Holiday Shopping in Pawling

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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)

 

 

I know that some of you are going to run in the opposite direction when I bring this up but … it’s almost time to start holiday shopping. Seriously, this Sunday is November first! Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and we all Holiday Shopping in Pawlingknow how quickly the December holidays are upon us after that. Over the past few years I have noticed a shift in my holiday shopping style. I cannot stand going to the mall. It’s crowded, loud, and stressful. Yuck. But I also hate doing all of my shopping online because I feel like I miss out on so much of the holiday spirit. I have fallen in love with some of the boutique stores in Saint Pete and I was recently reminded that one can have that same experience right in our beloved village. Have you been in our gift shop lately? Good Tidings is the perfect place to find your season’s greetings.Continue Reading

Revisiting Reputations in the Restaurant Industry

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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)

Okay so this post is one that I wrote and shared at the beginning of the year but this past weekend I was reminded of why it’s so important. I was out to dinner with some friends when I heard the table next to us talking about how restaurant reputationsbadly they felt for their server because he “didn’t seem like he had any real career goals and would probably be a waiter for the rest of his life.” Ugghhh … Continue Reading

How to Make Mozzarella Cheese in 10 Easy Steps

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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)

 

Yesterday was a really great day. Actually, this whole weekend was really great. On Saturday, Matt and I explored downtown Tampa and Oktoberfest and then how to make mozzarella cheeseyesterday, with football games on the TV in the background, we attempted to recreate his mom’s famous meatballs and sauce so we could enjoy meatball subs for dinner. While the kitchen smelled out of this world amazing all day long, I am sad (but not surprised) to say that our attempt to match Mama B’s recipe fell short. The meatballs were still tasty and the sauce was still delicious, but it just wasn’t the same. Hers are just too good to match! However, we also made our first ever batch of homemade mozzarella cheese and THAT was a big win. I immediately knew I had to share the process with you all and I can officially say that if you have the time (about an hour) and the resources, that you should definitely try this one at home. So, the question of the hour is, “How do you make mozzarella cheese?”Continue Reading

Fall Food Trends for 2015

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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)

 

With every season comes new food and beverage trends in the restaurant industry. I love how frequently this business changes as we discover new flavor combinations and fun ingredients to play with. Over the past few years fall food trendswe’ve seen a major increase in health consciousness (though some people aren’t happy about it – check out this clip for a good laugh), the resurgence of ancient grains, the use of herbs and essential oils in cocktails, and of course the addition of alcohol to foods of all kinds. As we make our way into the fall season, there are some things you should keep your eyes open for because I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll notice them on your date nights, happy hour meet ups, and even in your grocery stores.Continue Reading