The Pittsburgh Dish

064 Triple B Farms Celebrates 40 Years

• Doug Heilman • Season 2 • Episode 64

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

(06:10) The farm's name originated from "Beinlich's Beef and Berries," reflecting their early focus on cattle and strawberries. Today, Triple B Farms grows approximately twenty different crops while delighting visitors with what they call "agritainment" - a blend of agriculture and family entertainment. From picking your own berries and visiting baby goats to jumping on "jumping pillows" and watching a singing chicken show, the farm creates experiences that keep families returning season after season.

The farm sits at the southern tip of Allegheny County, offering Pittsburgh families an authentic rural experience, not too far from home. As Carolyn, a former teacher, leads educational tours for thousands of schoolchildren each year, she ensures younger generations understand where their food comes from.

(16:06) The market offers homemade pies baked on-site, alongside locally-sourced jarred goods and seasonal produce. Whether you're craving fresh strawberries in June, blueberries in July, or the perfect pumpkin in October, Triple B Farms delivers an authentic farm-to-table experience that's been nourishing Pittsburgh families for decades. 

(26:02) And later in the show, Ashley Cesaratto takes us to lunch for the perfect sandwich at Family Deli, while Alex and Chantal Huff dish up a favorite home cooked recipe with fresh summer corn and pesto. Come hungry!

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Doug:

Welcome to The Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. What's been going on at this family farm and market for over the last 40 years? This week we get to know Triple B Farms In the South Hills and craving that perfect sandwich. Ashley Cesaratto has just the place, and if you love summer corn and a recipe that easily goes on, repeat, the Hungry Huffs share a favorite. All that ahead, stay tuned. Thank you both so much for coming over and for being on the show. Would you take a moment to introduce yourselves to our listeners?

Carolyn:

I'm Carolyn Beinlich and I'm one of the owners of Triple B Farms.

Ron:

I'm Ron Beinlich and I'm also one of the owners of Triple B Farms. I'm Carolyn's husband. Yes, and then.

Doug:

I also understand your son and his wife are also involved in the farm. Is that right?

Carolyn:

Oh, absolutely. In fact, they're pretty much the decision makers now.

Doug:

They're there right now.

Carolyn:

Yes, they are Holding down the fort, I know.

Doug:

It's a busy time of year. If folks haven't visited Triple B Farms, could we just tell our listeners what's going on at the farm right now? What's busy, what's happening.

Carolyn:

Well, today they're still picking. We're doing you pick strawberries, and that includes a hayride to the strawberry patch and the children enjoy that. That's one of their big things. They like that hayride.

Doug:

Yes, did I also see that flower picking is happening?

Carolyn:

Yes, that's starting tomorrow.

Doug:

Okay, always something going on, maybe a little bit broader. If someone hasn't visited your farm, what are some of the things they would see or experience if they came to visit?

Carolyn:

One of the most popular things is visiting our goats.

Ron:

Oh yeah.

Carolyn:

The children love to visit the goats and right now we have eight babies, eight kids. You know that the kids are really enjoying.

Doug:

Yes, the kids like the kids.

Carolyn:

Oh, yes, they do.

Doug:

What else, Ron? What's happening right now? What's?

Ron:

happening right now. Well, tomorrow also we start Pick your Own Blueberries, Okay, and I just wanted to comment that a visit to the farm is kind of nice for Pittsburghers because, interestingly, you're still in Allegheny County but if you look around the farm you'd swear you're not. It's very, very rural there. It's just a pleasant place to be. I love it.

Carolyn:

Sometimes what I hate to hear is boy, you're a well-kept secret.

Doug:

We don't want you to be a secret. Yeah, let's remind listeners you're in Monongahela, pa.

Carolyn:

Well, our address is Monongahela, PA, but we're actually outside the town of Elizabeth because Monongahela?

Doug:

is Washington County, so it's very confusing for people. All right. So you really are on the edge there of Allegheny County.

Carolyn:

Yes, we're right down on the tip of Allegheny County. Okay, yeah.

Doug:

And how big is the farm? How many acres?

Ron:

Well, the farm where the customers come is 205 acres. Okay, but we actually own about 390 acres.

Doug:

My goodness.

Ron:

In Allegheny County. Yes. And we farm it seriously.

Doug:

Oh my. Can you share with us, ron, what's in the field right now? What are?

Ron:

you growing? What aren't you growing? Maybe, yes, roughly 20 crops, depending on how you count them. Yes, for example, are zucchinis and cucumbers the same thing? Well, they're very closely related. You might consider them the same thing or different but, but just just about any vegetable you can think of, plus five or six fruits strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pe, peaches, apples. We grow all those. Oh my goodness.

Carolyn:

Sweet corn yeah.

Doug:

Is it sweet corn coming in right now? Not?

Carolyn:

quite. We try to have it ready for the 4th of July, but Mother Nature's been a little cranky, so we're not sure it's going to be ready.

Ron:

We may have it for the 4th of July, but we're not sure yet. Okay, yeah, I mean it's going to be ready, we may have it for the 4th of July, but we're not sure yet.

Doug:

Okay, yeah, I mean it's temperamental. We've had a lot of rain. Yes, we never saw corn on my farm that we could eat till August. I think we didn't plant the right kind.

Carolyn:

Well, the guy started under plastic to get it to come earlier.

Doug:

Yes, yeah. Are you open all year around? What's your dark times? When do you close?

Carolyn:

Halloween day is always our last day.

Doug:

Okay.

Carolyn:

And then we start up again in May.

Doug:

All right, and so when folks come, you have a shop and it has all of this produce amongst other wonderful things. So let's remind listeners. I think I've seen pies, correct Donuts.

Carolyn:

Correct what else we do? A lot of jarred goods.

Doug:

That's right.

Carolyn:

Jellies. We don't make them. They're made for us by some Amish people.

Ron:

Regional Ohio yeah.

Carolyn:

And some Lancaster. Yes, we try to stay as local as we possibly can and we have a toy section that's very popular.

Chantal:

Of course yeah.

Carolyn:

The children like to take home some kind of a souvenir.

Doug:

Now I also understand beyond the store. You had mentioned how the kids like the baby goats. Is it true? You do some like school tours or educational programs, is that right?

Carolyn:

Yes, I do. Okay, Can you tell me a little bit more about that? I make sure the children know where their food is coming from, right, because a lot of them don't anymore. In fact adults don't know anymore, it's true. So my tours are basically geared toward I talk a lot about the bee and how the bee is important to us and the bee's jobs, and then we talk about in the springtime I sort of gear it toward strawberries. But, then in my fall field trips we talk about how apples and pumpkins grow.

Doug:

Yes, how many schools might stop by in an average season?

Carolyn:

Well, I can't do it school-wise but children-wise. We do about 4,000 in the spring and 4,000 in the fall. That's amazing. Yeah, it's fun. I used to be a teacher, so that's why I enjoy it.

Doug:

Oh my goodness, I love that. Thank you for what you're doing. It is so important. I do want to go back to you know when folks come to your farm. Are there any other things that you're you're just really known for that draws people in.

Carolyn:

Uh well, the buzzword is agritainment.

Ashley:

Oh, agritainment Okay.

Carolyn:

So there's a lot of fun things for families to do. We have the one area we call Papa's Barnyard where the children can go up and jump on the jumping pillows. I mean, that's a very, very popular spot and that spot has an in-ground board game that's kind of like Candyland and we have a singing chicken show. I want to come see that. It's funny.

Doug:

Now, did you create these areas?

Carolyn:

and events yourselves. Our son and his wife have been very, very instrumental in doing that part.

Ron:

Okay, and we study what other farms are doing all over the country.

Doug:

Yes, do you ever take field trips?

Carolyn:

Yes, we belong to an organization called NAFMA, which is the North American Farmers Marketing Association.

Doug:

Okay.

Carolyn:

And we have spent many winters going on their trips. And then you visit other farms and farmers are wonderful in sharing their ideas with each other.

Doug:

I'm learning so much from you. Right now I don't know of this organization and now I want to know more. How exciting. I do want to shift gears, maybe a little bit, and talk about the history of the farm. This is the full-time livelihood right now for your family. Is that right? Correct? Oh, yes, and we should remind folks. You're celebrating 40 years this season, folks, you're celebrating 40 years this season. But if we rewind the clock back to the early 1980s, it wasn't the full-time thing you were doing, ron. I understand you were in a totally different industry, right?

Ron:

Yes, I was an engineer for US Steel metallurgical engineer. Yes, and the steel industry got very, very bad in the early 80s and I decided to get out. Okay, it just wasn't for me. I always did want to be a farmer and I already owned the farm because I wanted to be a farmer.

Doug:

Yes, but.

Ron:

I was only farming at part-time and making my living with US Steel.

Doug:

Okay.

Ron:

But 1985, I left US Steel and came home for good. At the time I said I didn't care whether I ever went north of Elizabeth again.

Doug:

Well, that's just fine by us. You guys are doing such good things. So was this farm in your family?

Ron:

or did you buy it? I bought it in 1967, actually when I got out of the Navy.

Carolyn:

Okay, it was an abandoned farm.

Doug:

Oh, so not producing anything when you picked it up it was a disaster.

Ron:

It was an abomination. Overgrown, the house was abandoned and all the windows were broken out. The plaster was fallen. The farm was absolutely a joke.

Carolyn:

Oh, my goodness, the bank didn't want to give him a loan. Carolyn, were you in the picture yet when he bought this farm? No, there's a story to the way we met.

Doug:

Well, I'd love to hear it if you want to share.

Carolyn:

When I was teaching school. I was teaching second grade at that point and I had a little boy in my class named Fred, and you're not supposed to have favorites, but Fred was an outstanding student and so I really had fond feelings for Fred. Well, I hadn't gotten engaged to a fellow then, but two years later, when Fred was in fourth grade, I had broken my engagement and I was talking to Fred out in the hall and he went home and said to then Ron's sister well, miss Mueller's not getting married, so could we get Uncle Ron? And so Ron's sister had us for dinner.

Carolyn:

So that's how we met.

Carolyn:

Oh my goodness.

Ron:

So we were introduced by a fourth grader. Oh my goodness.

Doug:

Am I following that story right that the fourth grader was his nephew Nephew?

Carolyn:

correct. Okay, all right, correct. What a matchmaker. And that's why he's now an OBGYN in California, oh my goodness.

Doug:

So he was a bright student, very, and it might have been good timing that he bought the farm before you. Maybe you wouldn't have been on board with this abandoned place.

Carolyn:

God had a plan.

Doug:

Oh yes, and so do I understand correctly too, Ron, that you raised beef cattle for a bit on the farm? Yes, Is that your first?

Ron:

endeavor. Yes, our son still has the beef herd.

Doug:

Okay.

Ron:

On a different farm, on one of the other farms.

Carolyn:

Okay, we're called Triple Beef Farms because we have three farms all together, all right, all right. Bill and Sue live on one and we live on one and the other. One's just some land.

Doug:

Well, I mentioned to you before we started, I grew up on a farm. You guys are farming a lot more than we do, but we also still do beef. Do you sell the beef in your market? No, we don't.

Carolyn:

No, we have to put in there too Bill's son Will. He's William Jr, but we call him Will. He is very involved in the beef. He's going to be a junior in high school and he's in fact, he's getting ready to go to Nebraska for a cattle show.

Doug:

Oh my gosh, I love this. So, from the first endeavor of doing some beef farming and what was the first thing you added? Beyond beef, you have all these crops now Strawberries, strawberries, yes, okay, so beef berries at the Beinlichs Right.

Carolyn:

That's where the triple B came from. That's Triple B Farms.

Doug:

That's how it started. That's how the name started to happen Beef Beinlich and Berry's.

Ron:

Okay, it was Beinlich Beef and Berry Farm.

Doug:

I love that too. I think Triple B is probably easier to keep in my noggin.

Carolyn:

That was his idea to shorten it so people would remember it.

Doug:

Yeah.

Carolyn:

And when our son came back after he graduated from Penn State, then we really did expand. It's because of he and Sue that we've really expanded.

Doug:

And they went to Penn State, did they study agriculture and some farming aspects that they brought back they both had animal science.

Carolyn:

They both had animal science.

Ron:

Okay, and that's their hobby now?

Doug:

Oh yes, Definitely. Oh my gosh, Over the years has it always been some nice steady growth, or has there ever been any like years that was a big setback or a big learning experience?

Carolyn:

It was very, very meager when we first started. Okay, so it's, it grew and grew quite a bit at the beginning, but now we've kind of, you know, in a way hit a plateau. Yeah, um, I think a lot of with our business is it is a family friendly farm, so we see families leave once the children grow up, especially for the entertainment part of the farming. Now in the market, though I mean there are still people coming. That I know from when we first started.

Ashley:

So which is?

Doug:

kind of nice, but probably the busiest year we had was the year of COVID, because people were allowed to be open and people wanted to get outside, yes, and we probably stayed that level since then that was actually a boost for you and I think folks also realize at least the people that I talk with a lot of folks are really getting into trying to stay local, knowing their farmer right.

Carolyn:

Do you hear those? We do, and I think that's wonderful. I just think that's something that we can really build on.

Doug:

Carolyn, when you met Ron and you guys got married, did you ever see farming as your future? No, no.

Carolyn:

No way.

Doug:

It sounds like you play a really big role now.

Carolyn:

I do.

Ron:

Absolutely.

Carolyn:

Yeah, I guess there was retail in me. When I was a little girl, my grandmother I lived in the community of Troy Hill. You've probably heard of that.

Ron:

Yes.

Carolyn:

And my grandmother worked in a little store and I used to think it was so much fun to go there with her and help her open up the store and everything. I used to tell my grandma I wanted my own store.

Doug:

Well, you have it.

Carolyn:

Yeah, she got to see that. She came one time to visit and said well, you finally got your store.

Doug:

Oh my, and you build this sense of community and, like you said, I'm sure there are some folks that have sort of grown up on your farm.

Carolyn:

Hopefully there's some kids that are now bringing their kids. Oh, yes, we do. Does that happen? I just tease them all the time that they make me feel old. Yes, we've got several coming back with their kids.

Doug:

Now I don't know how much you want to talk about this, but I think Sue sent me a note and so when I had asked the question about any tough years or good years, I'm happy to hear that COVID was a good year for you. I think Sue mentioned to me like in 1988, I remember a drought, oh yeah, and I understand you guys were trying to get into corn or had already started that, and it didn't go so well that year Is that right.

Carolyn:

That's when we made the decision to build our first pond, for irrigation because we lost a good bit of the corn crop because we didn't have irrigation, then I remember one of our fields being dust. Yes, yes, oh, absolutely it was crazy yes. Yes, oh, absolutely, it was crazy. Yes, we got over 100 degrees that year. I don't remember it ever doing that, ever again.

Ron:

No.

Doug:

It's interesting to really share with people how the weather is that additional partner to all the things you're trying to? Do Absolutely Right. Yes, Very true. How important is the forecast? Oh my yes.

Carolyn:

And last year was tough too. We have two irrigation ponds on the farm that people are visiting. Okay, and we emptied them last year. Oh, my so last year was pretty tough too.

Doug:

Yeah, hopefully they're filled back up.

Carolyn:

We've had quite a bit of rain so far. They're overflowing now. Oh my goodness.

Ron:

Yeah, it's just the opposite. This year we're losing strawberries because people can't get in the field to pick. Oh, yes. These city people are kind of funny. They don't seem to want to pick strawberries in the rain, in mud.

Carolyn:

No, we'll get them some galoshes, oh I tell everybody when they call just wear your oldest shoes.

Doug:

Yes, I think it's so much fun to actually go out and know that that's the freshest berry I could have possibly gotten.

Ron:

to actually go out and know that that's the freshest berry I could have possibly gotten Correct, I picked it myself. Yes, yes, amazing. I'm Ron Beinlich.

Carolyn:

I'm Carolyn Beinlich, and we're the owners of Triple B Farms.

Doug:

And you're listening to the Pittsburgh Dish. Can we kind of go through seasonally about the farm? I know've asked you earlier what's going on right now with the berry picking blueberries coming in? What does late summer start to look like? How do things change, or are there any different events happening?

Carolyn:

Well, sue and Bill are starting a new event on the farm in the entertainment part. We're having two movie nights that we are going to have a screen on the farm and where they're showing. Unfortunately, I don't remember. One movie is called Barnyard. I forget what the other one's called Okay. And the other thing they've started is a date night, okay, where you can come and pick our flowers. We provide a real pretty vase for them to put them in and it's priced per couple and the local winery is working with us and they get a glass of wine and a charcuterie board and can have a picnic and that kind of thing.

Carolyn:

So those two things are happening. That sounds lovely. There's one movie night each in June and July and then a date night here in June, one in July and, I think, early August. Unfortunately I don't have the dates in my head, that's okay.

Doug:

Well, we'll send them to your website. We'll mention the website before we're done today. And do I understand? Do you also when it's not terribly muddy, like it was maybe this past week? Do I also understand that you do hay rides sometimes?

Carolyn:

Oh yeah, hay rides are included with Pick. Okay, when we're picking People love that.

Chantal:

Yeah, and this year.

Carolyn:

So far, so good. We have a peach crop, so we'll be doing pick your own peaches too.

Doug:

I might have to go down for that, as well, that's my favorite. Okay, yeah, one of mine too. It's my favorite. Okay, let's move into the fall. How do things change in the fall? What are the big sellers or the big draws for the market then?

Carolyn:

Well, pick your own apples and pumpkins. Okay, and there's hayrides included again, of course.

Doug:

I mean, I think that's like the hayride time to me in my mind.

Carolyn:

I would say we're known the most for our pumpkin festival.

Doug:

Okay.

Carolyn:

And that is our busiest season, for sure.

Doug:

I do want to go back to asking, then, about pies, especially, I think, about apple and pumpkin pie. Are you making anything at the market, or is this again, maybe something that's made locally that you bring in?

Carolyn:

We're baking pies at the market, okay.

Doug:

So you've got a kitchen there, you're doing all that.

Carolyn:

Yes, we have a small kitchen. Okay, we do.

Doug:

And what about yourself personally, Carolyn? Are you a much of a baker, did you? Is this? Oh, I love to bake, do you? Okay, I?

Carolyn:

help in the. Well, I started out working in the bakery but now we've hired bakers and I just sort of help in there now Of course supervise. Yeah, so. But yes, I do like to work in the bakery and we do fudge, so we make that too.

Doug:

Oh my, I was looking at the website before you stopped by. I don't think the pies were on there, but if people want to order things, can they do that and have them shipped.

Carolyn:

Sue started that actually during the COVID year and they can do our jarred goods and our dried goods, like the pancake mixes and those kind of things.

Doug:

Yes, so pickles, correct Jams, jellies, pancake mixes, that kind of stuff? People, if they don't have the means to get down to you, they could still enjoy some of your products. But you're giving them a lot of good reasons to go visit.

Carolyn:

Yeah, we hope they'll come visit. I think they'll be pleased if they come visit. But it is nice at Christmastime. Customers are calling and sending Christmas gifts and Sue ships apples too.

Doug:

Okay, so there's a few produce items that you can ship. Okay, so there's a few produce items that you can ship. Okay, so you mentioned that the market does close after Halloween time, correct, right? Is the website still active? Then People could still buy some of your products all year round.

Carolyn:

Yes, we keep the jarred goods and apples as long as we have them.

Doug:

Yeah.

Carolyn:

And things like that. So yes, they can go to the website for that.

Doug:

And you have apples on your farm, correct, we grow them, oh yeah.

Carolyn:

I forget how many varieties we have.

Doug:

What's your favorite apple for baking a pie, whatever's in season, or?

Carolyn:

Well, some are recommended for baking and some are not.

Doug:

Right, this is what I understand.

Carolyn:

Yes, but myself I pretty much just take whatever we have and use it. You know, we eat what we call the not so good fruit and vegetables. So instead of throwing them away, so then I just use them for pies or whatever or applesauce, I'm sure they're still the best Yep, better than you can get anywhere else.

Doug:

I do have a question about home food, then, and growing up, since food and food production is such an important part of your lives. What was food life like when you were a youngster, Ron? What about your experience?

Ron:

My mom was a very good cook and she was a farm girl and we had quite a garden. Even though we lived in the city we had quite a garden. So that's sort of in me.

Doug:

Oh, very good. And what about you, Carolyn?

Carolyn:

My grandmother was the one who taught me how to make pies.

Doug:

Okay.

Carolyn:

But my mom was a good cook too, yeah, and back then everybody did cook most everything from scratch.

Doug:

That's right. And do you all still have fairly large family gatherings for all the holidays and picnics and things like that? We try, yeah.

Carolyn:

Yeah, it's harder with the kids, or you know, even the grandkids aren't here in the area so much so, but we try to get together.

Doug:

For us, that's when food really is like the important thing. We're a family of foodie people. Now you know there's so much to do when you come down and visit. I just want to ask is there anything I haven't asked about the farm that you'd want to mention? Do you have any other activities or upcoming events near term or even later in the year?

Carolyn:

Okay, and so she is putting out feelers and whatever to invite former employees to come back and just have a reminiscent time.

Doug:

Aw.

Carolyn:

And she's going to serve cupcakes and she just wants Ron and me to sit on the porch and visit with everybody. I don't know that might be hard. I don't sit for that many hours.

Doug:

How many employees have worked over?

Carolyn:

the years. I couldn't even tell you. Dozens and dozens. Yeah, During October we had-.

Doug:

Hundreds and I thought I read somewhere was the first couple of seasons. Was it like high school kids helped pick some of the berries? Is that right?

Carolyn:

Correct, and our own children did. Bill and Becky did their sheriff picking, oh my goodness. So over the years it's just been lots and lots of folks.

Doug:

So you're having this reunion style event, is that right after the 4th of July? Yes, it's that weekend of the 4th of July. How lovely.

Carolyn:

Well, I hope folks come. Yeah, I hope some of the people come back just to say hi, super special.

Doug:

Is there anything else happening?

Carolyn:

Our major thing right now is we're having to get our customers to navigate a detour.

Doug:

Oh, that's the bane of summertime construction right.

Carolyn:

Yes, I'm hoping. I talked with the state yesterday and they're saying maybe three weeks. Okay, we're hoping. We're hoping it's still a big chunk of summer.

Doug:

Yes, so we should probably tell folks if they're coming to visit. You have some information about that on your website. Correct, Is that right?

Carolyn:

Yeah, we try to do good directions on there for people to navigate. It's really not a bad detour. It probably just adds what? Maybe 10 minutes to their time Not very much Okay, and I think once people experience the detour they won't mind it because it's a drive through the country.

Doug:

It's really pretty, it's just fine. Yeah, get down there.

Ron:

Anyway, let's do this, let's remind our folks of a couple of details. Ron, how about you? Would you give us the address to the farm? The address is BBB Farms, 823 Berry Lane like strawberry, I love that Monongahela, Pennsylvania, 15063. Thank you.

Doug:

And Carolyn, what are the hours of the market? Every day, from nine to five. Every day from nine to five. And let's also remind folks, if they can't get down right away, but they want to find you and follow you. What's your website address?

Carolyn:

TripleBFarms. Remember the S dot com.

Doug:

Okay, and I looked it up beforehand too you do a really good job on Instagram and that's triple underscore, b underscore farms on Instagram. I think it's also triple B farms on Facebook.

Carolyn:

Yes, it is on Facebook. I don't know. Oh, I'm I'm not the techie of the family.

Doug:

Somebody is. There's a really good social media presence for your farm. I was looking it up.

Carolyn:

Sue works with all that. Sue does our advertising. But she is working with some people too that have helped her to do it. But Sue, sue does.

Doug:

Sue does a good job. Well, she is. She's doing a great job. All right, folks. I always like to ask our guests a final question. The name of the show is the Pittsburgh dish. What's the best dish you've had to eat this past week?

Carolyn:

You know, this time of year we're kind of eating what's ever in the refrigerator because we're so busy. Or he'll say where am I going tonight for dinner? So I don't know.

Ron:

Carolyn made an excellent pasta dish. Now, what did you call that?

Carolyn:

Oh, it's actually a pasta. We're selling some flavored pastas in the market.

Doug:

Okay.

Carolyn:

So there was one that was lemon linguine.

Doug:

Oh.

Carolyn:

So I followed the recipe on the back.

Doug:

Okay.

Carolyn:

Because the company is providing recipes, and it was really good. It was lemon flavored pasta with olive oil and lemon dressing, cherry tomatoes and black olives and feta cheese. That was good.

Doug:

Sounds delicious. Yeah, it was very good. Was that your best bite this?

Ron:

week? Ron, possibly, except there was another one, I won't even mention it.

Carolyn:

I do like to cook.

Doug:

Well, that's good. I want to thank you both so much for your time, for making the trip up here today, and thank you for being on the Pittsburgh Dish.

Carolyn:

Thank you.

Ron:

You're welcome.

Doug:

Very on The Pittsburgh Dish. Thank you. You're welcome, very welcome. Thank you for having us Up next. If you're craving that perfect sandwich and happen to be in the South Hills area, our friend Ashley Cesaratto has a place. Hey everybody, we're joined today with Ashley Cesaratto, who manages the popular Facebook group Pittsburgh Foodies. Ashley, I've seen you putting a lot of things up on that Facebook group lately. I was wondering if you've had any new I don't know lunch spots or grab and go places that really were of note for you.

Ashley:

Yeah, absolutely. We were in the South Hills lately and wanted to stop someplace for a quick lunch, and I'd been seeing Family Deli in Bethel Park on my feet a lot, so we stopped there and got a couple sandwiches one hot sandwich, one cold sandwich and a couple sides and these sandwiches were so big and just so packed with meat and fillings and amazingly delicious.

Doug:

I saw this post and it is like truly, it's the sandwich you want to have. It's like so robust.

Ashley:

Absolutely, and we each got a sandwich, but we ended up sharing one and taking another one home to eat for lunch the next day. They are just that big.

Doug:

Oh, wow. So this is like a good, like lunchtime grab and go kind of place.

Ashley:

Yeah, for sure. They have hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, hot sides, cold sides. We got onion rings which could feed four people as a side, and you can grab things from their cooler as well. They have lots of cheese and deli items. They have some baked goods as well.

Doug:

And we're talking about Family Deli in Bethel Park. This is more of a daytime items. They have some baked goods as well. And we're talking about Family Deli in Bethel Park. This is more of a daytime place. They're open until about 4 pm on most days.

Ashley:

Yeah.

Doug:

Thanks so much, Ashley.

Ashley:

Sure, thank you.

Doug:

You can follow Ashley on Instagram at eatingwithashleypgh. Since the Beinlichs mentioned that they might have corn in early July, it got me thinking about a conversation I had with Alex and Chantal Huff of the Hungry Huffs. Let's have a listen. So, Alex, Chantal, I know that you are always going out to eat, but I was wondering do you guys like to cook at home? We do we definitely love to cook, and do you have a favorite dish or two that you like to make?

Alex:

Yes, so there's actually a YouTube channel. The guy's account is Not Another Cooking Show and he has this dish that we both make all the time and it's the perfect dish for summer, the end of summer. It's a corn pesto pasta with crispy prosciutto. It's out of this world. It's a super easy dish to make, actually, and the tutorial or the video from Not Another Cooking Show shows how to make it the best way. But it's something a little different. It's a good spin on pesto with adding in the sweet corn.

Doug:

I love the idea of the fresh corn and I am over the top on that idea of anything with a crispy prosciutto.

Alex:

It works perfect because it can be both vegetarian or non-vegetarian with the crispy prosciutto. So if someone wants to eat vegetarian, ignore the crispy prosciutto, but that might be the best part.

Chantal:

It might be the best part. Corn in pesto is an amazing addition. It makes it a little sweet, which is just incredible, recommended to everybody. And honestly, anyone we've made it for turns around and makes it over and over and over again for their families and it's over a pasta.

Alex:

Yes, it's over a pasta. We use the orchid pasta.

Doug:

Oh the little ears, oh that sounds terrific, so it'd catch, like the corn and the little crispy bits of prosciutto.

Chantal:

Oh, sounds so good. We'd done pancetta before, though, and that was also good. Can confirm?

Doug:

Alex. Chantal, thank you so much for being on The Pittsburgh dish. Thank you for having us. Thank you. You can follow Chantal and Alex on Instagram at hungry huffs, and we'll put a link to that recipe tutorial that Alex mentioned on our blog. Do you have a recipe? Share it with us? Just visit our website at wwwpittsburghdishcom and look for our Share a Recipe form. If you enjoyed the show, consider buying us a coffee for this episode or supporting the show monthly. You can find links to those options at the bottom of our show description and if you want to follow my own food adventures, you can find me on social media at Doug Cooking. That's our show for this week. Thanks again to 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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