Angela McKeller's Bio
Angela McKeller has been having a love affair with the kitchen as long as she can remember. Fortunately, this is an affair that most would DREAM of falling victim to! Angela awoke one morning and made the choice that she was no longer going to try to love her work, but instead, figure out how to make a living by doing what she loves!
Angela's earliest memory of cooking was with her Great-Grandmother, Mom Buck, at age 3.

Every Thursday, Mom Buck would come over and it was the highlight of Angela's week for 18 years! Mom Buck survived the Great Depression and would teach Angela shortcuts for simplifying the cooking process, how to build a meal with ONLY the ingredients in her pantry, cooking on a budget and WITHOUT a recipe! Mom Buck taught Angela that the kitchen is a safe place to escape the stress of the outside world and that it was also a great way to unleash her creativity.

Angela and Mom Buck (October 16, 1914 - May 5, 2010)
Angela says, "Mom Buck was an incredible mentor. She forever lives on in my heart and the wisdom she imparted to me, I will continue to teach to others so that her legacy continues. I want to grow up to be Mom Buck! Kooky, silly, loving, wise, compassionate and always putting others first."
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From 1993 until 2001, Angela worked for a variety of different restaurants. It was during this time that she worked every position possible, including grill, fry, mid, expo and prep. The kitchen managers encouraged her to try different combinations of ingredients and a whole new dimension was added to her recipe writing ability!
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In 2004, Angela was flown by executive producers of Hell's Kitchen to Los Angeles for the final round of interviews to audition for the first season of their reality cooking show. While she was very thankful for the opportunity, Angela decided the time was not right and opted for a different direction.
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In 2006, Angela found a recipe contest sponsored by The Blake House Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in Asheville, NC. She was ecstatic to later learn that she'd won 1st place in the recipe contest ! (www.blakehouse.com)
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With the advent of the YouTube phenomenon, Angela decided that she would upload "kook"ing shows to video sites. People have always told her that she makes cooking look so easy and they just love how "kooky" she is, so "KicK BacK and KooK! " was born!
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In 2007, Angela organized one of the most successful charity events of the year at The National Science Center's Fort Discovery Center, teaching children how to prepare an easy flambé fruit dessert and they loved it!
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On February 8, 2008, Angela made an appearance on Paula Deen's show, "Paula's Party!", demonstrating how to prepare her Chocolate Hazelnut Lava Cake and the response from her fans was overwhelming! Thank you, to Paula Deen and The Food Network!
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Also beginning in 2008, Angela began hosting a FREE podcast, "Kick Back and Kook!" available on iTunes. Angela interviews some of the best chefs in the industry, shares some of their best recipes and techniques with you! Angela promises to take the fear out of "kooking", one podcast at a time!
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In April 2008, Angela worked as a chef for Peppercorns Catering serving dinner to a major corporation during The Master's Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. It was at this time that Angela learned how to prepare delicious, gourmet meals on such a large scale.
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Angela was contacted in early 2008 by a casting company to be featured as a chef on a reality show, but Angela was planning a move to Europe to experience French, German and Belgian cuisine. She lived there for nearly a year, broadening her already expansive kooking repertoire while working in international sales and marketing.
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In 2009, Angela was recognized as an expert recipe blogger and continues to contribute “kooking” advice to many food sites and online food magazines on a regular basis.
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In 2010, Angela was featured in Atlanta's Points North Magazine and Augusta Family Magazine with book signings and culinary events in the works. She also performed a cooking demo for Grape Crush Productions at Bloomingdale's during April's Food and Wine Month.
And that's not all! More is in the works and Angela can't wait to share it all with you soon!
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