Andrea E. McHugh
Newport Life magazine
For nearly a year, countless people across the globe and in our own community have had to adapt to working from home. Those accustomed to “grabbing something close to the office” for lunch are having to plan their own midday meals a chore that can quickly lead to what’s colloquially called “food decision fatigue.” But with some careful planning and the introduction of interchangeable meal components, convenient lunchtime options abound.
“Leave me in a kitchen with groceries, a label maker and matching containers, and in four hours you’ll see what a serial killer’s refrigerator looks like,” laughs Jen McMahan of Newport. McMahan, an event manager at the Newport Art Museum; her husband Robert, who traveled frequently for work; and son Jackson, a university student, all found their lives turned upside down when the pandemic started. Rhode Island’s “stay at home” order changed their schedules and their eating habits.
Andrea E. McHugh
Newport Life magazine
Anna Burnley’s fondest childhood memory is when she would sneak into the kitchen at the Clarke Cooke House, steal a few mussels, and tie them to a string that she’d submerge in the bay to catch crabs. Back then, she recalls, “you could roam Bowen’s and Bannister’s wharves at even 5 years old and no one was concerned where your parents were.”
For most of her life, Anna’s father has been the general manager at the Clarke Cooke House, arguably Newport’s most famed restaurant. “We saw how much hard work my dad put in; how mentally, physically and emotionally demanding it was,” she recalls. Then and there, Anna declared that she would never pursue a career in the restaurant business. All of which makes the fact that she co-owns four local restaurants including Mission and Winner Winner all the more ironic.