Dessert Ideas & A Simple Favor

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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)

If you’ve been following along with this blog and/or our newsletter for a while, you probably already know that I host a “Friendsgiving” feast down here in Florida every year before I fly up to New York to spend the holiday with my family. For those of you who don’t know, Friendsgiving is thanksgiving piesimple a Thanksgiving dinner shared with close friends before everybody heads wherever they are heading to visit their relatives. Well, I take this holiday very seriously. In fact, at my house, we don’t just eat, we compete. Everybody that comes to dinner also brings a homemade pie for our pie contest. No joke! We have an annual trophy and everything. I have been the winner for the last two years and I don’t plan on giving up my title this year. That’s where you come in. I need some help determining what kind of pie to make.

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Game Day Snacks

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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)

As much as I’d love to deny it, I can’t. Football season is back. And while I will definitely miss Sunday beach days with my husband, I am looking forward to all of the deliciousness that this gameday snackssport has to offer. Now that we’ve got a couple of weeks under our belt, I’ve easily fallen back into our game day snack routine of wings, chips and dip. But tasty as they may be, I’d still rather spend my Sunday morning relaxing with coffee on the couch instead of prepping food in the kitchen. I haven’t found my go to spot here in St. Pete for pre-made quality goods but I DO know that if you’re anywhere M&D, the bakery has you covered.

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Recipe of the Week: Childhood Edition

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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)

Do big life changes ever make you think about the past? My parents recently sold the house that my brother and I grew up in and while the decision and the move definitely make sense and needed to happen, I can’t help but sit here and remember what it was like to grow up in the farmhouse on the lake in Holmes. Not surprisingly, as I think it’s common for many favorite memories to revolve around food or a specific meal, I am constantly brought back to the kitchen. Continue Reading

How to Fix a “Ruined” Meal

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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)

It’s not always as easy as, “Just follow the recipe.” I mean, well yea, of course the recipe lists what to do but reading a recipe doesn’t give you the skill and proper technique. Does watching somebody else exercise give you a six pack? Come on now. Cooking is hard! Even the most experienced chef makes a mistake every now and again. The trick is knowing how to fix something that you think you may have ruined. Does that sound like something you might be interested in?

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