104 Laura Magone - The Wedding Cookie Table Community

The wedding cookie table is one of Pittsburgh’s most joyful food traditions.  We sit down with Laura McGone, founder of The Wedding Cookie Table Community, to talk about how a simple Facebook page started in 2015 as research for a documentary, and grew into a network of bakers preserving family recipes, cultural identity, and the “cradle to grave” role cookies play in our lives.

Laura challenges the common myth of the cookie table origin story. We also get into why recipe boxes matter, how handwritten recipe cards and imperfect old measurements can still guide us, and how the community helps people recover “lost” cookies just by describing what they remember.

Along the way, we talk record-setting cookie tables, Cookie Table University, and a major cookbook project tied to America’s 250th anniversary, plus the charitable cookie tables the group organizes for causes and communities in need. 

We switch gears to a healthy recommendation from Caleb of Cravings with Caleb (Live Fresh Juicery) and hear a comforting savory craving from Nick of Inside Out Cookie (his mom’s meatloaf, leftovers included). 

If you love Pittsburgh food, baking traditions, and practical tips like how many cookies per guest to plan, hit subscribe, share this with a fellow cookie-table fan, and leave us a review.

Transcript

Doug 0:01

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. What are your fondest memories of a wedding cookie table? Laura Magone has built a community to keep the recipes and traditions going strong. Where do you go when you're craving something healthy? Caleb has just the spot. And what savory dinner do you crave when you are a full-time cookie maker? Nick of Inside Out Cookie shares his dish. All that ahead, stay tuned.

Building A Global Cookie Community

Doug 0:35

Well, thank you so much for coming over and for being on the show.

Laura 0:38

I'm so glad to be here. Very exciting.

Doug 0:42

Would you introduce yourself to our listeners and what you have going on in the world of food?

Laura 0:49

Sure. My name is Laura Magone, and I am the founder of the Wedding Cookie Table Community, which is a Facebook community, and we now have about 408,000 members all over the country and the world. And it's pretty exciting.

Doug 1:06

Incredible. How long ago did you bring this community together? Did you create the it's a Facebook page, is where it really started, right?

Laura 1:15

Yes. I founded the community in 2015 because I wanted to create a documentary on the history behind the cookie table tradition. Yes. And in doing my research, I could find nothing because it wasn't very well documented. So I thought I will start a Facebook page to get the background information that I need. Ask people to send me pictures and you know stories and so forth. And there was nothing. Wow. So that was my reason for starting the page.

Doug 1:52

It's well, I think it's a a very good reason. You know, you get that community engagement, but I'm surprised there was no history to kind of pull from.

Laura 2:01

So little. And I think one of my theories is that it's because a woman, it's a woman's story.

Doug 2:08

Oh.

Laura 2:08

And um, you know, we know what and this is nothing about gender bias, but we know what men did in the wars and in the mines and the mills, but there weren't people running around with cameras taking pictures of women baking cookies because we know that, you know, to take a frame of film was expensive. Yes. And if you're indoors, you also need a flash cube, which adds to the price. Uh, and so we we just didn't have pictures and and it was cookies. People thought it was just cookies, but it wasn't.

Doug 2:42

It's so much more. Yes, but I think you're so right. You know, so many stories in history have not been told or documented well. So I commend you for you know having this goal in mind. And and maybe we should just say it for any listener out there that's not familiar, maybe a little bit beyond our region.

Debunking The Depression Cake Myth

Doug 3:02

Uh, from my understanding, the wedding cookie table, it sort of happened out of necessity, right? And also your family coming together if you couldn't afford a fancy cake. Tell me, what what have you found? Am I off point? That is the myth.

Laura 3:19

That's the myth. I am out to dispel it. Dispel it. Yes. Because you know, I cringe every time at a wedding I see a sign that says the couple couldn't afford a cake during the depression, so they had cookies. Just not true. If you couldn't afford a cake, you couldn't afford the wedding. And during the depression, you know, my own grandparents, one of them, uh, one of the couples lived in Monesson, which is in the Midmon Valley. They eloped to Charleroi, which is across the river. There was no wedding for them. And then the other set of grandparents on a work day, uh, they took the train into Pittsburgh to get married. People couldn't afford weddings in general.

Doug 4:03

This big elaborate thing that we think about today.

Laura 4:06

Yeah. So it didn't happen. Right. It didn't happen. And so, and and when you think about it, you know, in my mind, the 1930s, it's it seems like a thousand years ago. And the 1940s, well, maybe that's 800 years ago, but they're 10 years apart. Yes. And and I think the tradition really started probably after World War II. Okay. And what I think happened was you had people living in the coal patch towns and the little communities, and people of all different ethnic backgrounds came together for celebrations and events where they were mourning a passing. Because cookie tables are associated with happy and sad occasions. Absolutely. Cradle to grave, anything from when you're born to when you die, and in between, and communities came together and people brought cookies representing their own nationality and their background because that's what they knew how to make. Yes. That's how it started.

Doug 5:05

And I think what you're doing right now, or trying to get your uh community to do is to uphold some of that ethnicity, that cultural background, right? Don't let those things die off.

Laura 5:16

That's exactly what we do. So, and and I talked to that because people will say, Well, that's not a cookie post. And I'll come back and say, but it's a cultural post. If somebody wants to show us how to make their pierogies or their ravioli or halushki, that's important.

Doug 5:33

I'm all about all of those things. Right. Yes.

Laura 5:36

Right. And so, you know, we we look at that and um we like to look at handwritten recipe cards uh done in cursive because that's how people used to keep their recipe cards. And, you know, uh people don't realize, and and I'm sure you do, being, you know, a food expert, but there weren't standardized baking measurements until Fanny Farmer came along. Right. And so some of our old recipes, you know, great-grandma wrote, put in a blue mug of flour.

Doug 6:08

Yes, that one blue cup. Where is that blue cup?

Laura 6:10

Yeah, now we don't know what to do. I know.

Doug 6:13

You know, so I have seen recipes like that. Oh my goodness.

Laura 6:17

And we look for old recipes. One of my favorite things to have happen is somebody comes to the group and says, My grandmother used to make this. Oh, and they describe it to us. Somebody always knows the recipe every time. We we reconnect people with their own lost heritage.

Doug 6:36

Yes, it is a it's a mystery solver moment. Right. Yeah, you know, Aunt Betty made these lemon bars, we don't know how to do it. Right, right.

Laura 6:44

And all you have to do is describe it, and somebody, we've never had an occasion where somebody didn't know how to make that.

Doug 6:51

I love that. And you did say the group since 2015, we're just past 10 years, has grown to, I mean, you're coming up on half a million people soon.

Laura 7:02

It's it's gotta be. It's unbelievable. It's kind of like, well, how I started the page, I became like the cookie table crasher. And I would listen for when is there uh going to be a wedding? And um, and I would ask people, if you know of a wedding, tell me. And then I would go without charging anyone only to take pictures of their cookie tables. Yes. And then I would post them on my page. And it was lonely the first couple years, but eventually it was like someone lit a match and the fire caught and it took off.

Doug 7:38

Well, I I have to say, I looked this morning before you came over. Out of all of my friends on Facebook, over a hundred are in the the wedding cookie table community. Wow. And that's just me. So a lot of folks are attracted to your group and what you're doing. And I think beyond uh, you know, showcasing cookies and the baking and as we said, heritage, I think it's just a joyful group.

Laura 8:05

It really is, and we keep it that way. It's that way by design. And um, we don't talk about politics, we don't get into controversy. And I have this little um, oh, I don't know what I would call it, uh, mechanism that I have in place. If anyone misbehaves or gets out of line, I send them to a newt farm in Banola PA. And um, and we send them there there to be rehabilitated, and we we have insects on, you know, hand feed them, and then they can maybe come back. They maybe could come back. Maybe if they get rehabilitated, but we don't put up with it. We don't put up with the nonsense.

Doug 8:48

I also noticed, uh, as you said earlier, a lot of the baking and cooking may have been done by women in the past, but now there's a lot of men in the group, and you like to make sure people are posting, addressing everyone.

Laura 9:00

That's one of my rules.

Doug 9:02

Yeah.

Laura 9:02

You cannot address your post to ladies. And I actually made it a rule, and I will write to someone and say, you're hurting our fellows' feelings because we have many uh many male members who are excellent bakers.

Doug 9:17

Lots of people like to make cookies.

Laura 9:19

Yeah, who doesn't? Who doesn't? And you have to be happy when you eat a cookie. You can't be angry and eat a cookie at the same time.

Doug 9:26

I think if you eat the cookie, I think I heard this from Ina Garten. You might be angry before you eat a cookie, or maybe after, but not while you're eating the cookie.

Laura 9:33

Never while. Never. You cannot it's not physically possible to eat a chocolate chip cookie and be angry.

Doug 9:40

So well, you've been going so strong with this group. I I have noticed a lot of great things have happened. I think you tried to have the largest cookie table first in 2019, right?

Laura 9:53

Absolutely. In Monongahela, Pennsylvania, Chess Park. Over with 88,425 cookies. Now that's what Guinness counted. They disqualified several cookies, and we were sad about that. But that's what they counted.

Doug 10:08

You still got a Guinness world record.

Laura 10:10

We established the record.

Doug 10:12

My goodness.

Laura 10:13

Because we also had, I think, uh, maybe it was I can't remember if it was four weddings and two renewals. Wow. So I made it as difficult as possible for someone to break the record.

Doug 10:24

So good. Yes. Uh-oh.

Laura 10:26

Yes, yes.

Doug 10:27

And then last year you did another huge meetup. Was it for the 10-year anniversary?

Laura 10:32

Well, kind of, but we wanted to do something fun. I mean, now that COVID's over, we can do fun things together in person. And actually, I think you're referring to the world's largest Christmas cookie exchange. Yes, yes. There was a group in Cleveland who said they had the world's largest Christmas cookie exchange. And I forget what they had, maybe like 8,000 cookies. And I said, Oh no. Oh, not even close. So, you know, without trying, uh and and and we didn't have a group like Guinness come in for that one.

Doug 11:08

Okay.

Laura 11:08

Uh, but we counted the cookies ourselves. So my group is clamoring to do this again.

Doug 11:15

Oh.

Laura 11:15

So I've actually booked uh the Hilton Garden Inn at South Point for December 5th, and we'll be trying this again because there's something wrong with us.

Doug 11:24

Listeners, mark your calendars. You just did something down there. Was it a cookie? Um, what was the thing that just happened in April?

Laura 11:31

We just had Cookie Table University.

Doug 11:33

I love the name.

Laura 11:34

Yeah. And so um we had about 1,500 people there. Okay. And people come uh to watch demonstrations on how to make certain cookies, and they came to see the vendors. There's different baking vendors they can visit, but mostly they came for the cookies.

Doug 11:52

The cookies. And we're recording right now in May of 2026. This was just in April.

Laura 11:58

Yes, just a month ago, one month ago. I'm just caught up on my sleep. Oh, I bet. Yeah.

Doug 12:02

These are big events. Laura, I have to think too, like, there is so much when you do an event like this, there are so many supporting characters. And when you said there were vendors, I'm sure there's I think about Hershey's Chocolate, I think about USA Pan. Have you found partners like that throughout the years? Uh, people that are big supporters of this group.

Laura 12:26

Absolutely. And they come back every year. Uh, USA Pan is one of them. We've had Hershey there a couple of times. They were there this year, and we were so happy to have them there. Uh, we have the Palmer Pitzel people. There, the company name is actually C Palmer in West Newton, and they they are the sole American Pitzel iron maker. There used to be hundreds of them.

Doug 12:50

And they're the one that's left.

Laura 12:51

That's it.

Doug 12:52

I bought one down in the strip from them. Good. Yeah, their brand.

Laura 12:56

Yep. And uh that there's another company that makes the Lady Lock Rods, Grandma Jones. Oh. And uh so yeah, we have a quite a following. And once somebody comes, they come back.

Doug 13:08

Well, I would say too, it's not just a regional-based group, you're supporting other businesses within the region, but also this group has expanded. It's across the country, right?

Laura 13:19

Right. And actually, for our event, we had people travel in from almost 25 states. My goodness. And I'm from Washington County, and so it's important to me to try to keep the event there. Yes. And we have support from the Washington County Tourism Agency because that means a lot to a local economy to have these people flying in from everywhere. Right. And they're, you know, they're eating at the restaurants, they're visiting the sites. Uh, we partnered with the Duncan and Miller Glass Museum this year because they have uh very beautiful glass pieces from 19. They stopped making them in 1955. Oh. And so I thought, you know, this could help them too. Yeah, it's beautiful. You know, I do this for fun. This I'm I'm basically a volunteer. Yes. Uh, I've not accepted any requests from Facebook to monetize this. It's just not worth it for me.

Doug 14:13

This is your passion project.

Laura 14:14

Yeah, yeah. This is what I'll be remembered for. This is what's going to be on my epitaph.

Doug 14:19

So uh Will you be someone that wants a cookie recipe?

Laura 14:23

Oh. Have you seen that trend? I have seen it. And actually, I it's it's kind of hard to talk about because I just lost my mom one year ago.

Recipe Legacy And Family Memory

Doug 14:30

Sorry to hear.

Laura 14:30

But um, I appreciate that. But she was known in the group as, you know, wonderful Wanda. And I'm I'm persuading my siblings right now to put her Biscotti recipe on her tombstone.

Doug 14:42

I love that idea.

Laura 14:44

So that's what we're looking at.

Doug 14:46

Let me grab the tissues now.

Laura 14:47

No.

Doug 14:49

Well, there is a young lady out there that has made a cookbook from folks that have done that. Um, and so often we have heard back to the story with the blue cup or poorly written recipes. A lot of folks don't even write their recipe down and they pass away. So I think it's a great tribute.

Laura 15:07

Right. Absolutely. Because I mean, these things are so important. And I've I've talked about this, you know, you can have this hypothetical conversation. If your house is burning, what are you grabbing to run? I'm grabbing the the recipe box. Right. You know, those are so important. And I and I tell people whenever you look at um my mom's recipe boxes, you know, we talk about social networks today. You can see who her social network was.

Doug 15:35

Right.

Laura 15:36

Through the current recipes, and the recipes. And who did who was she on the landline, you know, burning up the phone lines with and exchanging recipes, and you see their hand writing, and it brings back memories. Oh my goodness.

Doug 15:48

Yes. I love it.

Laura 15:51

Hi, this is Laura Magone of the Wedding Cookie Table Community, and you are listening to the Pittsburgh Dish.

Doug 15:59

Laura, I'd love to switch gears a little bit. Um since we started talking about your mom, I'd love to know a little bit more about cookies in your house and growing up. Uh what's your earliest memory of a cookie table?

Laura 16:14

Well, earliest memory of a cookie table, it would go back to when I was a child growing up. It was just something that we saw at every wedding. Yes. And so, you know, being from the Midmond Valley, like so many others in Pittsburgh, we had the fire hall weddings. People had weddings at, you know, the Rostraver Ice Arena. I I don't know if we were right out on the ice. I mean, with wood over it, I don't know how it worked. But, you know, we were always at these big halls, and um my aunts would bake. I think about the aunties and how everybody had a special cookie. Oh, yes. And you knew when there was a wedding, you know, Aunt Sylvia was gonna make her strawberries. You knew what the strawberry cookie, you knew what everybody would make. And it was just a given that people were going to, as soon as they hear there's an engagement, everybody's excited and they're calling you to say, I'm baking. What what do you, you know, is it okay if I bring this or that? And back then, uh, because I've been working on the evolution of the cookie table too. Um, back in, you know, when I grew up in the 60s, you didn't have the fancy styled cookie tables. You had a flat table with trays of cookies put on there, and you didn't have take home boxes. You had to run around and find your own paper napkin to put them in.

Doug 17:39

I remember that. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. And now we have all these fancy stands and nice paper boxes or whatever. Right. Which I'm okay with that now.

Laura 17:47

Yeah, it's good. The evolution. It has evolved, but it, you know, it's not how it was. And I would watch my mom bake, and my mom was a very precise baker. So she was using the measuring cups and leveling with a butter knife. Yeah, the back of the knife, scrape it off. She was sifting onto newspaper. Oh. And I'm kind of a messy baker.

Doug 18:09

Oh, that's me. Yeah.

Laura 18:10

Yeah. Stuff goes everywhere. Um, but my mom always let me cook and bake in her kitchen. I remember frying eggs in the skillet, like from the time I was five. I just always liked to cook it.

Doug 18:25

Always in there.

Laura 18:26

And people would be surprised that I was so small and she would let me. And the other thing, maybe this wasn't good, but she was trying to encourage me to bake. And so she wasn't hung up on me having to clean up, which might not have been a good thing. But she would, you know, eat and she was happy if I would bake dinner or, you know, cook dinner. And so she'd say, You cook, because I'm, you know, there's four kids in the family. Yes. And, you know, we we I talk with this about my friends. Back then, you know, I I lived in a home where the mom stayed at home. She was a stay-at-home mom, and we we had a school within walking distance. So we would walk home and say you have a a mom who's like turning out three meals a day for six people. I I can't imagine doing that. What a relief if you, as the kid, right, could make one of the meals. Right. And so she'd say, You cook, I can't even think of what to make, and then clean up. And it evolved, and I I kept at it. And I think one of the things I remember about cookie baking is we had an aunt who lived in Arizona, and she sent my mom a Betty Crocker cookie book, which is it's a red book, people post it on the cookie page all the time. And I remember being about 15, and and that's when I started, I wanted to try all these cookies. Yes. And so I would make up cookie trays and take them, not to the whole town, but to like three people that we were close to. And that's when it started.

Doug 19:59

It's the fire. I have to ask this because I feel this way. Because you were cooking and baking at such a young age, do you feel confident in the kitchen? Are you ready to like tackle a new cookie recipe any day?

Laura 20:12

Some of them scare me. Really? The macaron scares me to think about. But a lot of them I think, yeah, you know, this could be fun just to try it. But I don't know, in a way, there's comfort in making some of the same cookies, you know, like a pignoli cookie. I I love making those. And uh, so I guess it's a little bit of both. Both, okay. Yeah, but I I grew up with the basics like the biscotti and the pizzel and you know, so forth. But that mop macaron scares me. Uh, I would like to try it sometime.

Doug 20:43

That's the French cookie, usually with a filling, and it's sort of a meringue. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Laura 20:48

They're they they look tough, and I know that I see people like taking the batter and bouncing it off of a counter to get the bubbles out.

Doug 20:56

So they're smooth. Yeah.

Laura 20:58

So maybe I'll maybe I'll face that and try it sometime.

Doug 21:02

Well, you slipped in another answer to a question I had, which was do you have a cookie or a couple cookies that you always take to somebody's wedding or Christmas?

Laura 21:12

Well, the the pignoli is something that I like because it's something people don't make a lot. And it has the pine nuts on the outside, so it's crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. And it's an almond cookie, so there's no uh flour in it. So it would be naturally gluten-free. Even though you didn't know it or care back then, right? Right, right, right. So that's nice. It's not the cheapest cookie to make because the pine nuts are expensive.

Doug 21:38

Expensive.

Laura 21:38

And the almond paste, which you can either buy or I've found it so easy to make, I make it. And that's not the cheapest thing to do. So uh, but I have a a cousin with a graduation party coming up in June, and she has nut allergies, so you know I have to watch that. But she wants pink cookies, so then I have to think about pink nuts. Incorporating that.

Doug 22:01

Well, now you need to go back into the archives of the group. Yes. Who's made a pink cookie and they hit the other parameters you need.

Laura 22:09

Right, right, right, right. So if I want to do like the peanut butter blossom, I obviously can't do that because of the peanut butter, but there's ways like I can make a cherry base. So it'll be not free, it'll be pink, and it'll have the Hershey Kiss on the top. There you go. Or maybe the Sarris blossom. Oh, I don't know this one. Well, the Sarris Blossom is kind of like a competitor to the uh Hershey Kiss. Oh. Because it's flat and it has that great sarus flavor. Oh, yes, yes. But because you know the cookie's called a blossom, they have a flower on it. I get you. And um, they they actually made those, I think, to cover whenever they make the big Easter eggs, and there's a little hole at the top where they inject the filling. They had made those little flowers to cover up that hole.

Doug 22:57

Oh, interesting. Yeah.

Laura 22:58

And I went to Sarris and I said, you know, the traditional blossom is hard to stack. So why don't you come up with something that would be flat and have that great Saras flavor? And they did.

unknown 23:12

Wow.

Laura 23:12

And my members love them.

Doug 23:14

Laura, over the years in the group, has there been a cookie recipe or two that have been like real favorites or stunners or something new?

Laura 23:26

I'd say many. I mean, it there are continually new things coming up, and people say that to me. How can there be so many different types of cookies? But there are. So when we did our cookie table university in this past April, we wanted to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country. Yes. So what we did

Cookbook Plans And Giving Back

Laura 23:47

was to, and this took time, we wanted to trace the development of the country through cookie recipes. Wow. So we went back to like the 1600s, whenever the Native Americans were teaching the colonists to, you know, even what popcorn was and how to get maple sap out of trees. So we started there and we went uh all the way through, you know, this year. We end the book with the cookie that went to uh with the Artemis II. It was a maple cream cookie. And uh so it it it's two sandwich cookies shaped like the maple leaf with the maple cream filling. And so with this one, almost all of the recipes are new. Wow. And one that really stands out that I would say whenever we we would look at famous figures and historical events, and um one that we had a president who liked lemon meringue pies. Well, there was no lemon meringue cookie, so we adapted it. And um, we had somebody come up with a cookie that actually has a lemon sort of filling in the middle with lemon meringue. So around if you picture a cookie, they have little dollops of the lemon meringue around the edge. Yes. And then they took the little creme brulee torch and they torched it up. They torched it and have the little dark spots. And right now that's a favorite.

Doug 25:16

That sounds amazing.

Laura 25:17

That's a favorite. So now I have not attempted that.

Doug 25:21

No, that sounds highfalutin for me, too.

Laura 25:23

I might be looking at doing that. So we we have we wanted to have 250 recipes, but we have a little addiction problem, I guess. So we're at about 300 recipes. We're putting together a cookbook. Okay. Um just yesterday we added the Maya Angelou cookie that uh someone had suggested that I do. And so we're making her favorite cookie, turns out to be the Southern Tea Cake, which is a plain cookie, but uh from her book, Why the Caged Bird sings, we're putting a um uh mock, not a mocking bird, a finch. We're putting a gold finch on it with open wings. My goodness. Yeah, so so even though the cookbook really should be going to print, we're still adding a couple things.

Doug 26:08

Okay, so I have questions. Normally I ask what's coming up, but uh, you're going there. So beyond the cookie table Facebook page, there is a website. And is this book available for sale or it will be?

Laura 26:23

It will be right now, you know, and this came out of necessity because our members love recipes. So every time we held an event, they wanted all the recipes. So we started compiling them and making them available like a community cookbook. Yes, that's exactly what it is. So we are taking pre-orders right now for this upcoming 250th cookbook that is supposed to be available in June. But when I look at the calendar and see the date, I'm concerned.

Doug 26:53

Laura, I know I feel you were here in May.

Laura 26:56

Yeah, at the end of May. Yes.

Doug 27:00

July 4th would be aggressive, but yes, yes, yes, yes.

Laura 27:03

Well, and that's what my members are saying. They want to make these for their picnic. Because I I think for the 250th, July 4th is kind of the pinnacle. That's what I think. So we have to have this done, and we will.

Doug 27:14

You'll be under pressure.

Laura 27:15

Yes, oh, I am.

Doug 27:16

Cookie pressure.

Laura 27:16

Believe me, I I am. I uh might have to cancel a lunch on Wednesday because of this. So boy.

Doug 27:22

Well, while we're there, uh beyond the the the book, which seems like that's that's filling up your cup right now. Are there any other goals or events or other big things happening this year for the group?

Laura 27:36

Well, you know, one of the hallmarks of this community, and it it ties back to the generous nature of the cookie table, because you have to remember everybody was baking these cookies and and they weren't asking to be paid. We do this out of generosity. And this goes back to our ancestors who were all immigrants, all blue-collar folks who had very little, yeah, but they they wanted to share with others and they make the cookies. And I think it's part of the DNA of the people who are in my community to want to do good for others and give to them. And so we always take on community projects a few times a year where we come together to bake cookies for an organization or a cause. And uh over the years, we've supported the metastatic breast cancer group. I mean, these are people, men and women with metastatic breast cancer uh who put this fundraiser together. They're really raising money to save their lives because 100% of what they raise goes to pay for research. And um we sent a massive cookie table out to Uvalde after the shooting there. And uh the the grievan community came together to experience that. So when we had the um Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, that was the first community event we did. We sent a cookie table to the zone four police crew. Um they were the first responders, the first one in. So a few times a year we look for causes like that.

Doug 29:23

Incredible work.

Laura 29:24

We can't take on everyone. I get asked all the time, would you do a cookie? We can't take them all on, but we do some.

Doug 29:31

Yeah. I can't think of a better thing during these sort of crazy times.

Laura 29:35

Right. Yeah, right. Uh because cookies bring people together and make people happy. So and that that I think is something that people in this community really like getting involved with.

Doug 29:45

Well, I think it's back to creating joy and good humanity. Again, when I look at your page, that's what I feel beyond the cookies.

Laura 29:54

Well, that makes me happy because then you're capturing the true essence of this community. And people tell me time and time again that they like coming to the community because it's positive and uplifting and it brings out the best in people. And right now, in these times, there's enough sadness and controversy that this is a a break for people.

Doug 30:18

Absolutely. I love what you're doing. Thank you. Why don't we do this, Laura? If we have some listeners out there that are not part of your group yet, let's remind them of the social places and the website

Where To Join And Cookie Calculator

Doug 30:32

where they can go and visit and learn more about it or join it.

Laura 30:35

Sure. On Facebook, the name of the group is the Wedding Cookie Table Community. So if they type that in, we should come up. There are a couple of other groups, imposter groups that will come up that, but they're not going to have 409,000 members in them. And uh and then if they want to go to see the website, uh, and I could tell you quickly something I just added to the website. The website is just the weddingcookie table.com. So it's a shorter name. And um, one of the questions that I get asked a lot is how many cookies per person do I need for my event?

Doug 31:16

Oh, the cookie calculator.

Laura 31:17

I just came up with a cookie calculator, and that's hard putting something like that out to the public because you don't know how it's going to go, but it's being well received. So somebody can just enter, you know. I I ask them four questions, and and I can come pretty close and tell me how many cookies per person you probably need.

Doug 31:38

I saw the calculator. I didn't try it.

Laura 31:40

Oh, you got to try it.

Doug 31:41

Okay, I will try it.

Laura 31:42

Tell me what you think.

Doug 31:43

Well, I love that. And truly, what a help. So many people don't know what to order, how many, how many to make.

Laura 31:49

They have no idea. And um, if you if you, you know, uh a rule of thumb in in our area, in the Pittsburgh area, is a dozen per person.

Doug 31:58

Oh.

Laura 31:58

Now that doesn't mean you're gonna sit at the wedding and eat 12 cookies, but you're probably going to take them home and have some for breakfast the next day. That's right. But some people have no problem eating a dozen cookies at a wedding. So that's a good number. But then if you have the tradition for people who have never had a cookie table before, and people are shy and they're embarrassed to go up and take cookies, they might only take two or three, and that's okay too. So you don't have to make a dozen and waste them. I'm I'm on the higher side. Now I have a question for you. Oh, okay. Do you want to guess what is the most popular cookie on the cookie table?

Doug 32:40

Hmm. I mean, I'm just gonna say the ones that I hear people ask about, Ladylops.

Laura 32:46

Yes, that's Lady Locks. You got it. Oh what do I win? You win, I'll bring you Lady Locks. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. You know, and the thing that I say to people, we take for granted when you walk into a bakery in our area, what you see there, take it for granted. If you hop on a plane and you go to Florida or Texas or any other state, you're not gonna find those cookies.

Doug 33:10

It is not the same.

Laura 33:12

These are our regional specialties, and and it's it's something, just like people think everybody everywhere has a cookie table, they think you're gonna go somewhere and find a ladylock and a buckeye and a peach cookie, and you're not.

Doug 33:24

Not true.

Laura 33:25

Not true, right?

Doug 33:26

What we have is special, it is, and I love that we're sharing it, but it's ours.

Laura 33:31

It is, it is, and the secret is getting out.

Doug 33:34

It is, Laura. It's been so great to talk with you about all things cookies.

Laura 33:39

Thank you.

Doug 33:40

We are coming towards the end of our time. I always have an ending question for our guests on the show.

Laura 33:47

Okay.

Doug 33:47

The name of the show is The Pittsburgh Dish. What's the best dish you've had to eat this past week?

Laura 33:56

Ooh, it's gotta be pasta. Pasta. That's it. What was it? Uh it was it was a basic penne. It was just a penne, but you know, with a good sauce on it. And uh, I've been craving polenta.

Doug 34:12

Okay.

Laura 34:13

And uh in memory of my mom, but I I couldn't find I I I was too lazy to make it, even though it's not that hard. So it's got it's gotta be Italian for me.

Doug 34:22

Well, I was gonna say, this is your upbringing, right?

Laura 34:24

All four of my grandparents were the boat over here, so it's gotta be it's gotta be Italian.

Doug 34:29

With penne with a good sauce. Yes. Sounds like a great bite.

Laura 34:32

I'm happy with some grated cheese.

Doug 34:34

Yeah. Laura Magone of The Wedding Cookie Table Community. Thank you so much for sharing all about your group and the story of it. And thanks for being on The Pittsburgh Dish.

Laura 34:47

Oh, I enjoyed it. Thanks for having me. Uh you're letting me talk about my favorite thing, so thank you.

Doug 34:52

Oh. Up

Healthy Break With LiveFresh Juicery

Doug 34:55

next, if you need a break from cookies and are on the search for something healthy, Caleb of Cravings with Caleb knows a place. Hey Caleb, how are you today? I'm great. How are you? I'm great. I was wondering if you've had um a recent food stop that you're like, I just love going here because it's refreshing. Maybe it's a little healthier, we're moving into warmer weather. Is there a spot or a business that comes to mind?

Caleb 35:21

I love Live Fresh so much. They're they're really, really great people and they have amazing smoothie options. They have asai bowls, they make all their own juices.

Doug 35:33

I'm just gonna stop you for a second.

Caleb 35:35

I know I've seen Live Fresh Juicery. Juicery, yes.

Doug 35:38

Is there one in Regent Square?

Caleb 35:40

There's one in Regent Square, Robinson, one in Northside, and one downtown.

Doug 35:45

Oh my gosh.

Caleb 35:46

Yeah, so they have four locations. I think they used to have a homestead location and they moved it to Regent Square. Okay. Yeah. Um, and this is a local, like small business, right? It's not a child. They have a couple locations, but they have great options. Everything is super fresh. They use like no preservatives or additives, anything. So when you're going there, it's actually like all the nutrients and yummy stuff. Yeah. Um, and they have like pressed juices that they make, um, which are like also shelf stable. So if you grab some, you can be like, oh, keep them in the fridge for a little bit. But like I said, they have great smoothies, they have asai bowls, they have, I believe they're um partnered with the Steelers now. So they um like provide them with like smoothies and stuff during practice. I think they're doing a lot of really cool stuff. So they're definitely one to check out.

Doug 36:37

When you go, do you have any go-to order or a particular smoothie that you like?

Caleb 36:43

There's a juice I love so much. It's called Don't Stop the Beet. And it's a gorgeous beet color. Oh, and I'm not a big beet guy, but it's it's just like light and a little citrusy, and it's really once I drink one, I'm like, I'm taking over the world. Like it, you just feel like so good. So definitely recommend.

Doug 37:05

Live Fresh Juicery.

Caleb 37:06

Yes.

Doug 37:07

They've got four locations around the city and perfect as we get into these warmer months. It sounds so refreshing.

Caleb 37:14

Yeah.

Doug 37:14

Yeah. Thank you so much. Of course. Thank you for having me. You can follow Caleb on Instagram at cravings with Caleb. Now, if you're surrounded by cookies in your everyday business, what are you craving after work? Nick of Inside Out Cookie shares a favorite meal.

Nick’s Comfort Meal After Cookies

Doug 37:33

Hey, we're joined today with Nick of Inside Out Cookie. Nick, when we were here last, we talked all about your business, about eating cookies, about the different flavors that you have and the fillings inside the cookie. I always like to ask business owners like you when you're not in the shop or out eating cookies and selling cookies, do you have a dish that you crave that you just love as a go-to at home that's maybe not on the sweet side? Yeah.

Nick 38:00

My mom's meatloaf.

Doug 38:02

Oh, yeah. What makes mom's meatloaf so special to you?

Nick 38:06

It's just comfortable.

Doug 38:08

Yeah?

Nick 38:08

Yeah. I mean, I it anytime she asks if she can make me something, it's gonna be meatloaf. Every time. Yeah, unless I say cookies.

Doug 38:16

Yeah. On your cookie day off.

Nick 38:18

My mom's cookies. I don't care how much I study cookieology, my mom's cookies will always be better than that. Made with love.

Doug 38:24

Oh, I want to ask more about this meatloaf, though. Like, did she do the ketchupy thing on top? Oh, yeah. She does. Definitely.

Nick 38:30

Oh. Yeah, it's it's you gotta have that. You have to, yes.

Doug 38:33

Now, is this something that you will have just as a meal itself, or will you ask for the leftovers and do a meatloaf sandwich? Sure. Yeah. Yeah.

Nick 38:40

Well, I mean, as hard as I might try, I can't eat the whole thing at once. That's a lot, right? She'll make you one and you'll take it home. Yeah. And that's great too, because meatloaf is always good the next day, even better sometimes. Yeah, yeah. Flavors all come together.

Doug 38:53

And I love that. Meatloaf sandwich hot or cold? Hot. Oh. See, I like this. Yeah. But see, now when we're getting the into the hot territory, I need like gravy on mine. For sure. Or like toasted bread and mayonnaise. That's my that's my idea. Yeah.

Nick 39:06

How do you have I've never I've never had mayonnaise. Never had mayonnaise? On a meatloaf sandwich, no.

Doug 39:11

Okay.

Nick 39:11

No. I'm a mayonnaise guy, don't get me wrong. Okay. I like mayonnaise on sandwiches. We won't fight.

Doug 39:18

All right, mom's meatloaf. I would love if you could part with some of the magic and get me that recipe. I can get it. That would be amazing. Nick of Inside Out Cookie, thanks for talking about mom's meatloaf. Absolutely. I'll always talk about my mom's meatloaf. Thank you so much for being on the Pittsburgh Dish. Thank you for having me. If you enjoyed the show, we would love for you to become a monthly monetary supporter. Just click the link at the bottom of this show's description or visit our website at Pittsburghdish.com and tap the support button. 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.