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

Per Se: A Foodie’s Dream Come True

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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)

Have you ever had an experience so magical that you had to continuously pinch yourself to prove you weren’t in a Per Sedream? I have. After I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2012, my parents gave me a foodie’s dream gift. They took me to Per Se in Manhattan for dinner. It was the ultimate graduation dinner. Actually, ultimate isn’t good enough. It was exquisite. Indescribable. I have yet to enjoy a meal anywhere nearly as much. Seriously, it was that good.Continue Reading

Soda, Ice Cream, & Tradition

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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 just finished writing the McKinney and Doyle August newsletter and fell in love with the topic in the bakery section about old-fashioned soda fountains. For those of you who don’t know, M&D hassoda fountain an old fashioned soda fountain in the bakery section and it’s a great spot to take a break from the summer heat. They’re such a cool tradition with a rich history so I thought I’d keep the conversation going here in blog world.Continue Reading

2015 Fancy Food Show Highlights

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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 remember being a young teen (maybe 13 or 14-years-old) and being thrilled when my dad invited me to the Food Show at the Javits Center in New York City. I got to wear a badge and wander the massive space wide eyed and bushy tailed as my love of the food industry really started to come alive. I’ll admit, I’ve only gone that one time, but I’ll Fancy Food Show Recapnever forget it. This year, though I was bummed I couldn’t accompany him myself, my dad scoped out the food show with the McKinney and Doyle bakery manager, Vicki, and a couple members of her amazing staff, Amanda and Sarah and everybody had an amazing time. For those who don’t know, the Fancy Food Show brings together some of the world’s leaders in the food and beverage industry and gives them the chance to showcase their latest and greatest. This year, thousands of vendors took over the Javits Center in NYC for three days at the end of June. I know I’m not the only one who wasn’t able to attend so I thought today would be a good day to go over some highlights.

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