How to Plan a Dinner Party

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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)

For some, like me, hosting a dinner party is a blast. I love to plan menus and cook for people especially when I get to play in my own kitchen. Other people may like the idea of hosting a dinner party, How to Plan a Dinner Partybut really hate the stress and work it takes into throwing one. I mean really, who loves to clean up after a ton of people? That’s definitely the biggest drawback in my opinion. But there are other struggles that people face before, during, and after the event. Today I want to talk about how to plan and host a successful dinner party.Continue Reading

What Puts the “Comfort” in Comfort Food?

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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)

Comfort food. It’s a term we all know and love, right? Over the years I’ve noticed that everybody I speak to has a different idea of what comfort food really means. For example, I bet as soon as you What puts the comfort in comfort food?read the term “comfort food” you pictured a specific meal in your head. I think of stuffed shells. My boyfriend Matt thinks of corn bread. I know some people who think of candy and ice cream. The point is, comfort food means different things to different people, but did you ever stop and wonder why?Continue Reading

The “Are You Gonna Eat That?” Tribe

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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 our blog covers a wide variety of topics. Recently I’ve gotten some questions about what it is we are trying to accomplish with this new venture. There has also been a lot of confusion about whether or not “Are You Gonna Eat That?” is focused on McKinney and Doyle (restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York) specifically. To answer bluntly, no. McKinney and Doyle staff writes this blog, which is why it’s referenced in certain posts, but it is not about McKinney and Doyle. This blog is about all things food industry related. Those who contribute to this blog, whether Welcome to the tribethey write full posts, send photos, or send ideas, care deeply about the industry as a whole. We get excited about new trends and products and find joy in creating memorable dining experiences whether they are in a restaurant or in a home kitchen. We’ve created this blog as a way to grow our tribe outside of M&D walls.Continue Reading

Recipe from Madrid: Bocadillo de Calmares

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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)

 

Greetings from Madrid! I met up with McKinney & Doyle’s General Manager Andrew Sarubbi a few days ago in Barcelona and we are making our way over to Portugal but not without a few stops in between. Madrid is incredible. I love the atmosphere, the food, the wine, and the energy. I wish we had more time here but I know we’ve got an amazing week ahead of us. To keep in tune with last week’s post, I want to share another recipe. But this time, travel with me to this beautiful city in Spain and taste the city’s most famous sandwich – the Bocadillo de Calmares (fried squid sandwich).Recipe from MadridContinue Reading