Ten Books All Foodies Should Read

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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)

A picture may say a thousand words but nothing tells a story quite like a book. I’ve always loved the food The Making of a Chefindustry. It’s hard not to when you parents have such a passion for it. But I think my passion really took off after my dad recommended I read one of his favorite books; “The Making of a Chef, Mastering Heat at The Culinary Institute of America”  by Michael Ruhlman. Continue Reading

This Year’s Upcoming Food Trends

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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)

Every year for the last 29 years, The Food Channel has conducted research with CultureWaves (a behavior insights company) and the International Food Futurists in order to predict the top 10 food trends for the coming year. I love this because food trends are my pop culture. I may not know which celebrity got divorced for the fourth time, but I can gab all day about which spices and grains will pop up on restaurant menus around the country. As a chef’s daughter, it’s so cool to see just how popular the food industry and hospitality really is these days, especially compared to five years ago. Anyway, today’s post will go over some trends to look for throughout 2017.Continue Reading

Master Chef Albert Kumin: My Mentor, My Idol, My Friend

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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)

 

 

This post was written by Shannon McKinney, Chef & owner of McKinney & Doyle in Pawling, New York.

If you are as lucky in life as I have been, you are surrounded by people that support you, care for, and love you. My wife, children and the staff at McKinney and Doyle are my rocks and the ones that really keep me happy and Master Chef Albert Kumin, my mentor, my idol, my friend.moving forward.

There is a man, however, that changed my life and set me on a career path that led to the opening of McKinney and Doyle 30 years ago. I was recently reunited with him after a 25 year lapse and I want to share the story with everyone.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