The Pittsburgh Dish

A backyard garden harvest and a family united on a new journey—this is how Two Ugly Mugs turned a homemade recipe into a national salsa brand. Diane and Matt Perella trace the steps from hot sauce experiments to a salsa lineup with a habanero base softened by carrots, a clean label with low sodium, and a flavor that wins over heat skeptics and spice lovers alike. Their journey is packed with real...

We're starting the year with a full plate of wins, a smarter way to drink, and a dinner you can make before the water boils. We look back at 2025 with clear eyes and real numbers, from forty new episodes to an 88 percent completion rate that tells us you’re staying to the last bite.  From there, we shift to drinking with intention. The low and no alcohol movement is reshaping shelves, but ski...

A crumbling 1849 house, abolitionist lore, and a quest to cook for the next hundred years—this is the story of how Maggie and Matt Noble turned The Tavern on the Square into a living landmark. We sit down inside the restored space in New Wilmington, where original beams meet brand-new wiring, and the elevator isn’t a luxury but a promise that everyone belongs at the table.  We trace their unlikely...

(01:16) A small-town “toast boy” grows into a gold-medal chef, then chooses a new kind of success. We sit down with Chef Joe Peroney to unpack a winding path from The Greenbrier’s relentless kitchens to the world stage at the Culinary Olympics, and how a sudden vision scare and a marathon reset his compass toward time, family, and impact. (15:19) Joe lifts the lid on competition cooking, from trai...

In this mini-episode... we trade the 12:30pm coffee surge for a calmer tea routine. Catherine Montest helps to unpack caffeine timing, yerba mate culture, and simple ways to control the buzz. Then we pivot to a bright cranberry loaf suggestion from Baking Across America that pairs perfectly with any afternoon brew. If you're in the market to grab a cookbook from B. Dylan Hollis as a gift or f...

We pull back the curtain on how Pittsburgh’s local food television gets made, from planning and pacing a five-minute kitchen segment to building community around long-form public media cooking shows. Maria DeBone and Chris Fennimore share the inside scoop. Plus local TV food personality Chef Alekka offers an easy holiday crumble. • Planning, staging, and timing a live kitchen segment • Tips and ha...

Looking for the sweet spot where tradition meets the table? We bring together a master appraiser, a wine guide, and a hometown foodie to show how old-school cookbooks, a just-released French red, and a one-pan dinner can turn a chilly weeknight into a warm celebration. Dr. Lori kicks things off with a collector’s map to the kitchen shelf: early printings of The Joy of Cooking, The White House Cook...

Flaky pie crust isn’t magic—it’s method. We sit down with Chef Alekka Sweeney to unpack the science and the small choices that turn holiday baking from stressful to satisfying.  We go beyond pies to build a full, flexible holiday playbook. Stock the pantry with non-perishables now, refresh tired baking powder and soda, and freeze multiple dough discs so you can bake on your schedule. Alekka shares...

A private chef who learned pasta in an Umbrian cellar, sold out DC markets with recipe cards, and now feeds Pittsburgh with allergy-aware comfort food? That’s Barbara Ann of A B Kitchen, and her story is a tour of how real-world cooking can be both nourishing and exciting without getting fussy. We visit the nuts and bolts of Barbara's off-site private chef model: custom meal prep, catering th...

We pull up a seat with Chef Danielle Cain and front‑of‑house lead and bar creator Rob Hirst of Hey Babe, the new East Liberty lounge inside the Maverick Hotel that’s fast becoming Pittsburgh’s coziest third place. From a crispy eggplant that rules social media to a five‑spice pork belly and salmon tartare, the menu’s range is deliberate. The drink menu including an espresso martini that pours with...

(00:55) A state-of-the-art kitchen hidden beside a glasshouse, garden-fresh herbs clipped minutes before class, and a room wired like a studio so every chop and sauté is easy to follow—this week we head inside Phipps’ Botany Hall Teaching Kitchen with Culinary Programs Manager Tess Monks to see how Pittsburghers learn to cook together.  (08:24) We dig into the secret sauce: produce from the Phipps...

Craving a dining scene that welcomes everyone at the table? We dive into the moves Pittsburgh restaurants and bars are making to create truly inclusive menus—thoughtful vegetarian mains, standout zero-proof cocktails, and the kind of service that makes every guest feel seen.  (00:36) We kick off with an update from author Maria C. Palmer and the story of her father Joseph Costanzo Jr. and the lege...

(00:40) The leaves are changing, there's a chill in the air, and our host is embracing the seasonal transition on this deliciously varied episode of The Pittsburgh Dish. Doug shares details from his recent end-of-summer cooking class that perfectly bridges the seasonal gap – featuring a mouthwatering menu of prosciutto-peach salad, basil-infused risotto topped with fresh corn relish, and frui...

We explore how GoodTaste! Pittsburgh and Nosh and Curd are bringing new flavors and experiences to local food lovers through events, cheese education, and creative pairings. We're on location at Mazzotta Winery where our guests share their journeys from personal passion to business success in Pittsburgh's vibrant culinary community. • Dee Weinberg of GoodTaste! Pittsburgh has been creati...

(01:03) Lisa Ray of Hammajack Heat Company joins us to share the delightful origin story behind their uniquely named hot sauce brand – a four-year-old's adorable mispronunciation that became the perfect business name. (16:12) Lisa walks us through the fascinating fermentation process that gives their sauces distinctive depth and complexity. Though she admits she wasn't initially a hot sa...

Have you ever wondered what makes Bangladeshi cuisine distinctive in a world where "curry" often becomes the default descriptor for South Asian food? This week, we learn about the vibrant food culture of Bangladesh with Anika Chowdhury, food blogger and contestant from PBS's The Great American Recipe. (01:04) Anika shares her Bangladesh – "a country obsessed with food" – w...

(01:08) As we step into Sultan Döner Kebab and Baklava on 6th Street in downtown Pittsburgh, owner Sinan Camozu moves with practiced precision as he operates a specialized machine imported from Turkey—one of a kind in our region. From it emerges impossibly thin sheets of phyllo dough, translucent enough to see your hand through, destined to become his extraordinary baklava. (07:43) "Nobody do...

We spotlight Captain Coby Bailey, a Navy veteran, firefighter, and talented home cook from Lafayette, Louisiana who competed on season four of PBS's The Great American Recipe. Coby offers up a classic Cajun gumbo, step by step.  Support the show

Ever feel too exhausted to cook a proper family meal after a long day? Or wish you could help a loved one going through a difficult time without showing up with another lasagna? The latest episode of The Pittsburgh Dish explores how one local Chef and his family are solving these exact challenges. We begin with Bonny Diver's inspiring journey from breast cancer survivor to founder of Hair Pea...

Meet Kate Romane, the culinary force behind Black Radish Kitchen who's quietly reshaping Pittsburgh's restaurant landscape by opening her doors to emerging talent. What started as a catering business in a light-filled warehouse has evolved into an incubator for the city's next generation of great chefs. After learning to cook in the Strip District at Enrico Biscotti Company, Kate op...

Step onto Brownsville Road with us as we immerse ourselves in the sights, smells, and flavors of the Mount Oliver Farmers Market. This episode takes a delightful detour from our usual format as we wander through this vibrant community gathering, microphone in hand, meeting the passionate entrepreneurs who make this neighborhood special. The market reveals itself as a microcosm of Pittsburgh's...

A culinary road trip across America reveals the heart and soul behind three of this season's Great American Recipe contestants on PBS, each bringing their unique cultural heritage and personal journeys to the kitchen. (00:35) From the warm hospitality of Durham, North Carolina, Fran Wescott welcomes us into her Southern kitchen where traditional local ingredients meet global influences. &quot...

(00:36) We get to know a 40-year farming legacy that's become one of the region's most beloved agricultural destinations, Triple B Farms. Ron Beinlich, a former metallurgical engineer who always dreamed of being a farmer, took a leap of faith in 1985 when he left US Steel to focus full-time on the abandoned 205-acre property he'd purchased years earlier. Together with his wife Carol...

(00:57) A disappointing cup of lemonade at the Big Butler County Fair ignited an unexpected entrepreneurial journey for Shiquala Dukes and Vonn Jennings. Their quest for something more refreshing and less sugary resulted in Burghade Lemonade, a business that began as a quick money-making venture but rapidly evolved into something much more meaningful. The couple shares how they crafted their first...

(01:06) Scott Baker, a fifth-generation baker and president of Five Generation Bakers, unveils the rich legacy behind Pittsburgh's beloved Jenny Lee Bakery. It's all about family tradition, resilience, and reinvention. Through fascinating family anecdotes, Scott traces the evolution from that first bakery to the Seven Baker Brothers wholesale operation, to the birth of Jenny Lee in 1938—...