The Pittsburgh Dish

024 Culinary Ventures with Zita Edsall & John Lopez

• Doug Heilman • Season 1 • Episode 24

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(00:51) On this episode of The Pittsburgh Dish, we dive into the culinary journeys and innovative business ventures of Zita Edsall and John Lopez, the brilliant couple behind Chip and Kale Plant-Based Meals. What if you could revolutionize your dinner routine with just a few clicks? Zita’s devotion to cooking has led her to create versatile, pre-prepped meal kits that cater to both vegan and non-vegan palates, ensuring that dinner time is no longer a chore but an enjoyable experience. Their local focus brings nutritious and delicious meals right to the tables of Pittsburgh and the surrounding regions. 

(10:18) We also embark on John and Zita's other a mouth-watering adventure with Sidehustle Pizza, a pizza pop-up business that started from a simple birthday gift. From John's fiery “Margo,” and the crowd-favorite hot sausage pizza known as the “Sal" we learn about the Neo-Neapolitan style behind these culinary delights. Pizza cooked to perfection in high-heat Gozney ovens illustrates how passion and determination can turn simple ideas into a thriving endeavor.

(34:54) The episode wraps up with a roaming latte stop with Ana.Eats.Pgh. Plus, we get an exciting recipe for Swedish moose meatballs from Kim Sherry of Alaska. Tune in for an episode packed with entrepreneurial spirit, culinary passion, and some mouth-watering dishes!

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Doug:

Welcome to The Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. How did one couple double their entrepreneurial pursuits with a birthday gift? We'll learn all about it from this week's guests. On the hunt for your next latte, we'll talk to Ana Anthony and see where she's getting her next caffeine jolt. And have you ever had moose meatballs? We'll share that wild recipe at the end of the show. All that ahead, stay tuned. This week's episode is supported by Chip and Kale Plant-Based Meals. Visit their website at wwwchipandkalecom and use code DISH to get 15% off your next order. That's D-I-S-H. Now on to the show. Would you both take a moment to introduce yourselves and what you have going on right now in the world of food?

Zita:

I am Zita from Chip and Kale. I, in the world of food, feel like I'm buried because all I do is cooking, trying new recipes, going through the cookbooks, listen to the podcast. I mean food is everything that I think of, so it's nonstop for me. I love to try new dishes, new recipes, and then I dream about the recipes I had last year because of the seasonal thing, like your watermelon salad yes, oh I cannot wait for watermelons to be the perfect ripeness, so I guess anticipation of fresh fruit and vegetables season.

Zita:

That's my food world.

Doug:

I love that.

John:

That's like the fire of why you keep doing all the things that you're doing and uh, yes, I am john lopez, I have side hustle pizza, I am the other half of chip and kill and I'm the person that eats all the food that Zita creates in her dreams.

Doug:

I think that's the most excellent thing that could be happening in my world.

John:

It is fantastic.

Doug:

And we should say for our listeners you guys are married, this is a partner's couple partnership.

John:

Yes, that is correct. Here we are. I love it.

Doug:

Why don't?

Zita:

we talk about the businesses first if folks are not familiar, and we'll go back to Chip and Kale. Can you tell folks what Chip and Kale is all about? Lot of people do have. You come home from work, you are already irritated of sitting in the traffic and then what is for dinner? So you spend about half an hour arguing what do you feel like, Then another half an hour browsing through the restaurants and deliveries and all that and then finally you order $60. You wait another hour to get your food delivered and then you just feel I guess I spent all this money, I need to eat it all, and then you feel miserable. So Chipping Kale kind of started it. I started prepping the meals for somebody who doesn't eat leftovers.

Ana:

That would be, me, that would be John.

Zita:

So the thing was how can I cook a home-cooked meal every day in a short period of time? And so Chippin' Kale is meal kits that they are already pre-chopped. Sauce is done in your freezer, so if you choose to go out, no food is wasted. You just come home, pull it out of freezer. You can put a blindfold on so you don't have to be thinking what you want. Pull one in, toss it in the pot, and it's so simple to cook that you spend 10 minutes in the kitchen. You still feel that you are cooking, yes, but the longest period of time is just basically waiting for it to cook itself. I love this, and we have little different preferences when it comes to meals. I do vegan meals, while John is the meat and potato guy, so our meals are designed for the vegans. Yet for him I have like shredded chicken in the freezer that I just toss in his part, or I, just for stir fries, I quickly saute, slice I don't know beef and then I toss it on his part. So you actually it's versatile for everybody.

Doug:

Yes.

Zita:

And the meals are designed to be more what everybody is familiar with Stews, soups. Everybody is familiar with stews soups, curries, stir fries than something that is strictly vegan, that you imagine salad and that's it. Yeah, so a lot of people feel comfortable because they hear mac and cheese, yeah Right. And John actually discovered when he eats non-dairy meals that taste like dairy meals, with the cashew creams and everything he's not bogged down.

Doug:

Yeah, feels better, yeah, definitely.

Zita:

We also have breakfast burritos, which are hit. I complain every week when I'm rolling whole day burritos, but they are fantastic. We have them at home and it's great for morning. You can just pop it in the microwave and on to go.

Doug:

And so, zita, this is great. You've been doing vegan yourself for a while, yes, and so the meal kits are, I think, what I've seen on the website. You're changing the menu almost weekly, so there's a lot of variety. Like you said, they're familiar. You don't really require a subscription like some of the other meal services.

Zita:

Correct, because we did try a couple subscriptions and a lot of time we were throwing the food away yeah the point is you have a freedom of going out if you want to or try something else, but you always have the backup yeah, in the freezer and if you are a single person, that's a lot of food, because each meal kit is for servings, so you can just cook it and eat it through the week or pre-portion freeze it again and then you just reheat it.

Zita:

So it's also more economical. It's not about getting your money, it's more helping you have a little more relaxed evening and have more time for your hobbies, family, whatever.

Doug:

It's what everybody wants. I also want to bring up that it's not only a local business. You all are local here to Pittsburgh, but you ship these kits all over the country, right?

Zita:

Well, we try to kind of stay around because the shipping price is just skyrocketing.

Doug:

Oh yeah.

Zita:

But we have Ohio pretty nice.

John:

That's like two days. Regionally we do very well.

Doug:

It's the brand recognition. And how much marketing do you want to do? Are there one or two dishes that, over the weeks, are always super popular?

Zita:

It's kind of funny because we have a couple different reasons why we have some customers.

Ana:

We have some customers.

Zita:

They are with us for health reasons, because our dishes are full of vegetables and beans. They are very high in protein and fiber and everything. So a lot of soups. They were always popular, always popular, all of them. One thing that is very popular, yet we used to have such a hard time when we started our curries oh yeah everybody was scared of curry and now everybody loves our curries and it is.

Zita:

Maybe, I feel is because I have little non-authentic approach to our curries. I mix the spices to my liking because in some of the restaurants it's a little bit too authentic for our Western taste.

Doug:

You're meeting people more where they are instead of maybe being too spicy or maybe too hot.

Zita:

Or even kind of like a little different flavor, sometimes like a lemongrass can be strong for a lot of people or the Thai basil.

Doug:

Well, also, you're making it so much simpler for someone to make a curry at home, because even just those ingredients you listed, it takes effort to go find those things, oh gosh, yes it does you know that?

Zita:

Yeah, I have certain ingredients stocked up.

Doug:

Oh, that sounds terrific. I've seen all the meals and I'm so excited to try. You brought me a meal today, so I'm tucking it away for that time I need it.

Zita:

Yeah, it's my lazy curry, as I call it. It's a very simple blend, yet I love it, so it's one of my faves.

Doug:

And again I'll just say we'll talk about it later, but the website really showcases the food well. You get a lot of great pictures, you have wonderful descriptions, and so we'll give our listeners that website later in the show. John, I want to kind of shift over to you. I know that you're active in the business with Chip and Kale as well. Oh yeah, but I discovered you doing something else and I didn't even realize that connection. How about that? How about that? Can you talk about your side hustle, which is Side hustle pizza, right, yeah, yeah, it's fantastic.

John:

So, whereas Chip and Kale is healthy and you want to eat healthy and you have it at the ready, I come at you from a different angle, right, which is the most unhealthy but yet is absolutely fantastic. I have had the pizza.

Doug:

It is fantastic and I definitely did not go for health. I had the white pizza with the hot honey.

John:

Yes the Betty yeah, Fantastic. And I definitely did not go for health. I had the white pizza with the hot honey. Yes the Betty yeah, so good. I really enjoy doing the pizza. This really came from well Zita purchasing me a oven for my birthday a pizza oven from Gozney and it kind of blossomed into something that I can go out, I can enjoy what it is, I do, I feel relaxed, I feel comfortable. People are very happy with the pizza whenever it comes out and you're having a lot of fun with it.

Doug:

When I've seen you, I mean you're both hustling and sometimes it's hot. But can you just describe a couple of the pies that you most commonly have?

John:

Well, you have your classic margarita, yeah, and I refer to it as the Rita Basic. Red sauce, sliced mozzarella, a little olive oil. My dough is a little bit more closer to a Sicilian than it is a classic 00.

John:

So you're really presenting a little bit more of a spongier type of dough versus what you're accustomed to with wood fire pizza. I believe that the other one that most people really enjoy is going to be the Margo, which is a spicy Rita. So classic margarita again, but I had capers and cherry red hot peppers. Oh, that sounds good. The idea is you just take it up just a slight, just a little bit, and I believe that those two are my number one and number two.

Doug:

Are there any other specialty pies that you really like?

John:

Honestly the sal.

Doug:

Oh, what is?

John:

that. That is my hot sausage pizza. The way that I make the pie is old world style so some olive oil, my um special thai blend, and then, uh, four cheese on top of, uh, some mozzarella with, then, on top of the mozzarella, the hot italian sausage from chicago. So what I'll end up doing with that is I will cook it and I'll break it down and then I'll crumple it on top of the pie, and then the very ending is the red sauce, the San Marzano sauce that I create, and I have it on top of the pie into the oven. Out there, it is Amazing.

Doug:

That's my go-to the oven out there. It is amazing. That's my go-to. If people are not so familiar with the visual, these are round pies, and how again would you describe them? What sort of style? Neo-neapolitan, neo-neapolitan. Yeah, so we got about a 12 inch 12 inch pie.

John:

Yeah, once I pop it in the oven only takes approximately a minute minute.

Doug:

And a half like seconds. And since it is a bit of a side hustle, you're mobile with it. Yes, yes, it's a pop. And since it is a bit of a side hustle, you're mobile with it. Yes, it's a pop-up, it is a pop-up. Where are some of the sort of regular places nowadays that people can find you?

John:

Well, mainly in the South Hills. You can find me at the Mount Lebanon Farmers Market Lions Club Farmers Market on Wednesdays between 4 and seven for duration of the year and also Hitchhikers, which is Mount Lebo Castle, shannon.

Doug:

Yeah, getting into Castle Shannon.

John:

I'm there on Saturdays, typically from three to I start to close up about 8.20. So it's a perfect little spot. I love it. It's very inviting.

Doug:

the people there are fantastic and I think I recall when I was there, you have two gosnys going now.

John:

Right, yes you have to double the operation. Yes, uh, typically, uh, yeah it's an obsession.

Zita:

That's not just two oven.

Doug:

Well, I love that this started out as a gift from your wife, and now it is a whole side business the best was the very first pie I made.

John:

Once I received the gift and I turned to her and I smiled and she was nibbling and she looked at me and she goes no. And I said oh yeah. And she's like, no, don't do it. And I said, see, I got myself another business. She was a little upset with the fact that we have, you know, so much work going on, so, but it is what it.

Doug:

You both have such a passion for food, and in your own different ways. Zita, can we come back to you? What was food like growing up? Where did you grow up?

Zita:

Well, I grew up in Bagden, Czechoslovakia. I am from Prague, the heart of Europe, as we call it, and I think that my love of food comes because of the food I grew up with. Yes, I despise Central European food. Always was too heavy for me. Basically our national food. We make a dough like for a bread and then we boil it and then we serve it with creamy sauces that you take meat and you cook it till it's completely dead and then you take the fat and put a cream in it and flour and then you serve it with that cooked bread. And that's our national food. He loves it. I completely was miserable as a child eating that type of food. How interesting. And my grandmother was an excellent cook and she always cooked for me food. I loved making it. I would lie if I say that was later, because she cooked everything in butter and she made like pudding in cream. So yeah, the food was rich, everything was rich high fat and everything.

Doug:

It doesn't sound like a lot of the chip and kale meals at all not at all, but I actually grew up.

Zita:

I always have to help in the kitchen because European cooking is even it's less ingredients, but everything is from scratch.

Doug:

Labor intensive.

Zita:

Yes, so always. Kids grew up especially girls in the kitchen, so I start creating meals for me that I like. Back then I loved fish and vegetables, and so I creating lighter, more Mediterranean dishes. Start learning about food from different cookbooks. I start collecting cookbooks and end up always having big parties for my friends that I was actually cooking and preparing this elaborate dinners. Just get my, I guess, obsession with food.

Doug:

I love it. And self-taught. You were just learning on your own through cookbooks and through experience and your family.

Zita:

Correct. Then we have a little different school system. So when I was 15 we kind of choose our occupation oh, yeah, and I come from family of architects, which was supposed to be my destiny. Yet when my mother find out that centimeter is not a measurement to me, she actually got me into hospitality school oh yeah, so with that degree you do have to learn about food and all the other stuff. So it's just kind of took it to a different level. You know when we were actually taught about flambe we used to flambe everything.

Doug:

Everything that's so fun, I'm sure, as a teenager Especially when you are a teenager?

John:

yeah, exactly, so yeah.

Zita:

Hi, this is Zita with Chip and Kale.

John:

Hi, this is John with Side Hustle Pizza.

Zita:

And you're listening to the Pittsburgh.

Doug:

Dish. So did you end up working professionally at home and what's the timeline when you came to the States?

Zita:

Well, I came into the States very young, like 20. I worked in the United States in the hospitality industry. I worked for major companies, embassy Suites, opryland Hotel. That was actually very, very, I would say, growing even my knowledge even more.

Doug:

Yes, Opryland in Nashville.

Zita:

Opryland in Nashville. Opryland in Nashville. Opryland in Nashville, besides being a very large hotel, had all the chefs from all around the world.

Ana:

Wow.

Zita:

And had an amazing culinary school and an exchange program with students from Lausanne Hotel School and everything. So it was for us from culinary perspective I felt even I have degree from that that I learn run stuff completely on other level yeah, a whole new education, whole new education with the upper land and everything. Yes, oh, that's amazing and then. Amazing. And then, coming to America, this is such a melting pot. I discovered dishes that back then were not available in Central Europe.

Doug:

Yes.

Zita:

So that actually was incredible. I fell in love with Indian kitchen, Korean because I had Korean friends and they cook meals. Indian kitchen, this one little restaurant. Nobody ever went and chef was bored and find out, I'm a glutton. He cooked meals just for me. I mean, I experienced so much good food here and all the big spectrum of everything, so I think that led me into wanting my own business.

Doug:

And I mean all of that is just education and experience upon education and experience right. Correct. And when did you then make it to Pittsburgh?

Zita:

Well, john was born in here and he took me with him to visit Pittsburgh.

Doug:

Okay, I guess let me back up. And when did you meet John? Or where did you meet John?

Zita:

In Nashville. Oh, you did, we both live in Nashville, tennessee. Okay, so back then it was a lot of chains. Chain restaurants Chain restaurants and very little small business restaurants.

Doug:

I see.

Zita:

I could not find like a nice European crusty bread and he took me to Pittsburgh and took me to Mount Washington and I just fell in love with. Pittsburgh. I still love Pittsburgh, the boroughs. It's its own unique Pittsburgh. I still love Pittsburgh, the boroughs with their own unique character. It's just different.

Zita:

Correct, there is a lot of European heritage here, so it makes me feel like I'm at home.

Doug:

Yeah.

Zita:

And I can have my crusty bread and I can have all the klobasi for him that he wants. He wants.

Doug:

Oh, that's so good, john, we should just talk about you a little bit. So you and Zita met in Nashville.

John:

In Nashville, yeah, but where did you? Grow up. I am born and raised in Jeanette, Pennsylvania, which is right down the street. Jump on the turnpike and get off at the Irwin exit.

Doug:

You're only three minutes away from Jeanette, I know it well. So, in Jeanette, what was food life like for you? And I sort of wonder, leading up to making pizza, like, where did that come from?

John:

Well, growing up my parents. I was a latchkey kid.

Doug:

Me too. I mean, I'm 1974. You know, we got home in the 80s, we made dinner.

John:

Yeah, that's exactly it there were. You had responsibilities, you had chores. You had to take care of these things. For me, it was not just vacuuming and supposedly doing my homework, but also getting the sauces ready, and it was really my father that instilled that within me. So when I would get home from school, I'd have to open up the cans, I would have to add the spices, I would have to start the oven at a certain time. Certain things had to be done, and pizza was a regular within the household. I'd say that was a once a week type meal.

Doug:

Other things were spaghetti and spaghetti meatballs yeah, and and some other things have been visual and back to when you were saying sauces like that's why these things are important, right?

John:

right and it just. That has, I guess, always stuck in my head, but I never really thought about it until recently. In Nashville I worked for Kmart. At the time I was in management position and one of my responsibilities was to take care of the front house. Ironically, there was a pizza shop at the front house from Detroit that some people may know about. I was able to take that eatery and convert it into something that blossomed into. That was actually the place to go, whereas before, quite honestly, nobody wanted to eat it. People walked past it.

Doug:

They didn't even think about it Right, and this was in the front of Kmart Sure. That's unusual to me in my history of knowing Kmart.

John:

Yeah, how cool. Yeah, it worked out pretty well. For you especially For me Three years I believe it was three years of management that when we made the move up here and Zita had the idea about the business also in the back of the mind was perhaps I have a pizza business. Ah yeah, but with Chip and Kale it has been such a day-to-day beast I actually forgot Once I received the oven for my birthday it had rekindled.

Doug:

Yeah, it sparked it again, I find, for both of you. I find really what's fascinating and some parallels in my own life being allowed, or even sort of required, to cook at home as a kid builds not only confidence but also just your intuition in the kitchen of how to do things and what works and maybe what doesn't work. And then I just think about all of your other experiences, whether it was formal education or the education of life and working, and how all of that builds to where both of your businesses are today.

John:

Yeah. Yeah, you're quite right. Utilize your imagination, but build off of your skill set. What is your skill set? Where did it come from? How do you develop that? And then, how do you incorporate that into what your passion is?

Doug:

Thank you both for sharing. I want to take us forward a little bit more. And, Zita, I'd love to come back to you With Chip and Kale. I know that John is helping you with it. Where do you?

Zita:

see the business going On the personal level not us, but my mom is getting older and so she needs somebody to take care of her. But I'm not giving up on Chip and Kale yet. My goal is to find a time to educate myself a little bit better how online business works. Yes, when you ask me what is my future, my head starts churning. It's a beehive, because I'm like I need new pictures. I want to try all these recipes. I need to do this thing, and I have a hard time to find somebody who understands what I want.

Doug:

Yeah, your vision.

Zita:

Yeah, so when you ask me that question, it's difficult to answer.

Doug:

I completely understand, and what I really appreciate is also getting to the fact that you both are you know I want to keep saying sole proprietor or, you know, a partnership, but it's just the two of you and there are other life things that are happening, like taking care of aging parents, things like that. That's what every other small business owner is going through, but a lot of times our customers or you know that outside world doesn't really see that.

Zita:

One thing we learned our product depends on our mood. It tastes differently. When he's mad with pizza, he will burn it and I'm like, okay, take a deep breath. Yeah, it's all about mood. Same with my cooking with the spices. I have to be on the positive mood. Sometimes you need to take okay time off and then come back to it, because it does reflect in your product. And as for the customers, they should just enjoy the product and come back to you because they love it.

John:

She's absolutely correct when it comes down to the pizza specifically for me. When Sita's there helping me sometimes, because I do need assistance, the stress level can elevate.

Zita:

I don't know why.

Doug:

Taking the deep breath and making sure you're having fun with it, no matter how busy or not busy, or?

John:

whatever, she's absolutely correct. You should really enjoy it, right? That's why we're doing it. It's a love affair with food, and that's exactly what it should be. At least that's what it is for me and pizza.

Doug:

So side hustle might stay a side hustle Any places you want to take it.

John:

There are so many avenues when it comes to Zita, her family, and that is my personal responsibility, so we will see, but for the most part it is a side hustle and for now it will continue to be so.

Doug:

So you can have fun with it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right, zita. John, it's been so great to talk with you both. I want to make sure that we plug the businesses and so, zita, could you remind folks if they haven't been following, where can they find and follow and order Chip and Kale?

Zita:

Chip and Kale is super easy is chip and kalecom? We are non-subscription. Everything is frozen, so you are not in a rush to cook it. You can just give it a try if you feel like still, oh, I don't, we have another website, steelcitymealscom. You order just one dish and you pick it up. It's a great way to see if our business is for you, or?

Doug:

not. Yeah. So the only difference with Steel City Meals versus Chip and Kills they're just coming to pick it up, they are coming pick it up up and a little limited what meals are available the meals are actually available.

Zita:

You don't have to wait for us to prepare them. I see these are what we have at stock, so if you order in the morning and you will live close by, you can walk there within an hour to pick it up oh, that's great.

Doug:

That's a great way to try before you make a bigger commitment. Yeah, and also, I notice you also operate on instagram, is it? It's at chip and kale, chip and kale. Yes, yeah, is that a great way to see what's coming in the next correct?

Zita:

yes, kind of what the meals look like when we played it. Of course, we kind of like plate it a little bit nicer. A lot of time people are like my meal doesn't look like this. It's like I went to school. For that the plating was important.

Doug:

You know how to make it look good.

Zita:

Yeah.

Doug:

Yeah, you're inspiring people to maybe have better plating and John for Side Hustle. What's the best way to find you or follow you?

John:

sure, so at Side hustle PizzaP gh. That is on instagram. Of course we have the facebook as well, but I'm more active on instagram definitely is this the best place to find where you are popping up then? Uh, yes, that's correct, pay attention to the stories. Now, a lot of people don't pay attention to stories that's actually my best go-to versus the post or the reels.

John:

The reels are more artistic that day. Yeah, at Side Hustle Pizza, pgh. I believe we will be creating a website here very soon for that as well, which will have the same listing Side Hustle Pizza, pghcom site hustle pizza, pghcom. Also, you can find me at hitchhikers on saturday, uh, in castle shannon, mount lebo, and that is between the hours of 3 to 8, 20 roughly, and of course, the mountain lines farmer's market in mount lebo, and that's on wednesdays between the hours of four and seven.

John:

There's so many other breweries, yeah, that you may find me out, so just pay attention to the stories.

Doug:

Yes and check out the instagram handle and the stories specifically. Yes, yes, that's correct. Perfect, all right, John Zita, I have one more question. The name of the show is the Pittsburgh dish. What was the best dish you've eaten In this?

John:

past week. I know mine, do you know yours?

Zita:

I don't know mine. I am right now obsessed this sounds so weird with the carrots greens. Collard greens, no carrots.

Doug:

Oh, carrot greens, yes, oh. What are you doing with carrot greens?

Zita:

Exactly yeah, I take big pride of growing my organic veggies.

Ana:

Yes.

Zita:

And I have the baby carrots. They are these gourmet chef little carrots. They are amazing. But my green tops are so luscious and beautiful I just could not throw it away. So I kind of I put them in everything. He doesn't know it, he had them in stir fry the other day. You can chop them and use them like parsley, for example. Yes, so you can put them in the soups you can put. I put them. I did fatouche salad with a bunch of carrot top greens. You can toss them in the curries, the harder tops. If you cook soup you can just toss it in same I I do with the parsley or cilantro stems.

Doug:

Yes, with the stems.

Zita:

Yeah, and it just gives it a beautiful little taste. I am eating carrot greens in everything you can juice them.

Doug:

Zita. It's probably one of the most unique dish items.

Ana:

I've heard doing this podcast, but I'm all about it.

Doug:

You even have me thinking about like using them to maybe make like a light tasting pesto or something Pesto correct.

Zita:

Or if you are doing hummus, you can toss it in and blend it with the chickpeas and tahini. Yeah, yeah or I love like edamame hummus, oh yes, and so toss some greens in that one in those carrots. Yeah, it is something in between carrot and parsley taste.

Ana:

Yes.

Zita:

So yeah, it's really nice.

Doug:

You're going to start a new trend here. That's perfect.

Zita:

Yeah, trust me, Like all the girls at work, they're like did you bring some carrot?

Doug:

greens. It's especially great when they're coming out of your garden. They're organic. You know where they came from too.

John:

Yes, john, okay, so garden, they're organic. You know where they came from too. Yes, john, okay, so not to plug chipping kale, but our puttanesca oh, I had that actually last night.

John:

It was absolutely spot on with the capers and, uh, the olives, and it's a very, it's absolutely perfect, especially with the heat, if you want to have a nice spaghetti, but you really want to bring it up a notch. The puttanesca was outstanding. Now, having said that, we did toss in some shrimp in order to take it to that meat lover Next level for you.

Doug:

Yeah, exactly, but it was absolutely fantastic.

John:

What a gem.

Doug:

Zita. John, thank you so much for being on the pittsburgh dish.

Doug:

Thank you, Doug, thank you we want to thank John and Zita for being supporters of The Pittsburgh dish. And just a reminder if you're curious about ordering your first plant-based meal from chip and kale, visit their website at wwwchipandkalecom and use code DISH to get 15% off your order. That's code D-I-S-H. Are you roaming about searching for your next latte? We talk with Ana Anthony and see where she's getting her caffeine jolt. Hey, Ana, I was thinking I just need a little coffee today. Where should I go?

Ana:

I've got a place for you, Doug.

Doug:

Okay.

Ana:

The Roaming Bean. Oh yeah. So people always ask me where is that? And I'm like, well, they roam, it's in their name.

Doug:

Yeah, so you really have to follow them, like on their social handles, to sort of know where they're at.

Ana:

Yes, so they release weekly schedules. They have two trailers, so they have tons of locations, and what I love about them is they roam around the South Hills a ton and. I'm a South Hills girl so it's really convenient for me on my way to work just to pull up on them and get a waffle cone latte. That's my favorite latte that they have.

Doug:

Just describe that a little bit more for us. Like it, does it have a waffle cone in it?

Ana:

It has waffle cone pieces on top of the cold foam. So it's a latte with espresso and milk and I think it's like madeline flavoring with cold foam and waffle cone pieces on top.

Doug:

That's my go-to order and if anyone does want to follow them on instagram.

Ana:

It's all one word roaming bean pgh yes, yep, they're wonderful people, too great owners. It's also a women-owned business we always love that.

Doug:

Yes, any other drinks that?

Ana:

uh, you've tried there it's good that you asked that they always switch their menus seasonally. So right now they have a cookie butter latte, so you know, like trader joe's cookie butter everyone.

Doug:

Yeah, that's speculous.

Ana:

Yes, cookie they use that to like rim the side of the cup and then they put cookie, you know little cookie crumbles on top.

Zita:

Like cookies on top.

Ana:

Yes, it's like a dessert, but it's such a nice treat. It's a nice treat they have normal coffees too, like if you're really not into the sweet stuff, yeah, um, but I never order those all right.

Doug:

So you gotta check out the Roaming Bean. They're usually roaming somewhere in the South Hills.

Ana:

But honestly they surprise me. Sometimes they're out of Monroeville Like they go so many places.

Doug:

All right, Ana. Thanks so much.

Ana:

Thanks, Doug.

Doug:

You can follow Ana on Instagram at Ana. eats. pgh. If you're following my social feed at Doug Cooking, you know I'm a contestant on Season 3 of the Great American Recipe on PBS. This week's recipe comes from another contestant, Kim Sherry of Alaska, and she brings to us her Moose Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce.

Kim:

Let's give her a call and learn a little bit more about this recipe and Alaska living.

Doug:

Hey, Doug, how's it going so good. It's so nice to talk with you.

Kim:

You too. How have you been?

Doug:

Doing really well. I cannot wait to talk about this recipe. You may not know, I live close to an Ikea here in Pittsburgh, so I'm all about Swedish meatballs and lingonberry sauce. They serve, and you submitted your recipe for Swedish mousse meatballs and cranberry sauce. Kim, where exactly do you live in Alaska? I forget your hometown.

Kim:

So right now I live in Anchorage but I was raised in a little village called King Salmon, which is a tiny kind of like fishing community. It turns into like a big commercial fishing community in the summer but, like my graduating class, only had 18 kids in it, so it was pretty small, okay.

Doug:

Lifelong Alaskan.

Kim:

Yes, exactly, fourth generation. I'm the fourth generation, wow, yeah.

Doug:

Can you tell our listeners a little bit about living up in Alaska and and your relationship with like getting your own food like moose meat?

Kim:

Absolutely. In Alaska groceries can be pretty expensive, especially the ones they have to ship in, which is most of them like beef, vegetables, all that kind of stuff. So a lot of Alaskans supplement with some subsistence harvesting, and that can be our own gardens, or it can be moose meat and salmon and whatever can fill our freezers and save us a little bit of money. So for this recipe, instead of using beef and pork, which might be the traditional thing to use, I used moose meat and pork. And the reason that I kept the pork in there is because moose meat is very lean. There is almost no fat to it, which makes it super healthy, but it also can dry out really easily. So you kind of need that pork in there. So there's a little bit of extra fat so the meatballs don't dry out.

Doug:

Yeah, around here in Pennsylvania it's venison. We hunt deer and I'm wondering if someone could even sub that. And of course, for anybody out there reading this, they could sub beef for the moose, right.

Kim:

Absolutely, you could probably sub any you know red meat. Really, I think that even you'd even sub like turkey meat or chicken meat if you wanted to go kind of with a healthier option, definitely.

Doug:

Yeah, and I really like this type of dish any time of year. But you also have. I mean, this is like three recipes in one, because you've got the meatballs and then you've got like the yummy gravy and then you actually have a cranberry sauce and did I see a picture that you actually harvest your own cranberries?

Kim:

Yes, I do so. We own a cabin on the Kenai Peninsula that we go to mostly in the summer because in the winter it's a little hard to get to, and in the fall we've got about three acres and I go out and I harvest our wild cranberries from there that I can freeze them and kind of make these meals and use them all winter. You know, I'll make our Thanksgiving cranberry sauce with them, I'll put them in muffins and then this homemade wild Alaska cranberry sauce to go with the Swedish moose meatballs is like delicious.

Doug:

Wow, I love it and again, I think for the people that can't get to that if you could find frozen cranberries or if we are coming towards fall in Pennsylvania and you can pick up a bag of cranberries around the Thanksgiving season and use that as well.

Kim:

Definitely. And you know what, if you're in a bind, just go get a can of them. Oh yeah, let's not kid ourselves. Make it easy.

Doug:

Of course. Well, kim, thank you so much for this recipe of the week Alaskan Swedish mousse meatballs with cranberry sauce. I couldn't get any more original. I love your feed. Could you tell our listeners, if they want to find and follow you and some of your cooking, where can they find you?

Kim:

Yeah, absolutely so. I have an Instagram that is called Alaska Girl Eats. You can find me there. That is the same name of my website. And then, super exciting, I'm actually going to be on season three of the Great American Recipe.

Doug:

Yeah, and that's actually how we met, because I'm on there too, so we're sort of cooking against each other. I'm excited to see what you cook because, I have to say, in the moment I didn't really know what everybody else was making. And for our listeners, you can find it on PBS most Mondays through the summer or streaming on pbsorg or the PBS app.

Kim:

I'll. If I ever come, I'm going to bring some moose and salmon your way.

Doug:

Oh my gosh that would be amazing and we'll definitely do something with it. Kim, thank you so much for the recipe and thanks for being on the Pittsburgh Dish.

Kim:

Thank you for having me Doug All right, bye-bye.

Doug:

You can always share a recipe on our website, wwwpittsburghdishcom. Just look for the share a recipe form. That's our show for this week. We'd like to thank all of our guests and contributors, and to Kevin Solecki of Carnegie Accordion Company for providing the music to our show. We'll be back again next week with another fresh episode. Stay tuned.

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Douglas Heilman

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