Winning a burrito eating contest in high school might just be the catapult that shot McLean into a professional cooking career. He grew up in Fredericksburg, Virginia and his first job in the industry was at a local Italian restaurant washing dishes and rolling pasta. He went to culinary school at Johnson and Wales and spent some time in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.
He first came to Eagle County without a plan, a job, or a place to live, he just knew it would work out. And it did, his first job in the valley was at Vin 48 in Avon. He left after a few years to pursue an opportunity to work on the chef team at The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Washington. Like many who live in Vail, then leave, his heart was pulled back to the mountains in Colorado in 2021 where he landed the Sous Chef position at Mountain Standard.
In April 2023, when Mountain Standard's Chef Maria Busato decided to move on, the owner and partner team didn't have to look far and promoted "Chef Mac" to the head position.
Among his many hobbies and interests is disc golf. He has so many discs that when stacked, they are taller than his wife.
