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I know that this blog isn’t McKinney and Doyle centric, but I’ve been getting a lot of great emails lately asking who we are and how we got started. I’m also feeling a little homesick today so I figured it’s a good time to write a little about McKinney and Doyle’s history. The restaurant and bar that many of you know today is much larger than my dad ever anticipated. Isn’t that exciting? Let’s just start at the beginning.

My dad did not always know he wanted to open a restaurant and bakery. In fact, he originally went to Syracuse University for journalism. It did not take long for him to realize that it wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life; it wasn’t the direction he wanted to go. So he moved back home and went back to work at the same deli he had been working in since he was just 11 years old. He said he had always loved cooking. In fact, he used to cut school as a young boy to watch “Galloping Gourmet” and then practice the recipes he learned on his mom and sister. How adorable is that?

 
Anyway, his boss at the deli noticed his love for the industry and said “Shannon…why don’t you go to school for THIS?” I can only imagine the look on my dad’s face when he responded that he didn’t even know that was an option. School for cooking? Done. He went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in 1984.
After graduation, my dad was primarily interested in the pastry and dessert world so he got a job at Country Epicure, a big bakery in Katonah, NY. It was here that he met Brian Doyle, my godfather. Brian had graduated from the CIA before my dad and he had already gained a lot of experience working in restaurants in NYC. The two became close friends and began throwing around the idea of opening their own bakery.

 
In 1986, they found themselves in Pawling, transforming an abandoned building on East Main Street into the original McKinney and Doyle Bakery. Pawling was, and still is, a small and friendly community. A perfect place to open a small time bakeshop. Plus, they had absolutely no funds to work with and needed something they could afford, i.e. an abandoned building on East Main Street.

 
My dad and Brian bought some old used equipment and got to work. The two of them, with the help of my mom, grandma and some other family members, did all of the labor. The bakery opened months later and was a hit. But do you know how much time it takes for just two people to run a bakery that serves fresh bread and pastries every day? They found themselves working 18-20 hours days. Needless to say they needed some help. Enter Tony Vertiz. Tony knew Brian from working together in Westchester and wanted a change of pace from the restaurant world there. So he accepted Brian’s offer of a dishwashing position. (Jump ahead almost 30 years. Tony’s been head chef for as long as I can remember).

 
The bakery was getting a lot of attention from Pawling community members and soon enough people were asking for food in addition to the cakes, pies, and pastries. Start small right? Brian and my dad began making quarts of soup available to go every day. But soup to go soon became “can you heat this up for me?” The one table that was in the East Main Street shop became the object of lunch break battles. In 1989, the two bakers began to think that maybe an entire restaurant would be a good idea.

 
Perfect timing too because during this time the village was working on what was known as the “master plan” to try and revitalize Pawling. Many of you from the Pawling area know Vince Mareno. At the time he was the village pharmacist. He also owned the building McKinney and Doyle resides in now. He asked what it would take for Brian and my dad to move the bakery into the village. They worked out a deal and McKinney and Doyle became a two store front restaurant and bakery until April of 2011 when it became the three store front restaurant and bakery that you know and love…but that story comes much later.

 
The restaurant was opened in 1991 but not without some unpredictable challenges. My dad went to a local bank for a loan for all of this remodeling, plus all of the equipment he would need to buy for a new restaurant. The bank agreed to pay off the bills as they came in and at the end of the project, McKinney and Doyle would pay the total. Contractors, plumbers, electricians and the like were about halfway done with the job when the bank receded its offer. The only option was to stop construction right?

 
Wrong. ALL of the people who had begun working on the new location offered to finish the job. My dad and Brian could pay them back over time after the restaurant opened up for business. It was that generosity and that faith that made my dad realize that Pawling was the place to be and that he would never ever consider leaving.

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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

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