The Pittsburgh Dish

You’ve probably tasted Pittsburgh Spice and Seasoning Company without ever seeing their name on the menu, and that’s exactly what makes their story so fascinating. We sit down with brothers Austin and Aaron Tutino to talk about how a low-profile, family-run business can power restaurant kitchens, butcher shops, and home cooks across the region while relying more on word of mouth than splashy advertising.They walk us through the company’s roots going back to 1967 with founder Mario Mancini, when it started as a natural casing supplier for sausage makers, and how it grew into a go-to source for bulk spices, dried herbs, marinades, curing supplies, and hundreds of custom spice blends. We dig into what “custom blending” really looks like, and how a small team can handle production, packing, shipping, and delivery routes stretching well beyond Pittsburgh. If you’re curious about venison processing or making cured meats at home, you’ll also hear about their easy DIY kits designed to keep those skills alive.Then we shift to holiday baking with Laura Magone of the Wedding Cookie Table Community, who shares an ultra-approachable “poor man cookie” bar recipe with Great Depression roots. Simple ingredients, big payoff: the warm mix of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg makes your kitchen smell like the season, finished with a quick powdered sugar glaze.Listen through, and make a plan to refresh your spice cupboard. While you're at it, throw us a little sugar with a subscribe, or share this episode with a fellow Pittsburgh food lover, and leave a review so more people can find us.Support the show

Non-alcoholic beer used to mean “close enough” and a little disappointing. That’s not what we’re drinking anymore. I’m joined by Mike Poggi, founder of Pittsburgh’s Virtue Signal Brewing, to dig into how he’s building NA craft beer that delivers real aroma, body, and satisfaction, without the alcohol and without the stigma.Mike walks me through the origin story, from quitting drinking years ago to missing the taste and experience of great craft beer after skiing, around a fire pit, or while watching a game. We get into the three-launch lineup, including a West Coast IPA, a Belgian-style wheat, and a vanilla chocolate coffee porter that begs to be paired with dessert. We also talk food pairings you can actually use: burgers and fries, appetizer spreads, steak, hearty pasta, and even the idea of cooking with NA beer.Then we shift to the nuts and bolts of how NA beer can taste “full.” Mike explains why Virtue Signal brews non-alcoholic beer from the start using a special yeast that keeps the beer under 0.5% ABV, instead of stripping alcohol out later and losing flavor. We also cover local availability, the move toward direct-to-consumer shipping, and what’s next for the brand.Plus: Jen Grippo of the Original Oyster House shares her downtown go-to at Gaucho (dealer’s choice and that chimichurri moment), and Chef Greg Austin of 412 Food Rescue drops a weeknight hack: blender Hollandaise with horseradish over roast or chops. If you like Pittsburgh food, Pittsburgh restaurants, and smart drinking alternatives, hit play, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review.Support the show

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.Support the show

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.”Support the show

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. Subscribe for more Pittsburgh food stories, share this with a friend, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find the show.Support the show

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.Support the show

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.Subscribe to The Pittsburgh Dish, share this episode with a food-loving friend, and leave a review so more people can find these Pittsburgh food stories.Support the show

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.Support the show

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.Support the show

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.Support the show