Long Island’s breakfast mecca Maureen’s Kitchen isn’t your average restaurant. Known for it’s old fashioned, homestyle cooking and cow-theme decor, Maureen’s Kitchen has long been a local favorite for tasty morning meals.
Located in Smithtown, New York, Maureen’s Kitchen was founded by Maureen Dernbach in 1984. The restaurant’s first location was initially found by “accident” when Dernbach was driving on New York State route 347. Making the wrong turn led her to Terry Road, where her restaurant Maureen’s Kitchen was born. Starting as a small shack on the side of the road, Dernbach catered to local blue-collar workers by giving them a decent meal at a low price.
As it gained popularity, in 1997 the restaurant relocated across the street to a custom built two-story country house in order to accommodate the large crowds that it had attracted.
Maureen Dernbach later retired and passed down the business to her two children, Kevin Dernbach and Christine Fortier, who are also chefs at the restaurant.
Maureen Dernbach also passed down old family recipes to Kevin Dernbach and Christine Fortier. They kept true to the original recipes while taking them to the next level.
“The unique part about Maureen’s Kitchen is the creativity in our food, it just speaks for itself,” said Kevin Dernbach, chef and co-owner. “We come up with all of our original concept of dishes from our baked oatmeals, to all of our daily specials, to putting a little twist to pancakes and omelets, etc.”
Besides Maureen’s Kitchen’s emphasis on it’s delicious and unique dishes, building relationships with it’s customers and the local community is something the restaurant takes pride in.
“We were brought up on the premise of how you treat the community is a direct reflection on our restaurant. Just do right by people and they do right by you. We love what we do, and I think that’s also part of it,” said Dernbach. “Even when people are sometimes difficult our goal is turn their day around for them. Our customers are like our family.”
From the beginning, Maureen’s Kitchen has always been looking to take care of the working class community by always making sure it’s customers enjoy quality food, large portions, and good care for a low price.
“My mom always really wanted to take care of the common man, like the guy working hard to provide for his family. She always made sure that they were taken care of with good quality food and good portions at a fair price,” said Dernbach. “To this day, this is what we strive to do when serving our customers. Quality is something we never compromised in business.”
Maureen’s Kitchen was featured on the Cooking Channel’s show Unique Eats. To watch, click here.
Maureen’s Kitchen was also listed on OnlyInYourState.com list of “The 12 Places You Should Eat In New York in 2017” and “These 11 Amazing Breakfast Spots In New York Will Make Your Morning Just Right.”
If you’re looking for authentic homestyle cooking, Maureen’s Kitchen is the place you will definitely want to visit.
To find out more information on Maureen’s Kitchen, click here.
Address: 108 Terry Road Smithtown, NY 11787
Victoria Anne Lore 