Hetty Lui McKinnon is an Australian Chinese Vegetarian/plant-based/vegan cookbook author, recipe developer, and James Beard Award finalist and winner.
[6] At school, McKinnon's career advisor dissuaded her from becoming a journalist, which led to her initial stint in public relations.
[1] After her move back to Sydney, McKinnon was freelancing for a PR agency, but found herself gravitating towards cooking.
[1] She credits this as a major turning point that helped her fall in love with cooking, learn practical techniques, and layer flavors.
[7] McKinnon emailed out a weekly menu to subscribers that featured two salads a day, making deliveries on Thursday and Friday for up to forty people.
[9] She is also a regular contributor to New York Times Cooking, The Washington Post, Bon Appetit, and Epicurious.
"[1] She was inspired by the crowd-pleasing meals she cooked for her children, which were much more kid-friendly than the salads she made for Arthur Street Kitchen.
[2] The book features easy Asian recipes and draws heavy influence from her experience as a third culture kid.
[13] In interviews, McKinnon discussed how this cookbook was a way for her to reclaim her Chinese Australian heritage and celebrate Asian food culture.
[3] Many of the recipes in the book incorporate foods that he loved, like garlic chile oil, adobo, and tater tots.