5 Things You Shouldn’t Buy at the Super Market

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 have a love hate relationship with the grocery store, as I’m sure many of you do as well. It’s a pain in the butt to physically go there and shop (especially when it’s crowded), but grocery stores also offer a lot of convenient, ready to eat options for us to take home. While I am usually all about convenience, at some point it’s important to ask if that convenience is costing us too much money. I could probably come up with way more than five ways that the super market is ripping you off, but the list below is a solid start.Continue Reading

Your New Favorite Holiday Recipe

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 love candy. Sweet, sour, chocolate, caramel … I love it all. While I try to stray away from my sweet addiction more often than I indulge, the holiday season is the one time every year during which I allow

Cracker Candy
Photo and recipe from AllRecipes.com

myself to just go for it. Between holiday parties, family get togethers, and the overall Christmas spirit, I feel like I’ve always got some type of treat in my hand. But there is one that outshines all others (at least

in my opinion) and it’s not something you can find in any store. Have you guys had cracker candy yet? You make it with saltines! I don’t remember when or where I first tried it but I do know that I’ve been obsessed ever since (there’s a pun in there but I’ll let you figure it out). Anyway, I’m sure there are a ton of different versions of this but I love this recipe from AllRecipes.Continue Reading

The REAL Way to Enjoy “Fun Sized” Candy This Halloween

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)

Why are the mini versions of candy bars always called “fun sized?” Who wants a tiny candy bar? Giant versions … now that is fun. I mean if you think about it, it makes

Grown Up Twix
Photo from Epicurious

perfect sense: mini versions for children and extra large versions for us grown-ups, right? Well, if you agree with me then unfortunately, it’s going to be tough to find extra large varieties of some of our favorite Halloween treats but fear not because we can make them ourselves.Continue Reading

Guacamole on Fleek

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)

Hey party people! Happy Fourth of July weekend! I know you are all probably just as excited about a Guacamole long weekend as I am so I’ll keep today’s post short, sweet, and super valuable. I get a lot of questions in my inbox about making reservations at McKinney and Doyle, wine suggestions, and favorite cocktails. But the one question that I get more often than any others is … how do you make McKinney and Doyle guacamole?!Continue Reading