Food : Pittsburgh Innovates

A cup of tea on a bleak winter’s eve might be the most healing tonic of all time. If so, how about a Handmade Tea? 
 
Caleb Brown, tea lover and full-time web developer for startup NoWait, thinks so. Bored by the taste of so many bland loose-leaves, Brown began mixing his own blends in 2011 out of his Lawrenceville home. With a little help from quality fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, he's turning up the taste with Handmade Tea. 
 
Just as beer has gone from a blue collar drink to a beverage with distinction and complexity, so tea may be thoughtfully paired with a meal, says Brown. Imagine a light oolong with a flaky baked or broiled fish.
 
Handmade Tea is comprised of three ingredients; the tea leaves and two accompanying tastes. One popular blend, Bodhi Tea, mixes Chinese green tea, black mission figs and coconut chips, giving it a molasses-like sweetness. The Chile Pepper Black Tea was another eye opener. The teas are imported and the ingredients are from reputable wholesellers, some of whom are local.
 
Customers purchase a monthly subscription for $19.99 and receive a tea blend each month, enough for a cup or two every day. Each tea is unique because you brew the tea yourself, and choose how to mix the ingredients, he says.
 
It's kind of a reverse engineering spin on tea making, he explains.

The packaging is equally inspiring; the artwork on the tins was executed by local artists.
 
“I feel that quality tea is an art and it should be encased in equally beautiful artwork,” says Brown. “Handmade Tea is about building people’s palates in an easy, approachable way.”
 
The company has about 100 subscribers so far, a humble beginning. Word has spread with the help of social media, especially his blog on Tumblr and Facebook Gifts, which helped to double his sales last month.
 
For now, the tea will be sold through monthly subscriptions. In the future, Brown may package some brands to sell in stores and local cafes.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Caleb Brown, Handmade Tea
 

As we all know, beer is among the things that Pittsburgh does well.
 
And now we have a regional magazine to go with it. Launched in 2010, Craft Pittsburgh is embracing the local craft beer industry in response to the resurgence of interest in craft brewing here, says founder and editor Tim Russell. 
 
Pittsburgh just wasn’t getting its due, he says.
 
“I want to enlighten everyone, bring in people on the fringe who are just beginning to discover craft beer,” explains Russell. “If people start drinking better beer, it will grow the industry and help everyone.”
 
Craft Pittsburgh is for connoisseurs to wanna-be better beer drinkers who are interested in following the business, or brewing a batch at home. Stories range from the several well-orchestrated events that happen around beer, including Steel City’s Big Pour and The Reverse Keg Ride, where an empty keg is returned to its neighborhood brewery with the help of more than 100 cyclists. (All in the name of charity, of course.)
 
The most recent issue (No. 7) relates the wonderful history of beer making in Pittsburgh. Did you know, for example, that long before President Obama was throwing back hotcakes at Pamela’s, President Roosevelt was swilling Duquesne Brewing Company’s “near beer” during prohibition?
 
There’s also the events and festival listings, cooking with beer, home brewing tips and regular installments from columnist The Drunk Yinzer.
 
The only problem is that  when the magazine comes out, about 10,000 copies a run, the free hard copies disappear fast. Fortunately, it's also available online.
 
Craft Pittsburgh officially became a profitable enterprise with the sixth issue, thanks to the support of local establishments and restaurants, says Russell.
 
“I hope it gets the craft beer community going, because I’d love Pittsburgh to become one of those cities like San Diego or Philadelphia (who are on the forefront of the craft beer movement),” he says. “But Pittsburgh is catching up.”
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Tim Russell, Craft Pittsburgh

And now, the perfect Pittsburgh summer drink for these dog days of summer, The Berry Basil Muddle.

Gather a delightful combination of locally grown and made ingredients--a blend of blueberries, a few strong sweet basil leaves, some icy cold Boyd and Blair--on ice and strain. Add a squirt of Pittsburgh Seltzer Works.

This refreshing recipe comes from Pittsburgh personal chef Elizabeth Schandelmeier Gilgunn, author of the foodie blog, Let's Blog About Food and the chef behind Slow Cooked Pittsburgh.

Elizabeth founded Slow Cooked Pittsburgh as a way to promote the preparation of locally grown, whole foods, especially for people with special dietary needs, whether gluten-free, chemical-free, vegan or low-fat cuisine. The idea is to encourage local residents to bring the freshest the farm has to offer to the table, she says.

As a personal chef, Schandelmeier Gilgunn cooks for people in their homes several times a week, many whom are challenged by dietary restrictions. She's entirely devoted to bringing the freshest food from local farms to small groups, no larger than 50.

"My goal is to help people find joy in eating again," she says.  "I'm purely culinary (as opposed to a nutritionist), looking at food and combining it with cocktails and drinks. If you don't want to use a lime--because we don't grow limes here--I consider what I can add to give it a zing. That's the kind of journey I'm describing."

When she's not busy feeding her own family of three girls in Squirrel Hill, she can be found working in the public schools and at the community theatre, where she once presented a vegan chocolate truffle. You may have seen her at the Pittsburgh Public Market where she teaches and offers demonstrations. 

"I cannot get away from food," she says good-naturedly. "It's an outlet for me, putting things out there to see what kind of responses I can get. Throwing my seeds to the wind. Where will they go and what will I harvest? It's all been very positive."

Writer: Deb Smit
Source:  Elizabeth Schandelmeier Gilgunn, Slow Cooking Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh largest and oldest family bakery is celebrating 100 years in the business with a big new bakery, new lines of specialty breads and rolls and 30+ hires this year.

Cellone's Bakery has grown from its humble, bread-baking beginnings in Bridgeville to Chartiers Avenue and now Windgap. The expansion will double the size of the Cellone operation and will feature the latest in Italian baking technology, says Dean Cellone, vice president of operations and a third-generation family member.

Cellone is moving into a 120,000 square-foot space on Napor Boulevard in Windgap, the site of the former Armour meat packing plant and a film production company.  The family hopes to expand into a variety of Italian artisian breads, which are in greater demand, including focaccia, ciabatti and flatbread as well as a line of frozen breads. The frozen bread business alone as grown by 23% in the last three years.

Another initiative includes upgrading its diesel delivery trucks to a more efficient and greener diesel-propone fuel mix. The company has operated propone-powered trucks since the 1980s.

"We were green before there was green," says Cellone.

Now in its fourth generation of family ownership, Cellone employs 115, including 15 family members, and runs 41 truck routes throughout Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Dean Cellone, Cellones

"Locavore" is quickly becoming a buzzword, but eating locally can be tough if you don't know what is in season and where to find it. Enter Farm to Table. In its fifth year, Farm to Table's 2011 conference theme is Eating Healthy & Local All Year Round.

From eggs to beer, Farm to Table's conference will feature exhibitors, speakers and cooking demonstrations to help consumers identify local food sources and how to obtain them, among other things. "We wanted to highlight everything that was available year-round at the event," Erin Hart, director of health benefit services at American HealthCare Group, said.

An all-day, weekend event, the conference will also have a Local Food Tasting, which includes more than 30 local restaurants, farms, breweries and chefs. "Just being able to come and taste things is, I think, the best part of the event," Hart added. "It gets people more familiar with the brands, and they get to actually meet the people who work in these different places, so it really brings it to a personal level."

The conference isn't just about highlighting local foods. It strives to change the way people eat, focusing on real food instead of processed food. Making it easier for people to eat healthy is the point of the conference, Hart said.

Farm to Table is part of the wellness program at American HealthCare Group. It includes programs such as Lunch & Learn, Farmers Market on Wheels and cooking demonstrations.

The Farm to Table conference is at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 for day one and $20 for day two. Ticket price increases $5 at the door. Click here for more information on Farm to Table and the conference.

Writer: Alex Audia
Source: Erin Hart, American HealthCare Group

Maybe it's the 16 rotating American craft beers on tap. Or the classic, Pittsburgh-style grub. Whatever, business is booming at Bocktown Beer and Grill in Robinson and social media is getting the credit.

This from an establishment in a fairly remote shopping center?

Owner Chris Dilla, a native of Baldwin, always wanted to open a neighborhood pub, a place with great Pittsburgh food and even better beer. Not only did she (along with her sister and hubby) pull it off, but she didn't spend a cent on advertising; Dilla pushes Bocktown out several times daily on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Hootsuite. Facebook alone has 2,260+ followers.

"We wanted one place where we could drink the best beers AND eat great homemade food, all while having fun with family and friends," she says.

Bocktown features some of Pittsburgh's finest: Ricci's Sausage, Prestogeorge Coffee Roasters, Pierogies Plus, Cellone's Bakery, Signature Desserts, East End Brewing Company, Troyer Farms and Weiss Meats. Then there's the craft beers…

"Everyone told me I was crazy," she says with a laugh. " I hired a chef and 36 employees. I'm busy from the minute we open to when we close.  And it's the worst location ever (across from Target). But we're going nuts. I attribute it to world of mouth and social media. I'm diving into it."

Dilla uses WordPress. The Beer Belly Challenge has attracted a large following. The key is being fluid with the fluid information, she says.

"We're just blessed. How can we get so lucky to open a successful business in a horrendous economy? Social media is our advertising. So many people aren't utilizing it."

Stay tuned for posts about a second Bocktown Beer and Grill opening this year in Beaver.

Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Chris Dilla, Bocktown Beer and Grill

Image of Chris Dilla (and Mr. Potato Head) courtesy of Bocktown