Meet Our Team

Chef / Owner

Andrew McMillan

Digital Creator - Simple and Delicious Recipes YouTube Channel

Chef Andrew McMillan is the CEO and President of The Stocked Pot Culinary Team Building, and Digital Creator of Simple and Delicious Recipes. Andrew takes great pride in sharing a lifetime of great culinary experiences with fellow foodies during his team building events and through his YouTube Channel.

His travels have taken him around the world, visiting over 36 countries on six continents including China, France, Italy, Africa, Mauritius, Thailand, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, Luxembourg, and Caribbean Island nations, where he immersed himself in the local lore, customs, and cooking traditions. Growing up in a culinary household excited his taste buds and provided a strong culinary foundation.

 

From 1990 to 2005 Andrew managed two of the family restaurants and catering company.

During the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Andrew managed the South African Pavilion in charge of feeding more than 400 athletes and support personnel four meals a day as well as catering many VIP functions for the government of South Africa.

In 2005, Chef Andrew created “Great Deals On The Web” selling tens of thousands of kitchen tools and gadgets around the world. He brought back The Stocked Pot Cooking School where over 200,000 students learned the fundamentals of cooking. He created Catering by Simple Elegance and The Stocked Pot Fun Culinary Team Building Activities and Event Experiences and expanded throughout the state of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Chef Andrew McMillan was the personal caterer for Dr. Maya Angelou for over 15 years. He catered many wonderful meals when she entertained celebrities, and for large events. Including catering many years of Dr. Angelou’s legendary weeklong Thanksgiving celebrations.

His extensive knowledge of fine wine, beverages and food enables him to design and develop wine lists and institute food programs in a variety of settings.

In 2021, Chef Andrew and Laurie started Simple and Delicious Recipes, a YouTube cooking video channel to share their love of food and beverage. The cooking video channel continues to grow and is a big success.

 

Chef / Owner

Laurie McMillan

Digital Creator - Simple and Delicious Recipes YouTube Channel

Laurie was born in Alexandria VA and spent a good portion of her life in Greensboro, NC, where she graduated from Guilford College with a B.S. in Business Management.  She began her career as a Purchasing and Production Planning Manager, Inventory Manager and then took the leap into IT SAP software implementation for global corporations, which she continued for fifteen years.

During that time, she traveled extensively in the United States and overseas for work and fell in love with different local cuisines and culture along the way. Laurie has traveled to and savored the local fare in Germany, Italy, Prague, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean Island nations.

 

Laurie met Andrew in 2011 and decided to leave corporate America behind and join him in facilitating in an innovative and unique Team Building concept using food as the medium to bring people together. They were married in 2016 in Winston Salem, NC and 2021 Laurie’s dream of keeping her toes in the sand came to fruition when she and Andrew relocated to the North Carolina’s Crystal Coast and, in addition to their Team Building Business, ventured into the YouTube platform.

Together they started Simple and Delicious Recipes YouTube channel which features personal and exciting culinary video recipes, knife skills, food hacks and special appearances by “taste tester” Daisy–her favorite chiweenie. Every week we post new video recipes that we love, and we hope you will love them too. Our recipes are fun, and we make them easy for you to follow.

Master Chef

Chef Donald McMillan CEC AAC HHOF

Digital Creator - Simple and Delicious Recipes YouTube Channel

Chef Donald McMillan worked for the US National Science Foundation on an oceanographic vessel with the R/V Anton Brunn while serving in the US Merchant Marines. They checked depths of the Indian Ocean, sampled fish, tagged sharks, and hatching turtles, studied migration patterns. Chef Donald McMillan participated in the International Indian Ocean Expedition from 1961 to 1965 serving as steward, cook, and baker.

Chef Donald McMillan hosted Monday’s Menu cooking show on NBC affiliate WXII for 16 years. He has appeared as a guest chef on many TV shows, including Hallmark’s Christmas with Maya Angelou, Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts with Dave Chappell and Maya Angelou, and twice on Turner South’s Home Plate with Chef Marvin Woods. In addition, he appeared multiple times on Turner South and Fox Sports South, O’Neill Outside.

 

In 1985, Chef Donald McMillan purchased and expanded The Stocked Pot Cooking School and Retail Store, which was the first kitchen store in Winston-Salem, NC. He added many celebrity chefs and cookbook authors, as well as adding many new and exciting cooking classes from 1 class a week to over 5 classes and a week. He expanded the store by renting the space next door and connected the two stores together. He created an extensive wine, deli, and cheese store. The Stocked Pot Cooking School has taught well over 200,000 students the fundamentals and joy of cooking.

Since 1987, Chef Donald McMillan has owned and operated the following restaurants and catering; Gisele Fine Foods, Café Piaf, Café McMillan’s, and Simple Elegance Catering, all located in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

He has taught students at almost every Forsyth County School and served as a culinary educator at Guilford Technical Community College.

Started and chaired by Chef Donald McMillan, The American Culinary Federation Triad Chapter Chef and the Child Foundation has instructed children in the fun of cooking nutritional meals with hands-on instruction at 17 North Carolina counties, now in its 31st year and counting.

He brings a lifetime of experiences and stories from his travels to over 64 countries, amusing recollections, easy-to-follow instructions, and just pure fun to his cooking classes. Chef McMillan stars in most of the recipe videos on our YouTube channel, Simple and Delicious Recipes. Every week one new video recipe is posted. Our recipes are fun, and easy for you to follow.

If there’s one thing Chef Donald McMillan is more passionate about than cooking, it’s teaching others to how to master it while having fun in the kitchen.

 

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