Having grown up in a family that adds new depth to the term foodie, Kate McMillan began cooking at an early age. Helping to roll out homemade pasta as a child and having a subscription to Gourmet magazine while still in high school, she was well-seasoned for a career in the culinary arts.

After graduating from The University of Michigan in 1993, McMillan began her professional career in magazine publishing in New York City, where she spent several years as an event planner and fashion spokesperson at Vogue and Glamour magazines. She has masterminded events and hosted fashion shows and parties for clients including The Gap, Alberta Ferretti, Gucci, Levi's, Louis Vuitton and Maybelline.

With an undergraduate degree in communication and years of event planning experience under her belt, she decided to pursue her dream of attending culinary school and opening her own boutique catering company.

McMillan graduated from Tante Marie Cooking School in San Francisco, bringing her culinary skills and exposure to a whole new level. She began taking small catering jobs while in culinary school and has since grown her business to include events ranging from casual dinner parties for eight to passed hors d'oeuvres soirees for 400.

McMillan has authored two cookbooks: The Lunch Box and Williams-Sonoma's Soup of the Day.

In addition, McMillan teaches at Tante Marie's Cooking School in San Francisco. Her classes range from entertaining, to preparing weeknight family dinners, to the nuts and bolts of starting a small catering business.

McMillan's focus in both her professional and personal life is to use fresh and seasonal ingredients to prepare meals that are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. She is a chef who enjoys trying a variety of cuisines, interesting ingredients, and fresh, new ideas as much with her clients as with her young children. She has a strong commitment to teaching her children a lifelong love of and appreciation for food.

McMillan lives in Northern California with her husband and their three young daughters.