Familiar face takes over Stand By
July 31, 2024 at 10:42 p.m.
Kevin Allmashy’s family has left their mark on Port Chester’s last 100 years.
His great-grandfather built several houses across the Village and his grandfather was a member of the first class to attend the current high school building in 1932.
Allmashy grew up in the Village and now lives just across the Rye Brook border on Whittemore Place. He’s a product of the Port Chester Schools, was a member of the marching band and was a member of the now-defunct Boy Scout Troop 4.
After several years away, he was looking to leave his own mark on the community, but in a different way than his family had—through his cooking skills.
Though his career as a professional chef and restaurant owner saw him working outside the Village for 25 years, Allmashy had always been looking for a way to bring his talents home.
He came close in 2005 when he opened Executive Corner Deli on the Greenwich, Conn., side of Mill Street, but the 48-year-old finally managed to make it all the way in October 2023 when he took over Stand By, formerly Dougie’s Stand By, at 604 N. Main St.
The restaurant, which specializes in breakfast and lunch meals, is known for its chili and has been a mainstay in the Village for 80 years. Before Dougie’s, it was called J.P.’s Standby Drive-in for decades.
This latest venture was the culmination of a culinary career that started when Allmashy was a young boy growing up on Mitchell Place.
From P.C. and back again
“For as long as I can remember, I was interested in cooking,” Allmashy said. “I would watch my dad and I learned a lot from him. I would cook during camping trips when I was a Boy Scout.”
His interest was cemented when he started at Port Chester High School in 1990.
“There used to be a culinary program under Beverly Wheeler,” he said. “And I really loved that. I was a part of the Breakfast Club, which would get together every month to make a special breakfast for the teachers.”
After four years in the program, Allmashy knew he was destined to work with food and decided to continue down that path in higher education.
He studied at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, RI., and left with a bachelor's degree in food service management and an associate degree in culinary arts.
It was important to him that his education made him well-versed in two key aspects of a restaurant: the kitchen and the dining area.
“As a manager, you’re in the front of the house talking to people,” he said. “You’re out there interacting with customers, learning what they think from what they say and what they do. You have to be very observant. When you’re just a chef, you don’t really see all of that.”
Allmashy explained that studying both gave him a leg up on job hunts.
“You really end up being able to work in any part of a restaurant with that knowledge,” he said. “I could put on a chef’s coat during the day and then switch to a suit and tie at night.”
After graduating in 1998, he worked in several restaurants before settling with Chart House, a seafood restaurant chain, traveling to its locations across the East Coast to help manage them.
“Honestly, it was amazing,” Allmashy said of his time with the company. “I was being flown out to work in these amazing restaurants. I was in my early 20s, and they’d pay for my car to be shipped out, for my room and board.”
But he was itching to put his skills to the ultimate test by running his own establishment.
“I had been looking for a place to buy,” he said, “and in September 2005, I found one.”
Allmashy said Executive Corner Deli was successful and allowed him to expand into private catering. He provided food for libraries, companies and still serves as the concessioner for the Byram Park pool.
While he was doing well in Connecticut, Allmashy couldn’t help but continuously think of Port Chester.
“I always wanted to come back. I know I was just around the corner, but I really wanted to come back,” he said. “So, when I saw an opportunity to do that, I took it.”
New management, same vibe (and chili)
Since 2008, the Zaccagnini family ran Stand By. “But they were ready to move on to the next part of their lives,” Allmashy said. “And they were willing to sell it to me.”
But there was one condition to the sale—he couldn’t change one dish.
“I had to sign a contract to make sure that I would keep using the same chili,” he laughed. “They actually wouldn’t even give (the recipe) to me until the day the lawyers finalized the deal. It’s the same recipe they’ve been using for the 80 years this place has been here.”
It was an agreement Allmashy was more than happy to make, as he didn’t plan on making large changes.
“Stand By is a Port Chester staple,” he said. “I’m not going to try to fix what isn’t broken. But you can fix what is.”
Allmashy has spent the last several months working on what he called “quality of life improvements.”
“It’s actually been a lot of work,” he said. “I moved some things around because we only have so much space in here and we need to be able to use every inch. We added alternatives for people who wanted more health-conscious food like turkey bacon or egg whites, and I put in heat and cold air in here. That was something that a lot of people would ask me about because they didn’t have cold air for maybe 10 years.”
On top of making some quality-of-dining improvements, Allmashy has been working to keep the sense of community at Stand By.
He explained that since he kept on most of the of the staff who had been working there for years, they’ve built a relationship with their regulars.
“When they see specific people pull into the parking lot, the cooks will start making their usual before they walk through the door. I want to be a part of that because I want people to know that I care about them,” Allmashy said. “I’m not just some guy at a fast-food joint telling them their food is ready. I’m their neighbor here in Port Chester.”
During an interview with this reporter on Friday, July 26, Allmashy made it a point to sit in a chair facing the entrance of Stand By. Whenever someone walked in, he would welcome them with a wave and a “good morning, nice to see you,” before turning back to the conversation.
“Part of it is because that’s what it takes to be a good manager,” he said when asked why he spoke to everyone who entered. “But I also want people to know me. I want them to know that I’m Kevin, I’m here to serve and I’m grateful for their support.”
While Allmashy has spent the better part of a year getting settled into his new space, he’s taken inspiration from the past to create a new event.
“I remember when I was kid, my dad told me people would just hang out in the parking lot at night,” he said. “And I want to bring that back with my seafood experience. So, in the winter, I’m going to open up one night a week for a seafood night.”
Another project he’s working on is decorating the interior.
“I want this place to be a tribute to Port Chester,” he said. “So, I’m taking pictures of known people and hanging them on the walls.”
Among them are former Port Chester Mayor Richard “Fritz” Falanka and Rye Town Justice Anthony Provenzano, and he hopes to add more as time goes on.
“I’ve already got requests from some people to put them on the wall,” he laughed. “It’s going to be full of familiar local faces.” He also plans to include newspaper articles and other Port Chester relics if he can find them.
As the one-year mark of his time at Stand By approaches, Allmashy is looking forward to amping up the food service industry in his hometown.
“It’s been a long journey for me, but I’ve come full circle and I’m right where I’m supposed to be: at home,” he said. “Port Chester gave me so much and I’m ready to give back through this place.”
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