The Pittsburgh Dish

Episode 100 hits a little different, because the best parts of Pittsburgh food culture aren’t just pierogi, pepperoni rolls, and perfect cookie tables. It’s the way people use food to find each other, support each other, and build something that lasts. 

We're joined by Shayla Penn, who returns to the table to share what’s happened since her early appearance on the show, and it’s a lot: hosting cooking demos & competitions, founding a non-profit, all while her Facebook community Burgh Eats and Treats has grown to nearly 33,000 members. Shayla is truly cooking with fire in our food community. 

Then we go from community power to cookie craft with Maddy Hernandez of Pastries A-La-Carte in Pleasant Hills. Maddy is the lead cookie decorator, and she breaks down what it takes to oversee custom cutouts, weddings, and wholesale at a busy Pittsburgh bakery. She shares the sweet headline you’ll want to repeat: Pastries A-La-Carte is the official bake shop of the Pittsburgh Penguins, with desserts in the suites and beyond, plus the behind-the-scenes systems that keep quality high when the volume is nonstop.

If you like Pittsburgh bakeries, and stories about how local food turns into real connection, you’ll feel right at home here. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who loves a good cookie, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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We meet up with Caleb of @cravingswithcaleb to talk about how food and coffee content works, why some recommendations instantly feel trustworthy, and what it’s like building a community around everyday spots you can actually visit. We get into his “coffee since childhood” backstory, his current daily documenting, and why consistency matters more than chasing the perfect viral moment.

Then we swap notes on where to eat and drink right now, from daytime sandwich runs to date-night cocktails. Caleb shares why Curbside keeps winning him over, why Bar Botanico’s bartender’s choice is a game-changer, and why Fat Butcher belongs on your short list when you want a fresh, fast lunch. We also talk about neighborhood energy and how places like Bloomfield can become your own mini food tour when you follow the cravings.

Later we tackle the subject of gluten free wine. Wine expert Catherine Montest breaks down how gluten can show up through barrel sealing or fining agents, what “under 20 parts per million” really means, and what to do if you’re hypersensitive. 

Then Al Lombardozzi of Robal's Food Truck shares his day-off comfort move: a rich mac and cheese built from heavy cream, garlic, butter, and grated cheese, studded with shrimp and whatever’s in the fridge that day.

Subscribe for more Pittsburgh food stories, share this with a friend who’s always hungry, and leave a review if you want to help the show grow. What Pittsburgh spot are you craving right now?

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We sit down with Nick, founder and head baker of Inside Out Cookie, to unpack the double meaning behind the name, what makes these big filled cookies different from anything you grab at the grocery store, and why in-person events and festivals became a turning point.

Nick walks us through flavor development and the realities of small-batch baking at scale, including why Dubai Chocolate became the breakout best seller, and how he keeps costs and quality in check by making pistachio cream from scratch. We also get nerdy about ingredients and freshness: from locally milled flour to packaging choices that make freezing cookies actually work. 

Then the conversation goes deeper. Nick shares how he learned to bake while incarcerated in a federal minimum-security prison, how purpose and community changed his trajectory, and why he’s committed to hiring and supporting others who are rebuilding their lives. 

Plus, we round out the Pittsburgh food talk with a Strip District Vietnamese recommendation for banh mi and pho at Maiku, and a quick, bold curry idea from Priya and Glen of Anar Gourmet Foods featuring eggplant, optional beef, and tangy tamarind.

Subscribe for more Pittsburgh food stories, share this with a friend who loves cookies, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. What part of Nick’s story stuck with you most?

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Fermentation is happening all around you, and once you understand it, your kitchen gets bigger. We sit down with Trevor Ring and Jess Canose of Community Cultures to unpack what fermentation actually is and why it matters beyond trendy jars on a countertop. 

We also get specific about what Community Cultures makes and teaches. Trevor shares how live cultured sodas built on water kefir (tibicos) become a way to spotlight local and seasonal ingredients, including foraged fruit that captures the flavor of Western Pennsylvania. On the education side, we dig into workshops from kombucha to miso, and how fermentation skills can move from curiosity to real confidence at home.

Trevor and Jess share their views on ethics, accessibility, and the challenge of running a values-driven food business without chasing growth. If you care about gut health, cultural heritage, sustainable small business, or just better flavor, this episode gives you a clear next step.

Subscribe for more Pittsburgh food stories, share this with a friend who loves pickles or kombucha, and leave a review with the one fermented food you want to learn next.

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Food can be fun, but it can also be a funding engine, and Pittsburgh’s NFL Draft week is about to prove it. We sit down with Ann Marie Krautheim, CEO of GENYOUth, to unpack how Taste Of The Draft turns a night of great bites, Steelers pride, and live entertainment into real support for kids who need breakfast to start the school day ready to learn. If you care about Pittsburgh, school meals, or smarter ways to fight food insecurity, this conversation hits home fast. 

Caleb from Cravings With Caleb shares a hometown coffee recommendation and an unexpectedly craveable detail: sweet oak syrup, a warm, woodsy addition that changes how you think about a coffee order. 

Chef Missy Terrell walks us through Jamaican curry chicken with coconut rice, a stovetop, weeknight-friendly recipe built on bold spice, smart technique, and comfort you can share with friends and family. 

Subscribe for more Pittsburgh food stories, share this with a friend who loves draft week, and leave a review to help more people find the show. What part are you most curious about: the charity impact, oak syrup coffee, or the curry method?

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What do you do when the thing you built suddenly stops working and you still need to pay the bills? We talk with Sarah Kaminsky, founder of Best Ever Granola, about turning a pandemic pivot into a fast-growing food brand that’s now stocked by more than 100 retailers across 10 states.

Sarah breaks down what makes her small batch granola different in a crowded aisle: gluten-free and vegan recipes with intentionally low sugar, sweetened only with pure Pennsylvania maple syrup from Paul Family Farms. We get into why ingredient sourcing is a non-negotiable and how local partnerships shape great flavor and necessary connection. a

Then Ken from Point State Fork names the buffalo chicken fix she takes out-of-towners to every time: Spak Brothers Buffalo Chicken Pizza in Garfield. 

Finally, Chef Ken of KCZ Cuisine gives us a weeknight-friendly Hainanese chicken rice method that turns one pot into multiple meals, with ginger-scallion broth that becomes a soup you can sip all week.

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A food truck can look like the dream until you’re double-frying fries in a tiny kitchen, guessing crowds at breweries, and trying to pay every bill on time. Rob and Al of Robal's Food Truck walk me through what it really takes to turn a long-running idea into a local success story, and why “working for ourselves” is the point even when it gets stressful. 

We get into the food first because their menu is the hook: the Double Yoi double smash burger, the CBR chicken bacon ranch with house-ground chicken thighs, and loaded fries that are fresh-cut. If you care about scratch cooking, comfort food done right, and the best food to pair with a great Pittsburgh beer, this one is for you. 

We zoom out to the story behind the truck: a friendship that starts in Boy Scouts, two grandmas who shaped their taste and work ethic, and the leap from corporate food life to mobile food freedom. They share how they landed their truck, what they’re learning about selling out versus over-prepping, and where you can catch them at Pittsburgh breweries like Hitchhiker, Trace, Grist House, and Allegheny City. 

If you like the show, subscribe, share it with a friend who loves Pittsburgh food trucks, and leave a review so more people can find us.

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We sit down with Ken of Point State Fork to trace the roots of a lovingly curated feed that blends Pittsburgh eats, travel snapshots, and bakes that carry a personal legacy. From a dried sourdough starter gifted by Third Space Bakery to Earl Grey scones with rose glaze, Ken shows how documenting meals can honor a partner’s creative spirit while lifting up local businesses that make a neighborhood feel like home.

We widen the lens with Sarah of Sarah Loves Yinz, who spotlights Rocco’s Slice House hidden inside a Shop ‘n Save in Greensburg. Think high-quality olive oil, house-shredded cheese, and a 72-hour dough ferment that delivers New York-style pies.  

Then Chef Joe Peroney teaches homemade ricotta you’ll actually make. He also announces a Mother’s Day–weekend pasta class at Goat Rodeo Farm, complete with baby goats and a professional photo keepsake—because the best food memories are the ones we get to hold.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves local food stories, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. What dish are you making after you listen?

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We sit down with Chef Missy Terrell to trace her arc from a pandemic-era kitchen table to Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, a training program that unlocked professional technique, industry mentors, and a calling to serve. Her story is raw and generous, from turning “apple butter” into Tug Butter, and transforming that love into a catering brand and a toolkit for her autistic son to thrive.

Missy shares how real ingredients—think chicken masala with brown rice, bright salads, and fresh berries—can reshape palates, cut stigma in the lunch line, and set kids up for long-term health in Pittsburgh Public Schools. Along the way, Missy talks about learning at scale in commercial kitchens, the power of mentors who “pour in,” and the pride of a child unknowingly loving the meals his own mom helped create.

Missy is now an ACF member earning a Harvard certification in culinary physics, teaching students at Allegheny County Jail to earn food handler cards, and returning to CKP as an instructor to break barriers for the next cohort. We celebrate one of the city’s favorite Lenten fish fry—hello, haddock and from-scratch tartar sauce—and the adrenaline of guest-chef dinners that raise the bar for technique and plating. 

Hungry for hope, grit, and ridiculously good food? Hit play, subscribe for more stories from Pittsburgh’s kitchens, and leave a review to tell us the dish you want to see go scratch next.

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Craving Indian cooking without the sprawling spice cabinet or the burn? We sit down with Priya and Glenn of Anar Gourmet Foods to unpack how they took a grandmother’s eight-hour curry powder and built it into clear, reliable seasoning kits you can cook on a Tuesday night. Think authentic South Indian flavor, simplified steps, and heat you control—not bland shortcuts.

Then we head across town for a sweet curveball. Ana Anthony introduces Leona’s “crisp witch,” an ice cream sandwich built with plush rice krispie treats around flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and bright plum at their new Garfield shop—lactose-free, gluten-friendly, and best eaten fresh. 

Later we close with pure nostalgia as Chris Beers of Grandpa Joe’s shares his grandmother’s meat pies, a steam-and-broth ritual that proves food memories travel far.

If this episode sparks your appetite, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a weeknight win, and leave a quick review—your support helps more Pittsburgh food lovers find the show.

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