps distribute the book.

But it's it's great.

I've sold so many of them, and it's been such a fun thing.

And yeah, the cookbook is 60 grilled cheese recipes, so it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, all like wacky yet approachable grilled cheeses that are super delicious and really fun.

SPEAKER_03: You are fun, everything about you is fun, all the way down to this super cool sounding cookbook.

And so, oh my goodness, McKinsey, you have been such a joy to talk to.

I love your story.

Just like I said earlier in our conversation, just how natural things just progress with your life.

You seem like your life is just one of those that you didn't try to force anything, you know, you kind of just kind of let life take you where it needed to go.

SPEAKER_00: It's so true.

And I I always tell people that are like, what do I do?

I'm like, honestly, just say yes.

Say yes to the things you want to do and say no to the things you don't, and and things will just start to unfold.

And I'm an eternal optimist too, so I think that helps.

I just let life lead me and go with the flow and just try to keep it real.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

Well, that's awesome.

That's awesome.

Well, well, since you are so much fun, I thought, you know what?

She would be the perfect person for me to try out something new on the podcast that we're calling the lowdown five.

All right.

So that is five questions, five answers, all within side of five minutes.

SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's go.

SPEAKER_03: All right.

So, number one, where is the uh best place you have ever traveled?

SPEAKER_00: The best place I've ever traveled is probably Thailand.

SPEAKER_03: Thailand, awesome.

Number two, best restaurant, whether because of the food, the the overall atmosphere.

SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness.

That is like asking which child is my favorite.

My favorite restaurant of all time?

Oh my gosh, the this is such a hard question.

I'm gonna go with a pregnancy craving right now because that's all I can think about is another restaurant in New York called Pies and Thighs.

And I would literally do anything for their hot honey, chicken biscuit, and mac and cheese, and black-eyed pea salads.

SPEAKER_03: What?

I didn't know northerners could cook like that.

SPEAKER_00: That's oh, Brooklyn has their whole chain.

I'm gonna make it quick.

They have a whole chain of southern restaurants, not chain, but like a whole trend of southern restaurants, and they call it the buttermilk brigade.

SPEAKER_03: That is so awesome.

Oh my goodness, sounds delicious.

All right, number three.

It's no doubt that your your uncle bro played a truly pivotal role in your your life.

SPEAKER_00: Truly.

SPEAKER_03: Is there any one thing that he taught you that stands out above the rest?

SPEAKER_00: I mean, to be creative obviously is like a big thing.

My husband would say it's to not clean up as you cook.

Me and Joey are just a mess in the kitchen.

But it would just be to stick to your roots and do what you love, I think.

SPEAKER_03: Awesome, awesome.

All right, you're at the beach.

Are you catching a tan or catching some waves?

SPEAKER_00: These days I'm catching a tan because I am too pregnant to be in the between free pregnancy.

I would definitely be catching some waves with my husband.

SPEAKER_03: Awesome, awesome.

All right, last question.

Ready.

Cameras are off.

You're not looking to post anything on Instagram, you're not looking to go viral on TikTok.

What's that day look like for you?

SPEAKER_00: That day looks so lazy, and I can't even wait to have one of these this weekend.

Waking up, having breakfast with my daughter, putting on some Elmo for her to watch, and just relaxing and taking it easy for lunch.

Probably go to the beacon here in New Smyrna.

It's like my favorite little diner.

And then take the doggies to the to the dog park at the beach for dinner, have Jeremy grill something on the grill so I don't have to cook.

And then put Poppy to sleep, get in bed, watch some Netflix, and pass out early.

That just sounds like a dream right now.

SPEAKER_03: Awesome, awesome.

And just because it's my podcast, so I can do what I want, I'm adding a I'm adding one last question.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: And that is what's your favorite go-to grilled cheese?

SPEAKER_00: My favorite go-to grilled cheese is definitely classic sourdough, munster cheese, and salty butter.

And if I'm feeling a little fancy, I'll add some truffle oil.

But like Munster cheese, sourdough, salty butter, so classic, so simple.

It gives you the best cheese pull.

It's it's my go-to.

SPEAKER_03: Wow.

Well, sounds good.

McKenzie, you have been an absolute pleasure to have on my podcast.

Whether or not the conversation got a little cheesy or not, you know.

But but no, honestly, uh, McKinsey, it's been so awesome to get to talk with you today, and I just uh really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you, and thank you for having me on.

I love talking with you.

You're you're awesome, and I'm excited to be friends after this.

SPEAKER_03: Well, wonderful.

Well, and for all of you listening, you know, I I really hope that today's conversation has done one thing in particular and made you hungry because I am absolutely starving and am so ready for a grilled cheese sandwich myself.

And so, well, let's get out of the studio and go get something to eat.

Have an awesome day.

SPEAKER_00: You too, so good talking with you.

SPEAKER_03: And that's the lowdown with Kevin Lowe.

I hope today's episode inspired you, motivated you, and excited you to get out and enjoy life, no matter what obstacles may be standing in the way.