Onions! For Crying Out Loud

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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 can remember grocery shopping with my mom when I was younger. I loved sneaking things that weren’t on her list into the cart (like sugary cereal and extra bags of chips) but I hated the time it took us to finish image2shopping. Because I was always in a rush to check out, mainly because we would usually make something extra delicous for lunch once we got home, I would always head off on my own to speed things up. I would start checking things off the list in confidence until I came to the produce section. Mom’s list just said “onions” but the store had so many different kinds! Now that I’ve been obsessed with cooking for the past decade, it’s no longer an issue but for those people who use their stove as storage, the difference between the five types of onions may still be unclear. Is today’s post on the basic side? Yes. Is it still a good lesson to keep in your back pocket? I think so, yes. So … what the heck is the difference between the five types of onions found at your local grocery store?OnionsContinue Reading

Ode to Garlic

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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)

When you’re cooking a nice piece of meat, you want your pan sizzling hot before you drop in the main ingredient, right? A lot of people think that a piping hot pan is the first step for any recipe but that’s Garlicactually a misconception, especially when you’re talking about today’s main ingredient: garlic.Continue Reading

Be the Belle of the (BBQ) Ball

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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)

Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone which means it’s officially summer, right? Well it is in my book anyway. Over the Bell of the BBQ Ballweekend across the country, grills were sparked up for their kickoff barbeque, beaches opened to the public, and we went ham on burgers, hot dogs, and pasta salad. Ready or not, grilling season is here. It’s amazing how much better a burger tastes when it comes off a piping hot grill, don’t you think? But it seems that less and less people are kicking it old school with charcoal these days and it’s a shame. Some people may consider charcoal grills to be too high maintenance but I think they’re great. Plus, there are some major benefits to using charcoal compared to gas and so if you’re not on board yet, you may think again after today’s post.Continue Reading

You HAVE to Try This Pasta Trick

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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)

So you guys know by now that I’m a foodie turned health nut. Don’t worry this blog will never focus on kale and quinoa (though I do love enjoying both of those ingredients on a regular basis). However, from time to time I may share some fun chef tricks that You HAVE to try this pasta trickdon’t include adding more butter, oil, or sugar. Like today! I am going to share a cooking hack with you that will make every pasta dish you ever prepare taste even more decadent and lush and it all starts with the water.Continue Reading