Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast May 7, Recalde to speak

Tehachapi's own Maureen Recalde, winner of the world-wide Voice of McDonald's singing competition, will share her Christian testimony and her gift of song at the 2015 Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast, Thursday, May 7 at McMullan Hall, St. Malachy Catholic Church.

Recalde, operations manager for the two McDonald's restaurants in Tehachapi, won the Voice of McDonald's in 2012 at Orlando, Fla. before an audience of 25,000. She subsequently has traveled to Europe, South America and Canada to sing. The contest was open to the 1.9 million global employees of McDonald's.

Recalde, 26, won the international competition with her stirring rendition of the Mack Gordon/Harry Warren 1941 tender love classic "At Last," the signature version of which was performed by the late Etta James.

The 2007 Tehachapi High School graduate had won the privilege of representing Southern California on the strength of her video performance of Smokey Robinson's 1960 "Who's Lovin' You," a hit by the young Michael Jackson.

She selected the Billy Steinberg/Tom Kelly 1987 Whitney Houston hit song "So Emotional" for the next level of competition, which sent the top 22 contestants to Jim Henson's studio in Hollywood to make professional music videos.

Recalde's performance of "So Emotional" propelled her to the international finale as the judges chose her to represent the entire United States at Orlando.

While her secular performances are in demand, Recalde, who has been singing since she was three years old, said she would rather sing songs that touch the spirit.

"My voice is suited for pop, soul and R&B but I prefer worship music," said Recalde, who is the Worship Leader at the Tehachapi Church of the Nazarene.

Recalde plays piano and other instruments and is a 2011 graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara with a degree in Ethnomusicology. UC undergraduate degree in hand, Recalde returned to Tehachapi to manage the McDonald's that opened at Love's Travel Stop.

She earned an additional degree in business administration online through Kaplan University while working full time as manager of the McDonald's at Love's.

Recalde will leave this fall to study for a masters degree in international business at Oxford Brookes University at Oxford, England.

She attended Golden Hills Elementary School and Jacobsen Middle School (when it was called Jacobsen Junior High). Linda Pettitt of Linda's Cakes 'n Things, her choir director at Jacobsen and Tehachapi High School, became a significant musical mentor.

Recalde proudly says that her role model and inspiration is her mother, Maryann Paciullo, who has worked with McDonald's for 40 years. Twenty years ago, the corporation offered Paciullo the opportunity to become owner-operator of a franchise in Tehachapi. Paciullo's second McDonald's, at Love's, opened in 2010. Through the years, Paciullo has given thousands of Tehachapi teenagers their first jobs and exposure to the world of work.

Recalde said she is looking forward to speaking at the Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast.

"I feel very honored and privileged to be able to speak and share my testimony of how God is working in my life," she said.

The popular annual breakfast, catered by Linda Pettitt, begins at 6:45 a.m. and features prayers by local pastors of various denominations. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased from any member of the Kiwanis Club or at the door the morning of the breakfast. For information and tickets, please call Don Bowman at (661) 972-6500. The address of St. Malachy is 407 East E Street, Tehachapi.