Food People, Parent Picks: Kate's Fave Things
Wood-burning pizza oven: In. Potlucks: Out.
Food People, Parent Picks: we ask our favorite chefs, food writers, and industry insiders who we interview in our Order Up! Series to share the products, books, and bites they can’t live without.
Small Bites:
📖 We ❤️ Kate McMillan’s Cookbooks! Click here to browse & shop now
🎁 Kate's fave gift to give is olive oil! Of course, at One Potato we're going to hype up our friends Kosterina Olive Oil - Get 10% off & free shipping on your first order!
👨🍳 Purchase the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse so your kids can learn how to cook and not simply follow a recipe - give them the life skills to not only survive, but thrive! Here’s a free preview from KCRF: Request a free sample lesson of the “Kids Cook Solo” program, so you can see if it’s a good fit for you and your family!
🍽️ Make Family Meal Time Easier with Peas & Hoppiness Meal Planning App from our friend registered dietitian Ann Kent. Use code ONEPOTATO30 for a 30-day trial.
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Kate McMillan is a cookbook author, culinary instructor, and mom of three who believes in the power of a shared meal—whether it’s savory ham-and-cheese crepes or tacos on repeat. In our full One Potato Order Up! interview, she shared how the kitchen has always been a grounding space for her family, where care and connection matter more than perfection (though a good knife doesn’t hurt).
In this lightning round of Food People, Parent Picks, Kate lets us peek inside her fridge (tortillas, always), shares the splurgy olive oil she doesn’t let anyone touch, and tells us why garlic is her forever bestie. She’s got strong feelings about knives, quiet kitchens, and why pizza is basically a perfect food—and honestly? We’re here for all of it.
🍽 A weeknight dinner that always works?
Ham and cheese crepes. Always. We'd start with savory, and then—without fail—end the night with Nutella crepes for dessert. That was the go-to when all my girls were home.
And yes, I have a crepe pan. In fact, when I went to college, everyone brought air poppers. I brought an electric crepe pan. I’d make crepes for my dorm every weekend—still one of my favorite memories.
🧊 If we opened your fridge right now, what would we find?
Tortillas. Always stocked. With California kids, it’s tacos all the time: “Can we have tacos?” “Please make tacos?” Yes, yes, and yes.
🔪 Favorite kitchen tool?
I'm pretty anti-gadget. Just give me a good chef’s knife. If you know how to use a knife well, you can do just about anything. I'm not picky about brand—honestly, the newer it is, the more fun it is. I always get excited about a new knife.
📚 A cookbook you love (that’s not your own)?
I love Eden Grinshpan’s cookbooks: Eating Out Loud (Bookshop, Amazon) and Tahini Baby (Bookshop, Amazon). Her food is healthy, bright, full of flavor—totally my vibe.
Another one I cook from a lot is Jessica Seinfeld’s Vegan, at Times (Bookshop, Amazon). I’m not vegan (and neither is she), but the goal is to fold more plant-based meals into your routine. I’ve made at least ten dishes from it that are now in our regular rotation.
✨ Instant flavor booster?
Cumin and chili powder are staples—I love anything with Mexican or Hispanic flavors. I also gravitate toward soy sauce and sesame oil. And garlic. Always garlic.
😬 Food trend you just can't get behind?
It’s an oldie but… Potlucks. I know they have their place—like school events—but I would never host one at my house. It makes no sense to invite people over and then ask them to bring the food! Also not into the TikTok food stunts that feel wasteful just for shock value.
🎧 What’s on in the background when you're cooking?
I’m a quiet kitchen kind of person. I love The Daily podcast from The New York Times and listen every morning on my run. But in the kitchen? Usually, I like the peace and quiet. It’s like meditation for me actually.
🥣 Serving piece obsession?
We do mostly family-style meals, and I have these shallow white bowls from World Market (similar ones from Amazon) that are always on our table. I put veggies in one, meat in another… They strike the perfect balance: pretty but unfussy. It’s about the people at the table more than the food—and those bowls get that.
🔥 Dream kitchen splurge?
A real, built-in wood-burning pizza oven. I have an Ooni, and it’s great—but one day? I want the real deal. Pizza is the perfect food. I’m Italian, after all.
Check out the Ooni Electric Pizza Oven for Indoor & Outdoor, Ooni Multi-Fuel (Gas, Wood, and Charcoal options), and Ooni Gas Pizza Oven.
❤️ Favorite small food brand?
McEvoy Ranch makes the most beautiful olive oil—it’s a splurge, so I hide it in the back of the pantry. But I love their mission, and they’re a local family doing good work in the community.
I also love Wildgrain, a frozen baked goods subscription. I only order it a few times a year—usually when the kids are coming home. The biscuits, breads, pastas… they’re so good. You just pop them in the oven and suddenly dinner feels finished.
🧰 Kitchen item everyone should have?
Not a whole knife set—just three good knives: a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife. That’s all you need unless you’re filleting fish on the regular.
🎁 Favorite food gift to give?
A great olive oil. I always say: have two in your house—your everyday oil and one really nice bottle for finishing or vinaigrettes. It makes such a difference. I’m not a wine person, so I almost always bring olive oil instead.