The Pittsburgh Dish

She left Pittsburgh for Rome, and started over with “zero” insider knowledge, then turned that leap into a life built on taste, travel, and grit. We sit down with Wendy Holloway, the force behind Flavor of Italy, to trace her path from Oakmont to international banking to running culinary tours, cooking classes, and a thriving food media world that helps travelers and home cooks connect with real Italian culture. 

We get practical about what actually helps when you’re traveling in Italy, from Wendy’s coffee culture guidance to how her podcast and YouTube channel can act like an evergreen personal guide. 

Wendy digs into the deeper lessons too, like learning language and cuisine through immersion instead of hiding behind an expat bubble, and how she tracks down “true” versions of regional recipes while writing a cookbook proposal and querying agents. 

Then we bring it back to Pittsburgh. Caleb of @cravingswithcaleb recommends Jimmy Wan’s as a comfortable, celebratory spot for both family and friends, and Chef Mike Godlewski of EYV Restaurant gives a flexible “empty the fridge fried rice” recipe. 

If you like smart food stories, useful cooking tips, and travel insight you can actually use, subscribe to The Pittsburgh Dish, share this with a fellow food lover, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.

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Three months go by fast, until you sit back down at the table and realize how much life you’ve packed in. We’re back with a friendly catch-up that starts with a simple question: what have we been up to, and what have we been eating and drinking that actually stuck with us?

Doug shares how the break turned into a deep dive into teaching again, splitting time between Third Space Bakery and Teaching Kitchen in Garfield and leading seasonal cooking classes at Phipps Conservatory. We talk about why hands-on cooking classes work, what makes early fall ingredients shine, and how our old learning and development jobs still show up every time we try to explain a technique clearly.

Catherine brings a summer update that blends wine education with a totally different kind of behind-the-scenes adventure: working as an extra on a movie set in Western Pennsylvania. Then we get into the most comforting surprise of the day a gift of loose-leaf tea, including Silver Needle white tea, Darjeeling, and a floral “Red Vineyard” blend plus practical brewing tips that make a real difference in the cup.

We wrap with a look ahead to big travel flavors (Greece, Turkey, and Italy) and a teaser of what’s coming next for the podcast. If you like Pittsburgh food culture, wine tasting, tea, and the mindset of the lifelong learner, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves food and drink, and leave a review with your favorite recent “best bite.”

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Perfectly good food gets thrown away every day, while neighbors a few miles away worry about their next meal. That disconnect is exactly what 412 Food Rescue is built to solve. We're joined by Alyssa Cholodofsky, CEO of 412 Food Rescue, and Greg Austin, Director of Distribution Initiatives, to break down how a smart, volunteer-powered system moves surplus food quickly and safely across Pittsburgh. 
 
We talk through the Food Rescue Hero app, the “matchmaking” technology that alerts volunteers to pickups from grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, and more, then routes those donations straight to nonprofit partners. Alyssa explains the model, how food safety and liability concerns are addressed, and a software platform now used in cities across the country. Greg shares what it means to cook at the Good Food Project kitchen with an abundance mindset, creating ready-to-heat meals from whatever arrives while keeping dignity, nutrition, and cultural needs front and center. 
 
Then we take a fun turn with wine expert Catherine Montest... Swifties are giving white wine a boost, and Sancerre is suddenly hot. We cover Sancerre notes and flavor, what to pair it with, and why this trend matters for the broader wine market. 

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Your summer plans are booked, the grill is hot, and somehow the simple question “what should we bring?” ignites stress. We sit down with Janet Loughran, aka Chef Life Hacks, to share the kind of real-world grilling tips, picnic hacks, and beach-day fixes that make you feel like you planned everything on purpose, even if you didn't. 

We talk charcoal grilling and an unexpectedly effective way to clean grill grates. Janet also breaks down cooking techniques that instantly upgrade your plate, from steaks to skewers. From transporting food in the car, keeping hot dishes warm, and portion planning for cookouts, Chef Janet shares easy tips for anyone. 

For beach picnic ideas, we dig into foods that hold up in the heat, including a pressed Italian muffuletta style sandwich that gets better as it sits, plus watermelon picking tips you will never forget and a couple family-friendly beach hacks for sand and valuables.

Find Janet on Instagram and Facebook @Chef.Life.Hacks and learn more at redwagonmeals.net. If this helps your next cookout, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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A chef’s career can start early, or it can ignite the moment someone finally tells you, “You can do this.” Chef Jackie Page joins us to share the real story behind her Pittsburgh food journey, from years in restaurants to returning to culinary school at 47 with her sister’s help and belief. 

We dig into what Jackie is known for in Pittsburgh catering and private chef work, including shrimp and grits and roasted chicken that falls off the bone. She also breaks down how she plans menus with clients, why buffets can be smarter than plated dinners, and how temperature and timing can make food more enjoyable, not less. 

Then the conversation turns to one of the most meaningful chapters of her career: opening Love Rocks Cafe in McKees Rocks and pivoting during the pandemic to produce meals for the community. We also learn about her work with Table Magazine, Babesburgh, and her growing role in the beer world through Pink Boots Society and brewing education. 

To close, Ana Eats PGH hands us an easy Lawrenceville date night: Pizza Lupo for hot honey perfection, then Millie’s for a cool end to the evening.

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What happens when a chef builds an entire menu where vegetables are the main event, and then commits to it night after night, season after season? Chef-owner Mike Godlewski joins us from EYV Restaurant (Eat Your Veggies) to explain how vegetables become the star of the plate through classical technique, fearless creativity, and a clear point of view he calls “the steakhouse of vegetables.”

Mike breaks down the thinking behind dishes like his cabbage pastrami, plus the practical realities of cooking hyper-seasonal produce in Pittsburgh when ramps are fleeting, rhubarb arrives late, and winter means brassicas are what nature gives you. We get into local sourcing with farms and collectives like Three Rivers Grown, and why EYV chose an all-electric induction line for efficiency, precision, and keeping a small open kitchen comfortable.

We learn how a menu can stay fresh without becoming chaos, why EYV leans on a three-course prix fixe in the dining room, and how the open-kitchen chef’s counter turns service into something closer to a dinner party. 

If you care about farm-to-table dining, vegetable-forward cooking, or the behind-the-scenes craft of running a small restaurant, this conversation will leave you hungry and smarter. Subscribe, share this with a Pittsburgh food lover, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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The wedding cookie table is one of Pittsburgh’s most joyful food traditions.  We sit down with Laura McGone, founder of The Wedding Cookie Table Community, to talk about how a simple Facebook page started in 2015 as research for a documentary, and grew into a network of bakers preserving family recipes, cultural identity, and the “cradle to grave” role cookies play in our lives.

Laura challenges the common myth of the cookie table origin story. We also get into why recipe boxes matter, how handwritten recipe cards and imperfect old measurements can still guide us, and how the community helps people recover “lost” cookies just by describing what they remember.

Along the way, we talk record-setting cookie tables, Cookie Table University, and a major cookbook project tied to America’s 250th anniversary, plus the charitable cookie tables the group organizes for causes and communities in need. 

We switch gears to a healthy recommendation from Caleb of Cravings with Caleb (Live Fresh Juicery) and hear a comforting savory craving from Nick of Inside Out Cookie (his mom’s meatloaf, leftovers included). 

If you love Pittsburgh food, baking traditions, and practical tips like how many cookies per guest to plan, hit subscribe, share this with a fellow cookie-table fan, and leave us a review.

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We're joined by Jia (you may know them as @JiaAnimalSelfies), a Pittsburgh creator with roots in Chengdu, Sichuan, and a deep love for the kind of food that doesn’t apologize for being specific. Jia shares their family’s path from China to Pittsburgh, including stories shaped by the Cultural Revolution, immigration, and the restaurant work that helped make education possible. 

We talk about what “secret menu” really means, why it exists, and how to explore it without treating culture like a dare. For anyone chasing authentic Sichuan cuisine in Pittsburgh, Jia defines what mala actually is, how to prep your stomach before hot pot, and how sesame oil and soy milk fit into the tradition. Jia drops a smart Squirrel Hill hack for finding QR-code promos and ordering off-menu through delivery apps, plus local recommendations including dry hot pot at Little Corner Grill House and late-night options when the shift ends after midnight. 

If you like Pittsburgh food podcasts, Asian American stories, and real tips you can use tonight, hit play and come hungry. Subscribe to The Pittsburgh Dish, share this with a friend who always orders the same thing, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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We sit down with Mike Ambeliotis of Mediterra Bakehouse and Mediterra Cafe to talk about what it really takes to grow a family business without losing the craft, the standards, or the relationships that built it in the first place. A local bakery that still sells at Pittsburgh farmers markets is also baking bread for Whole Foods across the country, and that tension is what makes this conversation so good.

We go upstream to the ingredients. Mike breaks down their heritage grain work, including Red Fife grown in Arizona, natural pest control with ladybugs, and why milling their own flour gives them control from field to finished loaf. 

Then we spotlight Mediterra Cafe, the thoughtfully designed spaces in Sewickley, Mt Lebanon, Lawrenceville, and Cranberry, plus the in-house pastry program and chef-driven food that turns the bakery’s bread into full meals. 

Later in the show, wine expert Catherine Montest spotlights Ruby’s Wine House, and makes the case for wine flights as the fastest way to expand your palate. From exotic whites to bouquet-forward pours and horizontal flights that compare terroir across regions, you’ll leave with a clear plan for your next night out. 

Subscribe for more Pittsburgh food stories, share this with a bread or wine fan, and leave a review with your favorite loaf or wine flight pick.

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A condiment that’s hard to categorize is usually the one worth chasing, and the Sizzle Sauce fits that bill. We talk with creator and owner Zack Mazur about a Pittsburgh-made sauce that starts with sweet barbecue vibes, shifts into a savory comfort-food depth, and then tags you with heat at the very end. 

Zack walks us through the real behind-the-scenes journey of building a small food business: the first batch made at home for his daughter’s chicken nuggets and fries, the rounds of tinkering, to the encouraging push of family and friends to do more. 

We round things out with two food wins: Sarah of Sarah Loves Yinz recommends Kitchen on Main in Ligonier for a treat-yourself brunch, and Sarah Kaminski of Best Ever Granola drops a weeknight “empty the fridge” taco hack that feeds a family without a strict recipe.

If you like discovering local Pittsburgh food brands, small business stories, and practical meal ideas, hit subscribe, share this with a sauce-loving friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.

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