🎧 Season 4, Episode 29: Building Community Through Shared Kitchens

This week on With Bowl and Spoon, I talk with Irwin Mendelssohn, whose path—from Pennsylvania to Florida and later to major cities like Chicago, L.A., New York, and beyond—has been shaped by curiosity, creativity, and a love of food. Irwin and his brother have long focused on renovating historic buildings, but opening a shared-use kitchen was a brand-new adventure. When the pandemic hit, what was meant to be a slow, phased-in project suddenly became essential—and they rose to the challenge.

We dive into what makes a shared kitchen work, the practical realities of running one, what Fulton Commons offers its members, and the unexpected joy of reading manuals.

🎧 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.

🍩 Season 4, Episode 27

This week on With Bowl and Spoon, I talk with Dexter Edwards, the creative mind behind Phat Bagel—joined by partners Anna Carley and Tom Hermanowski who round out the team with systems, operations, and finance know-how. Together, they’ve built something that just clicks.

Phat Bagel started small with late-night dough sessions and makeshift “car fridges”—and has grown into a soon-to-open shop in Bloomfield, taking over the former Baby Loves Tacos space. Their bagels are big, hand-rolled, and all about the spreads (Dexter’s true passion).

We talk about Dexter’s food roots, from summers in Maryland and Steelers Sundays with his grandpa to working in fine dining and dreaming up his own bagel empire. The team is focused on good food, fair pay, and creating a place where everyone—staff and customers alike—feels part of the family.

Phat Bagel will be cashless and kiosk-based for faster service, but with plenty of human warmth. Expect vegan options, toasting, and endless spread combinations when they open later this fall.

You can find Phat Bagel:

SOON 📍 4508 Liberty Avenue, Bloomfield
🌐 www.phatbagel.com
📸 Instagram: @phatbagel
💬 Facebook: Phat Bagel

James Longenecker came to Pittsburgh from Florida to train for the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge—and, thanks to what I call a “Pittsburgh agent,” she never left. After a short stint doing sales for Who Cooks for You Farm, she landed her current role as the City’s Farmers Market Manager, where she’s bringing new life and coordination to markets across the city.

James grew up in Tampa, the daughter of a military dad and a mom who hated cooking—but who loved to travel and introduced her to a world of flavors. Surrounded by aunties and friends from across the globe, James learned to cook from the women around her.

With a background in economics and international development, James chose to focus her energy closer to home—working on local development in her home state of Florida. She’s farmed in Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania; developed and managed a farmer training program at the University of Florida; and spent summers making cheese at Meadow Creek Dairy in Virginia.

Now she’s putting her energy into Pittsburgh’s local food scene—reviving farmers markets, strengthening regional connections, and keeping her North Central Florida roots close at heart.

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Connect with Pittsburgh Farmers markets here

Reach James at 412-740-8812 or [email protected]

Season 4, Episode 25

Content warning: This episode includes honest talk about the realities of chicken ownership, including loss, illness, and death.

I met Attorney Jody Noble Choder back in 2008 when she asked me about keeping chickens. And the rest is history. A devoted Martha Stewart fan, Jody was drawn to the idea of having her own chickens because it fit perfectly with her love of home, garden, and good living.

In this episode, we talk about where that love comes from—her childhood in the new suburb in the country surrounded by cornfields and cows, her Russian relatives, and the gardening legacy that runs through her family. We trace our shared history, through all the chicken projects and adventures we’ve taken on together: Chicks in the Hood urban coop tours, chickens on leashes, countless efforts to teach people what it really means to keep chickens, and eventually, the big urban agriculture zoning code rewrite. Jody and I have known each other a long time and done all the chicken things.

This past winter, Jody lost her mom, and that loss has her thinking a lot about time—how much we have left, how many “next years” there really are and what kind of legacy we leave behind. I say that Jody will always be “the chicken lady,” but what I really meant was “the crazy chicken lady”—and I say that with total love.

You’ll also hear my cohost Brett and Jody’s husband Steve in the background, adding their commentary as only they can. It’s a fun conversation between old friends who’ve shared a lot of years, a lot of laughs, and a lot of feathers.

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#withbowlandspoon #withbowlandspoonpodcast #localfoodsystem #foodsystem #foodsystems #pittsburghlocalfood #foodevolution #foodventures #happyeating #localfood #eatlocal #chicksinthehood #chickenkeeping

Season 4, Episode 24

Today’s interview wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I showed up at Today’s Organic Market ready to meet Carrie — someone I’d heard described as a powerhouse for local farms, food businesses, and community. But when I arrived at 9 a.m., Carrie wasn’t there. Instead, Cassandra and Larissa greeted me with bright energy and open stories — and I had to pivot fast.

I came expecting a conversation with an established founder, but I got something entirely different — a glimpse into the next generation of ownership. These two women are stepping into leadership at the market, each bringing her own story of how she arrived here.

Cassandra began farming in Hawaii eight years ago. She started experimenting with natural body products, exploring the medicinal properties of plants, and eventually turned that curiosity into a business. Her love of holistic care is rooted in her family — from a CrossFit-loving mom and an organic-eating bodybuilder grandfather, to a Native American great-grandmother who was a traditional healer and midwife. Today, Cassandra farms four acres and continues that lineage of growing and crafting with intention.

Larissa came from a very different background — corporate engineering. In 2021, inspired by zero-waste movements she saw online, she launched her business, The Refillery, to fill a gap in Pittsburgh’s sustainable retail scene. She’s run pop-ups across the region, but now focuses on her Oakmont location inside Today’s Organic Market. In 2026, Larissa will officially take over ownership of the store, with big ideas about building a community-driven, trend-forward destination.

Together, Cassandra and Larissa see Today’s Organic Market as more than a grocery — it’s a place where people can find things they can’t get anywhere else in Pittsburgh. A place to pick up something for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to discover new makers, and to stay connected to what’s fresh and real. They’re looking for more local vendors, too — woven baskets, ceramics, accessories, and other beautiful, functional wares. (Reach out if you have a product!)

This conversation wasn’t the one I planned for — but it turned into a really lovely glimpse of the new energy that will shape the next chapter of Today’s Organic Market.

🎧 Listen now to hear their stories, their roots, and their vision for the future of Today’s Organic Market.

Find them at the store

Today's Organic Market

612 Allegheny River Blvd
Oakmont, PA 15139

(412) 828-4244

Website: https://www.todays-market.com/

Instagram: todaysorganicmarket

In this episode of With Bowl and Spoon, Shelly sits down with Jessica Wilson Graves, founder of Una Biologicals, a Pittsburgh-based botanical beauty and wellness company creating all-natural, plant-based bath and body care. Jess shares how her journey as a plant geek, organic farmer, and mom with sensitive skin grew into a thriving business rooted in community. From pop-ups and farmers markets to a storefront in Lawrenceville and a manufacturing site in Homewood, Una has grown while staying true to its mission: nourishing our bodies and the planet. Tune in for a conversation about wellness, local business, and the power of community.

https://unabiologicals.com/

Season 4, Episode 21 – Jamie Moore, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group

Jamie Moore’s food journey started back in Greensburg in 1979, making omelets for neighbors after church. From homemade pasta to Italian classics, his passion followed him into the Navy, where he ran the galley, joined the fire brigade, and served during the first Gulf War. Four years at sea brought him face-to-face with global flavors—from baklava to octopus to pomegranate—shaping his palate and his purpose.

Today, Jamie is the driving force behind Parkhurst Hospitality’s Know Your Source program, building direct relationships with family-owned and independent producers. His approach? Make local sourcing a replicable system so every chef in the company knows where—and how—to find the good stuff.

Jamie’s next chapter? Telling the story of local sourcing on a bigger stage. This episode is part of that mission—and proof that one person’s drive can ripple across an entire food system.

https://blog.eatnpark.com/2015/06/know-your-source-videos-receive.html?m=0

https://www.eatnpark.com/

Season 4, Episode 21

Sandi Kern is the founder of Desire to Be Well Juicery, and an integrative health practitioner whose story starts in the suburbs of Maryland, winds through years of chronic inflammation, and lands in a barn-turned-juice-bar in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

When I first met Sandi, I was struck by her energy. She’s warm, funny, a little sassy, and full of passion—not just for wellness, but for making wellness fun. Her journey to healing wasn’t easy. It took years of being dismissed by doctors before one finally said, “This is food-triggered inflammation. Let’s start there.” And that simple act of listening changed everything.

Suddenly, food wasn’t the enemy—it became the way back to herself. Sandi rebuilt her diet from the ground up. She experimented, got creative, and somewhere between coconut cashew Alfredo sauce and dancing barefoot in the kitchen with her husband Fred, she found not just health, but joy.

Now she’s created something really special—a place where people with dietary restrictions don’t have to ask a million questions or explain themselves. They can just eat. And not just eat—but savor, celebrate, and maybe even dance a little.

This episode is about healing, love, and kitchen alchemy. It’s about trusting your body, reinventing your plate, and remembering that sometimes, joy really is the best ingredient.

Season 4, Episode 20

What if your big idea started with a borrowed credit card, a Paco Jet, and a dream? In this sweet and satisfying episode, I sit down with Chad Townsend, co-founder of Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, to hear how he and his wife Lauren turned a chef’s side hustle into one of Pittsburgh’s most beloved ice cream brands.

Chad shares how his journey from fine dining kitchens to ice cream entrepreneur began with a few experimental batches, a loyal network of chef friends, and an early commitment to quality—from raw milk to real-food coloring. He talks about building their own dairy plant, why pasteurization is more complex than you'd think, and how they shifted from wholesale dreams to retail reality once they opened their first scoop shop.

We dig into favorite (and not-so-favorite) flavors, why waffle cones matter, and what it’s like to swap the late-night life of a chef for the creative, family-friendly world of ice cream. Chad opens up about parenting picky eaters, culinary school mistakes, and his time in both Pittsburgh kitchens and the French Alps. Plus: what’s next for Millie’s, what flavors you won’t see in the case, and which unexpected combo became a surprise hit.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever wondered what might happen if you said yes to that big idea—even if it meant a little bit of risk and a lot of ice cream.