Why Whole Foods is Pushing Paiche

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

Why Whole Foods is Pushing PaichePaiche is an Amazonian fish very popular in Peru but not yet a staple in American seafood. Flavor wise it’s similar to any white fish but a bit denser and less flaky. Sounds pretty good, right? Since early 2013, Whole Foods has been pushing it as an alternative (and a cheaper one at that) to the more well-known Halibut or Chilean Sea Bass. But here’s the thing. Paiche is victim to over fishing in South American regions. Though it is not yet endangered, the species may be heading in that direction if trade isn’t controlled to preserve it. So then why would Whole Foods want to push a potentially endangered, nearly unheard of fish on to its consumers? I think the answer will surprise you as much as it surprised me. Continue Reading

Chef’s Knife – A Necessary Tool and Skill for Every Home Cook

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

Chefs knife: A necessary tool and skill for every home cookWhen I first started writing the monthly newsletter for McKinney and Doyle about four years ago, I came up with the “Food for Thought” section as an excuse to cook my way through our family recipe book. I’d prepare what my roommates and I called “family meal” using recipes from the book for three to four different courses once a month. Since I was spending much more time in the kitchen preparing large meals for five people, my dad bought me my first real Chef’s Knife. I was excited about the sentiment but kind of intimidated by the gift. I mean it’s a huge knife and I’m no professional. But my dad gave me some pointers and a few lessons on how to use the knife quickly and safely and while I’m still not an expert, I’ve found great value in my basic level of skill in terms of chopping and I think it’s important for all other self-proclaimed foodies to do the same.Continue Reading

Behind the Scenes: Restaurant Kitchen Staff

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

Hi Tony!Growing up the restaurant industry meant growing up in a restaurant kitchen. I don’t mean that I worked in the kitchen or behind the line because I didn’t. What I mean is that the men and women who do work in the insanity that is McKinney and Doyle’s kitchen have been like a second family to me. They held me when I was a baby, put up with my shyness when I wouldn’t let go of my mother’s leg, and taught me how to have thick enough skin to work in my various front of house positions. I know them, their spouses, and their children and love and admire each and every one of them for many different reasons.

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Spoil Mom This Mother’s Day

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

Spoil Mom This Mother's Day
photo and recipe from busy-mommy.com

 

Mother’s Day is this Sunday! Do you have something special planned for Mom? Everybody celebrates differently; breakfast in bed, a spa day, brunch at Mom’s favorite restaurant, a day of yard work (mostly) free of complaints, you get the idea. I grew up treating my mom to breakfast in bed. My dad did the cooking, though I can remember begging to crack an egg or two, while my brother and I wrote out cards and anxiously waited to jump on our parents’ bed to wake Mom up. It’s funny because my mom is a pretty early riser so looking back now I realize that she stayed in bed longer on Mother’s Day to give us time to get everything ready even though she was already awake long before we got there. Even on her day she always takes care of us.

Since I’ve grown and moved out, I haven’t gotten to spend Mother’s Day with my mom every year the way that I’d like to. In fact, this year I won’t get to see her at all aside from a FaceTime call L. But, if I were home, I’d take some of my new cooking skills to make her something great. So for all of you reading this, if you are looking for a great recipe to spoil your mom this Sunday, you’ve come to the right place.Continue Reading