🎧 Season 4, Episode 28

This week on With Bowl and Spoon, I sit down with Selena Orkwis — whose path has taken her from kitchen tables and punk shows to new cities and cultures, all guided by a love of food and connection.

Selena grew up just outside D.C. in a home where everyone was welcome and vegetables took center stage, thanks to her mom’s Moosewood like meals. After spending some time in Pittsburgh, she craved something bigger and set off for Europe — landing in the Czech Republic to teach English and embracing the cultures that welcomed her with warmth, hospitality, and food. From there, she went on to culinary school in Brighton, UK, a seaside city with a creative, queer energy that helped her find her people and her place in the kitchen.

Eventually, Selena found her way back to Pittsburgh, working her way through the city’s culinary scene — from negotiating her worth in restaurant kitchens to learning what it really takes to make food that nourishes both body and community. When the pandemic hit, she decided it was time to start something of her own. Today, she runs Nurture PGH, creating vibrant, locally inspired meals available at Mort’s Fresh and Local or online at nurture-pgh.square.site.