Rebecca Briody
Chef on the Go
About Chef on the Go
With
roots firmly dug into Mt Gretna, Rebecca Briody has been a permanent fixture in the Mt
Gretna Community since birth. Born into a family restaurant business, she
started
with simple kitchen tasks such as sweeping floors and washing dishes.
Later, she graduated to working in the
pantry, banquet cooking, cooking
on the
line, and then to managing the kitchen. This was no small task, since the
family restaurant, Timbers Restaurant and Dinner Theater, seats 400
people. But, with guidance and cooperative work by the six member family, the
job was done and done well. After 47 years, the Briody family continues to
bring
quality food and entertainment to the people of South Central
Pennsylvania.
In the family business, Rebecca learned valuable lessons that would prepare her
for the training in food service in New York City. At the Timbers, she
developed a strong work ethic, ability to
work the long hours necessary for a job in the food industry, a very good handle
of volume cooking, and meticulous organization. In New York, she was able to
hone her skills as a well-rounded chef in many different cuisines. The most
notable job in her five year stint in New York was a two-year sous chef position in
a premier executive dining room on Park Avenue, set up by Glorious Foods
Catering Company. Reliance Group Holdings CEO, Saul Steinberg, was known
to entertain the likes of Senator
Kennedy and Henry Kissinger on a regular basis.
She enjoyed positions at other restaurants, including The Russian Tea Room
and Wilkinson’s Seafood Café. While in New York, she also found
time to fit in part-time jobs with top notch caterers. These experiences included catering a
luncheon for Margaret Thatcher on the top floor of the Lord and Taylor
Building on Fifth Avenue, and a dinner party for Andy Warhol and friends in a
private residence on Lexington Avenue.
Leaving New York in 1985, Rebecca spent the next thirteen years managing the Timbers kitchen for her family. She brought the lessons learned from New York and changed the once Steak and Lobster Tail menu of the 1960’s into a full service menu, complete with many different dinner options and a lite fare menu. At the age of forty, she decided it was time to hand over the daily tasks of “line cooking” and try her hand at the catering industry. With valuable knowledge from catering jobs in New York as well as some catering experiences from the family business, Rebecca felt ready to tackle the new position.
Since then, Rebecca has developed many client relationships and has enjoyed seeing her dream of Chef On The Go! grow and flourish. She is grateful for her loyal customers that continue to recommend her to their friends and family.
Rebecca Briody looks forward to developing a menu to suit your individual needs and tastes. If there is something you would like her to make for you and you do not see it on the sample menus, just ask. She is always interested in making just the right food for your special occasion.
