The Pittsburgh Dish

028 A Flavorful Adventure with Kamila & Damir of Soul Pasta

• Doug Heilman • Season 1 • Episode 28

Share episode

(00:39) Join us as we uncover the heartwarming story of Kamila and Damir, the dynamic duo behind Soul Pasta. In this episode, we explore their remarkable journey to the United States, from owning a pasta shop on Baum Boulevard to embracing a business model that includes pop-ups, farmers markets, catering, and the unique Pasta Club subscription service. Their motivation? More family time and community involvement, all while maintaining their commitment to authentic, handmade pasta and sauces.

(12:07) Imagine embarking on a road trip across 44 states only to find yourself stuck in Pittsburgh during a pandemic. This was the unexpected turn in Damir and Kamila's story that led them to bond realizing the dream of opening a restaurant. Their adventure is filled with challenges like language barriers and navigating local business regulations. Yet, the support and camaraderie of their neighbors and landlords turned obstacles into stepping stones toward their culinary aspirations.

(32:17) We wrap up with a taco recommendation from Julie Engelbrecht of @girleatsburgh and a flavorful recipe of Kazakh cuisine, Beshbarmak. Pull up a seat and enjoy!!

Support the show

Liked the episode? We'd love a coffee!

Doug:

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. How did a visit to the US transport one family into a journey of food? We learn the story behind soul pasta. What's your favorite taco spot? We check in with Julie Engelbrecht of @girleatsburgh and she shares a favorite. And do you know the national dish of Kazakhstan? Well, you will. It's our recipe of the week. All that ahead, stay tuned. Thank you both for coming over and being on the show. Would you take a minute just to introduce yourselves? And why don't we start with you?

Kamila:

Hello, my name is Kamila. I'm the owner and founder of Soul Pasta restaurant.

Damir:

And hello, my name is Damir, I'm co-owner of Soul Pasta brand and I'm working for Kamila.

Doug:

Well, we should say you two are married. But, Damir, you do whatever. Kamila needs the business to do, right.

Damir:

Oh, yeah, yes.

Doug:

Yeah, Kamila, if some folks are not familiar with Soul Pasta, what do you have going on right now with the business?

Kamila:

So we have a lot of news now. We closed our storefront, but now we have a lot of stuff going on. We have a lot of pop-ups, we have more farmers markets, we have online farmers markets, we are making caterings, we are making brunches, so we have weekly lunch meals. We have pasta subscription and we call it pasta club I love that yeah, we have a lot of stuff you have a lot.

Doug:

I think I've seen you at the Bellevue farmers market.

Kamila:

Oh yeah, we love the bellevue market. So nice area, very nice people and didn't?

Doug:

I just also see that you're selling the pasta now in a couple of shops in Bloomfield oh yeah, now we have agreement with Linea Verde and and Bloomfield Grocery.

Kamila:

We are selling our fresh pasta and you can find it every day.

Doug:

We are making everyday fresh pasta, delivering it, so yeah, please go there and try our pasta, and I have to say I've had the pasta and the sauces and they are delicious. I mean, we're talking scratch made. As you said, your business has gone through a journey, so you first started with a storefront, and so some folks may have seen that storefront right along Baum Boulevard.

Kamila:

Yeah, it was on a Baum Boulevard right across from the BMW. That's right.

Doug:

And that's where I came in to see you. But you made the decision back in the spring and I think you transitioned, like May to June, to really go to not having a storefront but to still producing all of these great things that you're making. You're putting the heart and the soul into the pasta and the sauces, and so how has that gone for you so far in terms of transitioning that business to these other avenues?

Damir:

Again, our kids, our kids. One day they have just one question Parents, you're in the restaurant one year. We don't see you, we're losing communication with the boys and our older son tells them, like you remember, you tell them one year we need be patient and after one year you can be like at home more.

Damir:

but we understand, we spend time on the restaurant and restaurant industry not like easy it's hard, yeah sure and our boys started, like you know, every day like reminded us hey, don't forget, you need to be at home Because our like main target in the life our kids, of course.

Kamila:

Right.

Damir:

And they remind us like, and we started thinking with Kamila what we can change it, and we started changing like lots of of ideas yeah, yeah, we always have lots of ideas.

Kamila:

And our friends, our kids, they are our helpers, they are our best fans and they were supporting us. They was helping us. I'm teaching them, they're helping with cooking the boys yeah, oh, they love cooking. They are helping us, especially my youngest one. He's kind of addicted to cooking oh, that's great he's making sandwiches. He make me coffee every day in the morning, he make me the grilled cheese sandwich with the honey. So yeah, like the mirror said, uh, time flies, and usually I was at home with my kids.

Doug:

Right.

Kamila:

So yeah, and one day they just came and like Mama, you're not enough.

Doug:

We need you more. I can understand them completely and I think we should say we'll talk about family in a little bit, but you have two boys.

Kamila:

Yes.

Doug:

And really in your family culture, they've helped you make decisions, big decisions, right? Yes, yeah.

Kamila:

So, to be honest, like when we opened our restaurant, when we came to the United States, like different story. But our dreams come true because of our kids. We choose the Pittsburgh because our kids. He is a Pittsburgh Penguins fan.

Doug:

Big hockey fan and a hockey player and a hockey player.

Kamila:

Now, both of my kids, both of the two boys, they are hockey players and yeah, so their dreams come true. And our dreams come true because we always dream to have something for our soul, where we can cook, where we can show the people our life so you remember Kamila, when we not was married.

Damir:

Yeah, we had a dream.

Kamila:

We was talking, we had a date and he was telling me oh, I wish I have a place where I can bake the bread, make croissants. I'm like I'm dreaming to have something.

Doug:

So, oh my yeah, so your dreams have really come true.

Kamila:

Yes.

Doug:

And it is, I mean, the world of food and selling and restaurant. It's tough to begin with, and you have come to the US, you've come to Pittsburgh. We're so happy to have you because I've had this delicious food, thank you, and I do want to talk about that journey as well. But before we leave the food, if folks haven't tried some of your dishes, can we just describe some of your specialties, and maybe let's just start with the pasta. You make a couple different shapes or varieties.

Kamila:

So, yeah, we make our pasta from authentic Italian flour, it's semolina, and we make our pasta vegan, without eggs. So it's better for our health, it's better for our stomach and our idea to make clean food, use the clean ingredients, organic, without ready mixes or boxes or something like that. And we make everything from the scratch. We choose the tomatoes, all the greens, everything.

Doug:

Yes, and name a couple of the sauces that you've been making all along.

Kamila:

Our best seller is Boscaiola, which is creamy mushroom sauce with Parmigiano, but we don't use cream, we don't use milk, like not Italians don't use cream in their pasta.

Doug:

Yeah, well, what do you use?

Kamila:

So it's mushrooms, it's onions, it's a broth, it's a parmigiana and egg yolks. It's kind of carbonara, yeah so no cream?

Doug:

No, I've had this sauce. My jaw is hanging because I didn't realize there was no cream in that sauce.

Kamila:

Yeah, so we have to make it.

Doug:

It takes time yes, oh the key is parmigiana and of course the good stuff. And then there's a couple of red sauces, or at least one we have regular marinara.

Kamila:

We could cook it, uh, from the scratch as well. We make our abeata, it's our spicy sauce it's our best seller as well and we make ragu a la bolognese with ground beef, carrots, onions, celery and tomatoes, so and greens, of course, and also we have our homemade pesto yes, yeah, yeah, it's a long process to cooking pesto and it's a nervous and so just to break it down for folks listening and that are that are interested, not too long, but he's usually stressful when he makes pasta he's like, oh my God.

Doug:

And so just to break it down for folks listening and that are interested, number one they could find some of your pastas, as we said, at some of the local markets, or they could go to your website and become part of the pasta club.

Kamila:

Are the sauces in the markets or just the pasta? Yeah, we sell on the markets our pasta our sauces our baking stuff as well.

Doug:

Excellent. When you say baking stuff, tell me more. What do you mean by baking stuff we make?

Kamila:

some sides puff pastry dough. With the filling we make two fillings chicken filling and spinach and feta filling. Okay For those who love meat and for those who is vegetarian.

Doug:

Wonderful. You learned Italian cooking from some very close friends, specifically a friend that was married to an Italian, and then you traveled to Italy and asked a lot of questions, but you both are from Kazakhstan.

Kamila:

When our idea with the pasta was born. We started looking for our friends who is close to Italy? And we start asking and then I told him, hey, you have a best friend yeah, a very close friend and and I know that her husband is Italian he can help us yes and yeah, Damir contacted with the lady and he asked her help and you know it takes like a couple minutes. Yeah, and her husband just start texting the recipes.

Doug:

So you got these from an Italian source. You got these recipes, like from his family.

Kamila:

Yes, and you know how Italians can be like very strong about their recipes. Yes and yeah, but he gave us these recipes. But he has a rule like no cheese on a pasta with the fish or seafood right and no chicken alfredo italians have no chicken, alfredo. And he said if you cook something like that, we will finish our friendship.

Doug:

Oh, my goodness, that's pressure. Didn't you tell me earlier that they even look at your Instagram account to see?

Kamila:

They are still checking.

Doug:

And he said if I see it you'll be in trouble. You really are making authentic Italian dishes.

Kamila:

We are trying.

Doug:

Even though you grew up in you both grew up in Kazakhstan. Yes, right, did I notice you've added a couple of dishes from your native country as well? Yes, and what are those?

Kamila:

So we have bech pasta. We call it bech pasta, but originally it calls bechb armak. Bechb armak when you translate it, like from Kazakh to English, it means five fingers because, we eat this dish with our hands. Oh, of course, yeah, so yeah, it's our main dish. And also we have strudel with meat, potatoes, onions and pumpkin. Okay, so it's really good.

Doug:

Now did I notice? I think it's your pasta club, or maybe it's the meals you can order ahead. There's a couple of other dishes I just want to ask about. There was one called plov.

Kamila:

Oh plov. It's Damir's dish, damir what is that dish.

Damir:

It's a rice. It's usually plov, it's like. Mediterranean dishes, palaf, it's like Mediterranean dishes, okay, but you know, in Kazakhstan we have one type of palaf and Uzbekistan have a different, different. And like, because our area, when we leave Kazakhstan, and it's a Mediterranean area, and they have, like you know, they're cooking from country style.

Doug:

Yes, all right, let's talk about this journey from Kazakhstan to Pittsburgh and Demir, I think it starts with you. Is that right yeah?

Damir:

It's. You know how it was. It was my dream to came to United States for traveling, because I am growing up in the movie like Home Alone. I remember sports team like Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, Kukic and Pippen team, and it was my dream. And one day, Kamila bring for me like ticket. Hey, go to your dream, make it your dream.

Damir:

And she gift for me like ticket to here because I have a free time, like more four months, six months, like that, okay and uh, you had four to six months off so you could go.

Kamila:

Yeah, yeah he had a dream and I asked him maybe you can go to the united states like it's a perfect time.

Doug:

You have like three, four months and can we talk about what year is this that you come to the US?

Damir:

I came to here, 2019. Okay.

Doug:

It was August, august of 2019. To spend three to four months here? Yes, and.

Kamila:

I had to join him, like on October, because it was like school time and I had to prepare kids. And after I was done with all the paperwork and stuff like that, we fly here.

Damir:

It was new york, october 31st halloween, oh wow yeah, and I call for her because I saw what kind united states different and when I saw like 44 states, uh I I think I need to show for camille and boys what kind united states different, different states, different, everything like, and it surprised me too.

Doug:

Can I just jump in and say you've visited how many states? 44. 44.

Kamila:

44.

Doug:

I don't even know if I've visited 44 of the 50 states. That's amazing.

Damir:

You know how it was. I rent just car, yes, and driving. When I want to sleep, I sleep in the car. If I need something special, I have a hotel, something like that, but for me it was, like you know, I'm driving alone with music, with a good picture outside, like you know because, Americans can't understand what kind beautiful and what kind rich united states we're so used to it and this is all new to you.

Doug:

Yeah, it's the ultimate road trip.

Damir:

Yes, this was road trip and you know every day I saw different like image yes, in the window, amazing different. You feeling different energy. You know like it, so it supported yes in the window, amazing, different you feel in different energy, you know like it, so it supported me in the changes my mind like sometimes this is camilla of soul pasta this is the mere soul pasta and you are listening, peace dish.

Doug:

So how long were you here then, until Kamila and the boys came?

Damir:

to join you.

Doug:

It was like four months, four months.

Damir:

You did your three or four months by yourself.

Doug:

And then you all came over as well, and then we joined him and you continued the road trip.

Kamila:

Yeah, when we came to New York. He wants to show us the Pittsburgh.

Doug:

He wanted to show you Pittsburgh For first target.

Kamila:

we came to Pittsburgh, rented a house and of course, we want to buy tickets on a Pittsburgh Penguins game. Of course, yeah To show Mirat, it's our oldest one.

Doug:

Mirat yeah.

Kamila:

His favorite team and we went to Miami and we hear in the radio news lockdown started.

Doug:

Oh, so you're doing some traveling. You go toami for another trip we was on a beach yeah and then.

Damir:

So this is now March yeah, and you're starting to hear, oh no, and we hear about this news and thinking, okay, we need to come back to Pittsburgh because we have like residents here, like we have all our clothes, our luggage, all our stuff, so you had a place to stay here.

Doug:

Yeah, and so you did make it back obviously.

Kamila:

Yeah, and we was on the road and when we crossed the border, we started hearing the news that the states started closing the borders. And we were just right in time we had enough time to come back.

Damir:

We were driving for 24 hours nonstop.

Doug:

I'm feeling stressful for you With two kids in the car and it was kind of storm.

Kamila:

all the time it was raining.

Damir:

And you know, when we came here to Pittsburgh in the first month, we were at home. Now we're at home and we started to understand how we can come back to Kazakhstan on this moment.

Kamila:

Yes, I started looking for flights to buy a ticket to go back because our relatives, our friends started calling us like hey, how are you? We?

Damir:

heard the news.

Kamila:

We started looking, we started searching, but, like you see, we are here. We couldn't fly away, we stuck. Did you actually plan on staying in the United States? Start searching, but, like you see, we are here, we couldn't fly away.

Doug:

Yeah, so you're stuck. Did you actually plan on staying in the united states no, you didn't but you got stuck here during the lockdown. Yeah.

Kamila:

And then these dreams of creating your yeah, your life for your kids, as well as the passions for food they just started to, to percolate and come together so when we rent the house yes we have our landlords, and we live together in one house it was the house like divided in two yes it was a covet, nobody walking, nobody going outside, and we start living like one family. You know, they have a girl, little baby, we have two boys and we like.

Damir:

Our friendship starts from there we was in the backyard, yeah, and we had to have to spend our time somehow, and we was cooking all the time and they was trying our food.

Kamila:

We have a lot of neighbors. We was like sharing our food, meeting, meeting each other start like living our lives. Communications. Yeah, like communications and all our neighbors like oh, we wish you have a restaurant or stuff like that. We can buy your food, your food is amazing. And I think this is how we decide to, like you know, to believe in ourself and that we can do it, and we start looking for information. We start reading a lot of stuff like the rules how it works here, how to start a restaurant business.

Damir:

How hard is it how to find financing like a lot of stuff how to have permits and licenses.

Doug:

Permits and licenses.

Damir:

yeah, it's more important, because without documents you can't do nothing.

Kamila:

And for us it was especially hard because of the language. Yes, because the laws are different, rules are different.

Doug:

Were you both speaking English when you did your big road trip?

Damir:

No, so Damir starts speaking. You know, when I came to here here, I know just three verbs, how much high, and this it was my maximum and I used my translator yeah. I understand, but it was hard for me when I came to here step by step and thanks God for our neighbors.

Damir:

They practice with me every day oh my yeah and they practice with me, they try and explain me, like and study me and I I try to be better my language, yeah and when our kids starts attending american school, they start speaking english and they start helping him yeah, the kids always are there dad you are telling this wrong you are pronouncing is not like good. Plus, I uh find that like app duolingo, duolingo and I press yes.

Damir:

And when I was surprised, you were surprised to find out they were here, here, yeah when I I drive in one day like for buy something like uh, from store and I saw big sign Duolingo in the Pittsburgh I taping, I started reach out like in the google and office here and native from here. It surprised me too. It's like because I'm study every day, I use this app every day and I saw this sign like Duolingo, Duolingo.

Doug:

If you're listening, we have a a commercial waiting for you here at the testimony. A lot of our friends using Duolingo.

Kamila:

But when we came here we, like you, know sometimes you're using something but don't know from where it is yeah. When we found out that this is from here, our kids started using this app. And now yeah.

Doug:

Incredible growth. An incredible story, damir. You started delivering food right and through doing that, you met a few other connections in the food business? Oh yes, who were some folks that then ended up helping you out?

Damir:

I started delivering because I understand people worry about how they can eat on the pandemic time and for me it was like I'm sitting at home. And I started driving delivery. And who was? Eric White? He was manager in the Ironborn Pizza, that's right. And I came picking up one order and I picking up this order and I, uh picking up this order, drop of this order and again I have from Ironborn uh order. And I came to and he asked me like hey, you came again or you're still here? I tell no, I delivered first uh order. And I came again and we started speaking and I have like question how I can open the restaurant, explain me and some. And he bring for me first information. Second, who I not remember name but I remember restaurant, it was Deli on Butler, owner. We're speaking with him too. And he tell me like hey, it's a hard business but if you're ready, you need to be focused, you need to be like in the target and trying. And everybody bring for me, like you know, small information.

Doug:

Yeah, and the lady from Everyday Sunday restaurant everyday, Sunday on the avenue she explained me too so Eric White, who was at Ironborn, we now know that you guys are good friends and he has Pittsburgh dumplings. What was the second restaurant?

Damir:

Deli on Butler. Deli on Butler.

Doug:

Okay, deli on Butler, and then the third, third. It's Everyday Sunday on the Penn Avenue, okay, and you're just collecting little bits of information from all these places, as you're picking up deliveries Every day when I have picking up order and sometimes like kitchen was crazy time on COVID like you know and we have a time for sitting and waiting and when I wait, I have a question for manager for who working inside.

Damir:

I saw like, hey, can I have a question for manager for who working inside? I saw like hey, can I have a question? And I'm using my translator, not like speaking on this moment, and everybody thanks God because Pittsburgh very friendly people and they explained me step by step, small things, small things. And when I came to home I explained Kamila what kind of permit, what kind of license?

Doug:

So you're information gathering from the folks you're meeting, sharing it with Kamila. You're also finding some information on Google, but it's very disconnected. And this is your education to get into the food and restaurant industry? My goodness.

Kamila:

But the good thing is the Allegheny County Health department they have the all the books, all the instructions, like if you want to do that, you will, because they have ready to go instruction, just follow them okay and the lady from the allegheny health department. She helped me a lot. She has explained. So if somebody wants to open restaurant, don't worry, don't be afraid you can ask the questions and there is a lot of people who wants to help, even if you need advice or help I will be ready to help because I went through a lot of stuff, a lot of difficulties and if I can help someone we will do that.

Damir:

We can't forget, forget about Jen.

Kamila:

Oh yeah. And we have our friend Jen. When we were filling the application for Allegheny Health Department, we met a lady. I found a display case and I want that display so bad and I text her like can I buy this display? And she sent us address. We went there and she was opening the coffee shop yeah and our friendship started there too. She started helping us give the her advice, because it's not the first kitchen she owned and she helped me a lot she gave me one book like with the

Doug:

paperwork, the tougher thing. And what's her coffee shop?

Kamila:

Queen Beans Cafe oh yes, it's in Coraopolis.

Doug:

In Coraopolis, I know it well.

Kamila:

So they are our friends. They are still helping us.

Doug:

Here's what I love about this story. Number one you were in a tough situation during the lockdown. You took the time.

Damir:

Air quotes stuck here to educate yourselves and make some decisions as a family to stay, yes, and every time in the our road we have uh meet with good people.

Doug:

Good people it makes my heart so full that you have encountered good people, good helpers along the way for you.

Damir:

Yes, it's true, a lot of people believe for us and we feel this energy and we understand we can make it American dream, but need be just hard workers.

Doug:

Of course, I want to move us forward and talk about where do you see the business going or what do you want to keep doing more of? I know you've made this transition into the pop-ups, the catering. What are some goals for you?

Kamila:

Now we are in a process of agreement with food co-op. We are trying to be on a giant angle. We just have to make all the paperwork. It's a long process, it's not very easy, but we want to sell our pasta and see our pasta in stores okay, like a whole, what we call wholesale yeah, and everyone can buy it yes, so beyond the wholesale, anything else yeah, I want to start to teach kids how to cook

Kamila:

and I was telling Damir like it was my dream to teach kids how to make something, and maybe this has to be my goal to teach kids to make classes for them. Maybe make free classes to teach them something and they can use these skills and make their future. And maybe they start working and pay for their education. Why not? This is my dream. This is kind of my goal and hopefully I will do that.

Doug:

Your hearts are in the right place and you both have received so much help and you want to give back and we want to give back, Of course of course. So, Kamila, one thing that was on my mind that I don't think we talked about yet I've seen you do some really phenomenal desserts. Is this part of the business or another side business?

Kamila:

Yes, it's a part of the business. I can make more than 50 types of cake. I love baking and my goal is to make the healthy desserts and all my desserts. They are low sugar.

Doug:

I think I saw one recently that was covered in strawberries.

Kamila:

Yes, looked delicious a white sponge cake with white cream cheese filling with the strawberries, and I make jam on my own and I buy the strawberries from the farm, so it's amazing. Yeah, and I can make a lot of stuff like gluten, gluten-free, vegan. I love to make desserts and I started making desserts because of my kids. They had food allergies but they still want desserts.

Doug:

Of course they do, and they said they want to eat clean. Right, Clean yeah.

Kamila:

And I started baking. This is how it became my passion and now I have a lot of friends from different countries who bake as well, who is pastry chefs, and we sending each other the recipes, skills, like everything.

Doug:

Are you incorporating those desserts into the business in any way? Like if someone ordered catering, would you offer the dessert? Yeah, they can.

Kamila:

Usually I make like the dessert table, like cakes, cupcakes, pop cakes, macaroons, cookies, so a lot of stuff.

Doug:

Well, I don't want to end without promoting the businesses as well. So if folks are interested in your food and they want to find you and follow you, could you list some of your social handles or website? Where can folks find you?

Kamila:

So we are on Instagram, we are on Facebook, we have our own website and, yeah, you can use all that links and you always can call me, okay, yeah.

Doug:

Let's do the Instagram handle it's Soul Pasta underscore, it's handle, it's @soulpasta_ . It's all one word soulpasta underscore. And your website right now is www. soul-pasta. com. Yes, all right, and I think from there they'll find the phone number.

Kamila:

Yeah, and we have our QR code. If you scan it, you can find all the information about our business, all right, and we have our QR code.

Damir:

If you scan it, you can find all the information about our business All right and we're excited. Now we have two big catering for weddings.

Doug:

You have two big catering events.

Kamila:

Yes, oh, that's amazing.

Damir:

Wedding catering, yeah, wedding catering for 160 people oh that's exciting. Yes, we're excited, we're excited because we want to show what we can cook yes, I'm so excited for where you're going to go yeah, we're so excited because we just started our business one year ago.

Doug:

Yes, all right, Kamila Damir, I have one more question for you today. The name of the show is The Pittsburgh Dish. What's the best dish you've eaten this past week?

Damir:

What was your dish? You're cooking for me.

Doug:

That's okay. You can say that that's good.

Damir:

It was Beshbarmak, our national food. Yeah, because I'm growing up on this Beshbarmak. It's translated five fingers. Okay, it's important because you're eating from one big dish.

Doug:

Communal.

Damir:

From one big plate and your family can sit in a round table speaking and eating with hands. Yes, why it's important? Because when you eat innocent, you trust for your who sit on this table. Like you know, it's a culture, it's like something special energy, and when you're eating from one plate, you you're feeling different energy, of course, and you and your friendship, your relationship more, more like harder, yeah yes, yes, tighter.

Doug:

Well, we would say a tighter bond, right? Yeah, Kamila, was that your favorite dish last week or do you have a different one?

Kamila:

no, I have a different one. No, I have a different one.

Doug:

Oh, what was yours?

Kamila:

My favorite one was grilled cheese sandwich with the hot honey from.

Julie:

Handan.

Kamila:

Handan is my youngest boy.

Doug:

Oh, that's amazing. He made that for you.

Kamila:

Yes, every morning with coffee, every morning with the coffee he liked to treat me.

Doug:

Grilled cheese with hot honey. He might be starting a trend, hopefully. Yeah, Kamila Damir, thank you so much for being on The Pittsburgh Dish.

Damir:

Thank you for the chowder, thank you, we hear it's a new experience and thank you, thank you.

Doug:

My pleasure. Thank you again both. Do you have a favorite go-to place for tacos? Let's hear from our friend Julie Engelbrecht of girl eats berg and see where she's going. Hey, Julie, thanks so much for coming over and being on the show thanks for having me doug I love your instagram feed and I was wondering if you can give me a recommendation or two.

Julie:

Absolutely.

Doug:

Do you have a favorite taco place or somewhere that you like to go?

Julie:

Yes, Taquitos.

Doug:

Oh wait a minute. Taquitos is like a little bit everywhere, right They've got Everywhere, yeah, yeah. So I just read that they opened up a Millvale location Like that's like a proper restaurant.

Julie:

Yeah, they just did that two weeks ago.

Doug:

Oh yeah, Is there a food truck in Garfield?

Julie:

Yes.

Doug:

Okay, where else?

Julie:

Southside Works.

Doug:

Oh, that's right. And then don't they serve out of the Evergreen Cafe?

Julie:

Yes, my favorite. Is that your favorite? My favorite.

Doug:

Is it because it's connected to the bar? Yes, if folks don't remember this, I bet they will. Evergreen Cafe is that one little spot that used to allow a parking space right on Penn Avenue, and I think that just changed. Yes, yeah, so you go into the bar, but you can actually order tacos in there as well.

Julie:

Yep Right at the bar, or you could sit right next door and it's connected.

Doug:

Oh wow. What do you love from taquitos? What do you usually get?

Julie:

I always get the soft shell tinga tacos, chicken tinga tacos.

Doug:

Oh, chicken tinga. So it's like nice and like it's got like that chicken tinga kind of marinade. It's always like really juicy or something.

Julie:

Yes, it's so juicy and you can get it like two styles. You can get it with like the queso, tomatoes, lettuce or you can get like just traditional with just cilantro onions. I usually just do do traditional because I just love that. I think the meat has enough flavor on its own.

Doug:

Yeah, it really just pops.

Julie:

Yes.

Doug:

Is there anything else that's a go-to for you?

Julie:

The chorizo quesadilla which is huge. It's like as big as three heads. It's gigantic. I always need leftovers, but it's really good, really filling, just amazing taste. I always need leftovers, but it's really good, really filling, just amazing taste.

Doug:

All right. So like the pizza size quesadilla with chorizo or the chicken tinga tacos, yep, all right Taquitos in their many locations, let's do it again. Garfield is the food truck, southside Works in the Evergreen Cafe in Point Breeze and now their restaurant down in Millvale.

Julie:

Yes, chipotle has some competition.

Doug:

Oh, thank goodness, Julie, thanks so much.

Julie:

Thanks for having me.

Doug:

You can follow Julie on Instagram at girleatsburgh. And, of course, burgh is spelled B-U-R-G-H For this week's recipe. We're coming back to our conversation with Kamila and Damir to learn a little bit more about the national dish of Kazakhstan, called Beshbarmak. Let's hear a little bit more about this dish.

Damir:

Beshbarmak, it's translated five fingers. It's important because you're eating from one big dish.

Doug:

And what is in the dish.

Damir:

Remind me one more time, for example, it's like lasagna.

Doug:

Okay.

Damir:

And lasagna sheets and meat, boiled meat, onions and black pepper.

Doug:

Yes, onions black pepper and potatoes.

Kamila:

So how we cook it? Yeah, First we boil the meat.

Damir:

Three hours minimum Three four hours.

Kamila:

It can be different meat. Usually we use beef, but we can mix it. And after you're cooking like three, four hours, we taking away the meat and we take the oil. What is on the top?

Kamila:

and use it for the onions ah yes yeah, we cut the onions, like slice it, and we cook the onions in that oil from the broth. Then we put the potatoes to the broth, boil it after that, when the potatoes is, we take them out and cook our lasagna sheets. We call it like in Kal or Arzu in Kazakh, and we cook in that broth.

Doug:

So everything's cooked in the same pot.

Kamila:

In the broth it all has that flavor and after that you are putting first pasta sheets, then we are putting meat, then we are putting potatoes and put on the top the onions with the broth.

Doug:

So you can try. We'll bring it to you. They were so incredibly gracious and dropped a huge pan of it off at my house. Do you have a recipe? Share it with us. Just go to our website at www. pittsburghdish. com and look for our 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.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Douglas Heilman

Host