Mackenzie Stratton

Title: Food Writer

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Education: Drexel University

Mackenzie is a food writer who approaches the topic from all angles—the technical, aesthetic, cultural, and political. She enjoys the crossroads between writing and cooking because both fields require a level of precision and finesse, but there is also plenty of room for creative expression.

Highlights

Currently working on a local foods cookbook about Mexican cuisine
Have lived in five countries, including Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Costa Rica
Published over 30 cooking guides and food history features for The Spruce Eats and 22 Words
Speaks both English and Spanish

Experience

Mackenzie's earliest memories are baking "owl pellet" cookies with her grandmother (a family recipe that's an ooey-gooey concoction of oatmeal and chocolate), as well as creating inventive appetizers for family gatherings (mini hotdog tostadas, anyone?).

Since then, she has explored many corners of the globe and adopted a variety of diets—from raw vegan to budget-friendly to local foods grown and tended on a farm she worked on. She has served as the head cook for a vegetarian community, developed recipes for multiple public service organizations, contributed recipes, photos, and writing to a local foods cookbook, and written instructional cooking and food history articles for two online periodicals.

To continue sharpening her knowledge, Mackenzie has dove into traditional methods of food preparation, from Argentinian pit-cooking to Slavic fermenting and Chinese hotpot. Her passion is learning about culture, as well as exercising creativity through food.

Education

Mackenzie has a B.S. from Drexel University.

About The Spruce Eats

The Spruce Eats, a Dotdash brand, is a food and drink website offering more than 15,000 tested recipes, 1,200 how-to videos, informative articles, trustworthy product recommendations, and the inspiration to help you make your best meal. Learn more about us and our editorial process.