Welcome! I’m Gracie McKeand, a certified teacher and professional chef with over 10 years of in-home and restaurant kitchen experience, including a working at The Henley (Nashville) under acclaimed Nashville chef Kristin Beringson. I'm on a mission to empower home cooks to produce delicious, versatile, and creative food like that of professional chefs.

My own journey with food started with timidity. I loved to eat, but had little to no experience or knowledge when it came to combining flavors, or using even simple techniques to extract the most from ingredients. I cooked out of "easy" recipe books, and felt like a failure when things didn't turn out right.

One dish changed all that. A friend at a local restaurant served me a 64º(C) egg served over a bed of wild mushrooms, pork belly, fresh herbs, and smoked vinegar. The complex combination of flavor, textures and temperatures blew me away. I had to know how to do this myself. The flame of insatiable culinary curiosity was lit.

As I began to explore and learn, I fell in love with the art of food: layering flavors, creating textures through different cooking methods, and extracting the most from fresh, local ingredients.

But I’m still a busy mother to two teenage daughters, and I know how hard it can be to get an interesting, delicious and healthy meal on the table. Cooking can be hard, even on days when I have free time and creativity. Like most, I still find myself in the rut of over using my quick, go-to meals just to say “dinner’s ready!”

And so I've made it my mission to teach myself — and others — to cook with grace. Not every meal needs to be perfect, but you don't have to sacrifice flavor, quality, cost, or even time to create dishes you'll love and be proud of. It only takes a little extra knowledge and care — care for the food and for yourself.

So bring your friends or family along and enjoy an immersive group cooking experience, where we'll spend 3 hours tasting, cooking and dining. I'll provide versatile recipes that are adaptable to multiple flavor profiles and foster creativity, so cooks can experiment or stay within their comfort zone.

Or take on private lessons, where you'll learn centuries-old techniques and flavor development that will empower you to become the chef of your own kitchen.

Finally, if you have a special occasion where you want a custom, chef-prepared menu, I'll chef privately for you and a small group of guests.

Join me. Let's explore, have fun, and Cook with Grace!