106 Chef Jackie Page - American Soul on a Plate

A chef’s career can start early, or it can ignite the moment someone finally tells you, “You can do this.” Chef Jackie Page joins us to share the real story behind her Pittsburgh food journey, from years in restaurants to returning to culinary school at 47 with her sister’s help and belief. 

We dig into what Jackie is known for in Pittsburgh catering and private chef work, including shrimp and grits and roasted chicken that falls off the bone. She also breaks down how she plans menus with clients, why buffets can be smarter than plated dinners, and how temperature and timing can make food more enjoyable, not less. 

Then the conversation turns to one of the most meaningful chapters of her career: opening Love Rocks Cafe in McKees Rocks and pivoting during the pandemic to produce meals for the community. We also learn about her work with Table Magazine, Babesburgh, and her growing role in the beer world through Pink Boots Society and brewing education. 

To close, Ana Eats PGH hands us an easy Lawrenceville date night: Pizza Lupo for hot honey perfection, then Millie’s for a cool end to the evening.

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Transcript

Doug 0:00

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. Is there a special person in your life that's given you that push to go for more? For Chef Jackie Page, it was her sister that inspired a career into culinary. We learn all about Chef Jackie's vast experience in food. And later in the show, does a neighborhood visit sound like a great date night? Ana takes us to Lawrenceville. All that ahead, stay tuned. Well,

Meet Chef Jackie Page

Doug 0:34

thank you so much for coming over and for being on the show. Would you introduce yourself to our listeners? And what you have going on right now in the world of food.

Jackie 0:45

Okay. Well, my name is Jackie Page. I am a chef and a former restaurant owner. That was the best new restaurant the year I owned it. It was called Love Rocks Cafe. And then I transitioned from that into some catering.

Doug 0:59

Yes.

Jackie 1:00

And now just more private chef stuff. But I also um do content for table magazines. Yes. And they actually have me writing a couple stories here and there, which is exciting because I've never considered myself. I used to write poetry, but I never considered myself a store, you know, a writer. How wonderful. Yeah, that's fun. So this is my third year in the How to Pittsburgh Table magazine. I've done, well, this year I did two articles, a Soul Food article and my third year writing this beer article. Excellent. And it's always my top 10 beers in the city, which is fun because then I get to go around and try the beer. This is sort of the perks of our world. Yeah, and then I work at Burghers Brewing down in Millville. Okay. And I am my daughter, I have a daughter at home with special needs, so I'm her caregiver. Okay. And um interesting. Oh, and I'm on the board of Babesburgh.

Doug 1:56

So I haven't attended a lot of what Babesburg is doing.

Jackie 1:59

You have to fill me in. And it's a good time. I mean, we have a ball. There's so many vendors and women, it's women vendors. And then we have uh beer collaborations, we have cocktails, we have a small farmer's market, exercise, dance. Yeah.

Doug 2:16

Chef Jackie, you're kind of in some ways the way I feel about myself. You've got your hands in so many things. Yeah. I wasn't exactly sure beyond catering uh what else you were doing. So we just saw each other at uh an event at Trace Brewing, and you were the caterer. Yes. It was delicious.

Jackie 2:33

I'm glad you enjoyed it. So good. Those meatballs. Those are I so I those meatballs are um something that I was doing for a group that was here from Uganda.

Doug 2:46

I would say Ugandan meatballs.

Jackie 2:48

They were Ugandan meatballs, but I kind of did my a little twist on them. Well, you have to. I don't like to use the exact recipe, but what was fascinating was the woman who was from Uganda that was in charge of this group, she said, This is better than I have at home. Oh. Which same that is. Well, I always I never want to put anything out that I don't think is, you know. Well, there's a lot of, you know, just okay food, but it's because you find something, you like it, and you stick with it. To me, I like the most authentic of whatever. So if I want a taco, I'm going to go and get it from where it's the most authentic of the taco.

Doug 3:31

Yes.

Jackie 3:31

If I want Italian, I'm gonna get it from the I'm hoping that the person has a strong Italian accent. Yeah. You know, I want the food to be made by the people who actually it's their their food. I appreciate that so much. Appropriating is not really, I mean, I do a lot of different things, but my core style of food, I call it American soul. Yes. So I kind of do everything that you would be able to find in America, but I put that little, you know, that little soul on it to make it even better.

Doug 4:04

Well, you led me to my next question. I wanted to talk about your food, and I mean you've been doing this for a while. So gotta be some things that you're proud of or known for, or most requested. Do you have things in your repertoire that just kind of come up again and again?

Jackie 4:23

My shrimp and grits. Oh, I saw a picture of that recently. My shrimp and grits is up there. I do a cranberry and rosemary chicken. Oh, that is really good. And um, any of my roasted chicken dishes, they're just amazing because you it it falls off the bone and it's just delicious. I would, I don't know. There's I have a few things, but not like crazy. Like I really like to create the menu for with the person that the event is for, yes, to um what I do is crazy. I tell them to close their eyes and tell me what they see on the buffet.

Doug 4:58

Oh.

Jackie 4:59

And then they give me a few ideas and then I stick in a few things just to round it out because I like to do buffets, especially like what the one you had the other day.

Doug 5:08

Yes.

Jackie 5:08

Where there's some hot, there's some cold, and then there's some just room temperature things. Like with charcuterie, those things right out of the refrigerator aren't how you want to eat them. No. You want the cheese to warm a little and you want the meats to get a little bit loose and not, you know. Yeah, not too tight from the fridge. Exactly. Yeah. And you, it's just like, even like with some beers, people think that the beer always has to be ice cold. Some beers are better when they sit a couple minutes and you let them, you know. I don't know why, but it it back in the day when I first started drinking beer, I thought the beer needs to be ice cold. Yeah, everyone does. But I have learned that that's not the case, and that's not the case with all food. It doesn't have to be hot or cold. You can have delicious bites that are perfect for room temperature. Like that mushroom and gruyer cheese tartlet.

Doug 6:00

Yeah, so for our listeners, you served this tartlet. It was sort of a puff pastry. Yes. And mushrooms, great, onions. You had little squares of it, so

Signature Dishes and Smart Buffet Design

Doug 6:10

it's like easy to pick up. Yeah. It looked elevated. It was like very lovely. And it was perfect. Like the whole time we were at this event was over a couple of hours. Yeah. It was still good at the beginning and at the end.

Jackie 6:20

At the end. Yeah. Because you can't all I mean, trying to keep everything hot or trying to keep everything cold. Too hard. Impossible. Yeah. So you just do a little bit of that, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

Doug 6:31

Well, I also think for the eater, those different temperatures, it's just more engaging, yeah. More exciting to try all those things. Exactly. You have me thinking too, you said you you alluded to the fact you've been doing this a while. Yes. I have read a little bit about you before we met, and you went back to culinary school when a lot of people would say, Nope.

Jackie 6:53

I was 47.

Doug 6:54

I was 45. My goodness.

Jackie 6:57

My sister was living in uh South Carolina, and she moved back to Pittsburgh. And I was just working in restaurants. I have in restaurants since I was 15. And she said, I don't know why you just don't go back to culinary school. And I said, Because I need to work. I can't go to school and pay my bills and uh take care of my business while I'm in school. She said, Well, I I will take care of your rent.

Doug 7:22

Oh.

Jackie 7:23

And you take care of your utilities, and I'll get you through school.

Doug 7:28

Wow.

Jackie 7:28

And she did that. And during that time, she was diagnosed with cancer. And um she was, she came to my graduation, and even though she, I mean, she was she was okay at that time because it was about a year, but she um I could hear her screaming my name when they when they called. She said, That's my sister. Oh so I get my degree and I start working, and um I couldn't get a job anywhere.

Doug 7:54

Interesting.

Jackie 7:55

Nobody, the only place that hired me was Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grill.

Doug 8:00

Oh, okay.

Jackie 8:00

No but I applied for 50 restaurants and I they would not hire me, I guess, because they thought I was too old, and a lot of kitchens don't care for women chefs.

Doug 8:10

Yeah. They want you, you know, I don't know when men took over the cooking, but in the in the professional sense, it is odd because we all grow up and it's usually a much more maternal. All the ladies in the household tended to cook, but when you look from a professional level, it's so much more of a male-dominated, or it has been definitely it has been.

Jackie 8:31

I mean, in Pittsburgh, what is really nice is there are a lot of women who are doing a lot of great things. A lot of great things. And what I really am pushing for is more diversity behind the line. Yes. Um, and not just your cooks, you know, just not like you can't um have great cooks and never acknowledge them. Yeah, like you said, like if you get a uh award for your restaurant, you actually have to say, these people are who made this happen.

Doug 9:00

It's the team.

Jackie 9:01

Yeah, you can't be like, oh, I own the restaurant and I'm the executive chef. Because you know, in most executive chef situations, the executive chef does no cooking.

Doug 9:08

They're not cooking, yeah. It's the chef de cuisine and below, right?

Jackie 9:12

All those people, the prep and uh even a dish. Like those people are the ones who make your restaurant great. You need to have all those things going. Exactly. Yeah, and I'm gonna tell you, um, I go to Luke Wholey's probably twice a week. Oh it's uh I call it my dive bar. Though it is not a dive bar at all. It's my dive bar.

Doug 9:31

But you love it still, you're not there anymore.

Jackie 9:34

No, I was there for a few months and then I just thought about that. I wanted to do my own thing.

Doug 9:42

Yes.

Jackie 9:42

So

Love Rocks Cafe and Pandemic Pivot

Jackie 9:43

I took the $1,500 that I had and I talked to some people, and there's a young lady named Lydia Morin. She worked with um the FOR over in McKees Rocks, and she said, we have a great little space, come check it out. I ended up moving to McKees Rocks and opening up the place. I moved in to McKees Rocks in October and opened the place up in February.

Doug 10:08

And this was Love Rocks.

Jackie 10:10

Love Rocks Cafe.

Doug 10:11

This is about 2019.

Jackie 10:13

2019 is when I opened February 19th, 2019.

Doug 10:16

And is your sister Raquel still with us at this point?

Jackie 10:19

No, she passed away um April of April 14th of 2015. Oh my. Yeah.

Doug 10:26

So was that a motivator too along the way? Oh, yeah.

Jackie 10:34

Everything that I do is because of her, you know, saying, girl, you can do this.

Doug 10:39

She was like, I believed in you. Yeah. Absolutely.

Jackie 10:42

I mean, she would come from South Carolina and be like, we're in Beckley, West Virginia, which meant start cooking. So I had these wings that I caught. I still make them. Um, they're Raquel's three-hour wings.

Doug 10:55

Oh.

Jackie 10:55

So basically, you you take your wings, season them, put them in a pan, and cover them for an hour at 325.

Doug 11:01

Real low temperature.

Jackie 11:02

Real low. And then um take the lid off, cook them for another hour at that same temperature. Then cover them with whatever kind of sauce. I usually do a barbecue honey sauce. And then bake them down. I would, they're not really three hours, they're probably like two and a half, two forty-five.

Doug 11:20

But still, because it's like a dark meat, it has all that connective tissue, it can handle like the 325 for that long.

Jackie 11:26

And it really helps render that fat off. Yes. It keeps the chicken wing juicy. Juicy. So the skin is, you know, crispy enough for not crispy, but you know, cooked enough that you can just bite the wing and eat the whole thing. Because I'm not a skin person. I will peel the skin off unless it's a fried chicken breast. Yes, yes. But I don't eat a lot of fried food. So if I get if you see me with fried food, it's good fried. It must be good. It has to be. Yeah.

Doug 11:54

Oh, well, I love that idea of the low, slow cooked wing.

Jackie 11:57

Yeah, you'll have to try them. I know. It's easy. You just season them with whatever you like and throw them in the oven. I love that. Such a timer.

Doug 12:05

Let's get back to the restaurant for a moment. So it opens. Nobody knows what's going to go on in 2020. Right. Right. So you open in 2019. Yes. Tell us a little bit more about it. What was the response? What were you doing there in terms of uh any specialties back to American Soul cooking?

Jackie 12:23

Yes, I was doing ribs and greens and mac and cheese and yams, and these are things you could get every day. But then I also had club sandwiches and lasagnas, spaghetti, and I would just mix it up, you know. Try there were some things that were there every day, but then there were some things that I would see, oh, this didn't sell so well, you know. Right. You're making changes.

Doug 12:43

Yeah. Especially in that first year.

Jackie 12:45

Right. And then you're mixing it up. And that first year, then we get to I'm planning my first anniversary, and here comes Mr. Covet. Oh, yeah, the shutdown. With his mess. So that was a year in, and I thought, how am I gonna make this work? Right. So at the time I was working with an organization, and they started connecting me with the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, uh United Way, 412 Food Rescue. Yes. They would um they were feeding the community. So they would pay me, and I wasn't selling meals to the community for like two years. I was just making food and they would send people or I would deliver it. You were almost like a kitchen for them. Yes. So we were just putting food out to people who need it because people weren't working, weren't getting any income. So we were just putting food out. And in that two years, I put about 40,000 meals into the community.

Doug 13:46

My goodness.

Jackie 13:46

And that's McKees Rock. Some went to Aetna because even Aetna's um mayor, who is a friend of mine, I've done some catering for him, but he was like, I'm jumping on this. He was like, give us a hundred meals, you know, and we'll pass them out in Etna. Everybody kind of came together. Yeah, it was I like that almost better than the interaction every day at the cafe. Yes.

Doug 14:10

Where you just have, you know, you're doing this amount.

Jackie 14:13

Yes. The most that I've ever put out in one day was 640 meals.

Doug 14:18

Let me just stop, Jackie, for a second. How many folks are working with you during this time?

Jackie 14:23

I do all the cooking. Nobody cooks. I will have people come in and help me package it up and get it, bag it, and get it out to the car. But nobody cooks anything. When you get food from me, I have cooked it all. Nobody has touched anything. All you because the consistency is a big deal. Yeah. And um, people like to take liberties. Right. So we're not taking liberties with my food.

Doug 14:48

This is your quality control.

Jackie 14:50

And people are paying for what I bring, not what your idea of that is. So, you know, it just it worked out really well, and it kept me from myself being in a position of being on the street because we're we're I wouldn't been able to pay my rent.

Doug 15:07

I mean, you were uh just a fledgling business at the moment. And you know, a lot of folks that were even in the game for a long time figuring out how to pivot and do more takeout, and even still then it was really, really tough. So was that situation uh a moment then when you said you liked just the cooking and sending out? Did that get catering in your head in some way?

Jackie 15:27

No, because actually I was catering before. Okay. Then the restaurant I cut down, but then I was catering as well when it like when the pandemic ended. I kind of was still catering for people, and then I had the contract in the building. So if they had an event, I would cater that. I mean, I my daughter's wedding was in the building, and I catered my daughter's wedding. I gave her away and took care. I mean, you would have thought I was a crazy person, but I did everything for her wedding and it turned out beautiful. But when I look back on it, I was like, you know, you could have let somebody do something.

Doug 16:04

Uh to yourself, is this your own self-talk? Well, yeah, because you could have enjoyed it a little bit more.

Jackie 16:09

I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to the kitchen. What? Yeah, it's it's probably my worst attribute for other people because I know I get on other people's nerves with how I am when I'm in the kitchen. Well, you know how you want something to be. Yes. Right. I do.

Doug 16:27

And then you take command of it. I mean, I think you're doing a smart thing by saying, I'm the one that cooks. Yes. Nobody else cooks.

Jackie 16:33

Yes. Hi, this is Chef Jackie Page, and you're listening to The Pittsburgh Dish.

Doug 16:39

What happens after the pandemic?

Jackie 16:42

So after the pandemic, I go back to doing regular business and catering. And then um the Fettermans at the time, John Fetterman was the lieutenant governor.

Doug 16:52

Yes.

Jackie 16:53

So uh they took me to New Orleans uh twice to represent the state.

Doug 16:58

What?

Jackie 16:58

In the great American seafood competition. So I went down there twice and did that, which was super exciting because I got to meet chefs from what was only it was lieutenant governors from United States prop, you know, territories. Yes. So there were chefs from Guam, there were chefs from Puerto Rico, amazing. You know, it was so there were never any more than 20. Okay. But it was just a great weekend because we hung out, and what I thought was nice about it is they paid for the airfare, the hotel, you know, then you had to bring your um food and stuff or anything. You could ship it. I got my food from Wholeys.

Doug 17:35

Yes.

Jackie 17:35

And uh put it all together and shipped it down, and then they had a cold storage truck when we got there. So when I got to New Orleans, I could go and check and make sure that my product was there and good. And then most everything else I needed, I could get in New Orleans. So I found a beautiful little co-op. And I actually, when I went to New Orleans, I went to New Orleans about a month ago for barrels on a bayou. And I wanted to go there because I did a brunch in New Orleans for some friends. And I was like, you know what? You don't have to go to the co-op. You could just get the groceries.

Doug 18:05

Yes, yes.

Jackie 18:06

But I love a smaller shopping opportunity. Yeah.

Doug 18:10

And and supporting local there. Yeah. Supporting local so much.

Jackie 18:13

I mean, they're fresh vegetables and stuff. I mean, the grocery store is cool, but the stuff that you get at the co-op is more, I don't know what it is, but it I guess probably because it's um organic and more or just closer to the field, from the farm to the field to the store. Because I don't mind there being a little dirt on my food when I get it.

Doug 18:32

You know it's real.

Jackie 18:32

If it's waxy, I know it's been through the process. That's right. That's right. So yeah, we don't do that.

Doug 18:37

No. What I've noticed more recently on your Instagram is you you do a lot of catering setups at a lot of the different breweries, too. Is that right?

Jackie 18:45

Yeah. So at one time I was doing like little charcuterie boxes and dropping them off at places and they would sell them. And then um Babesburgh is how I end up in the breweries. Oh, okay. Because we do these brunches.

Doug 18:58

Yes.

Jackie 18:58

So we have one this Sunday at CoSar. So um I figure out a menu and that's in Aetna as well. Yes. Yeah. So I'm gonna um I'm just you know, I try to do something different because we get this kind of sometimes we have probably maybe 10 people that come every time because they love it. Yes, especially if there's gonna be brunch, they're like, oh, I'm there. So I try to like what we had uh shrimp and grits and uh potatoes and eggs and breakfast meat and stuff, you know, and then I do pastries and quiche and whatever I can, you know, whatever I can come up with. So this week is gonna be um breakfast casserole.

Doug 19:37

Okay.

Jackie 19:38

So I'll do like potatoes on the bottom and then eggs and veggies and cheese and all bake it together. Bake together.

Doug 19:44

Delicious.

Jackie 19:45

Yeah.

Doug 19:45

I find that even stuff like that can be hot to room temperature and it serves pretty well.

Jackie 19:50

Yeah.

Doug 19:50

Yeah.

Jackie 19:51

I'm gonna sterno it up, but if the sterno burns out, it'll still be good.

Doug 19:55

Yeah.

Jackie 19:55

I'm gonna eat it. I would.

Doug 19:58

And for Table Magazine, how long have you been working with them now?

Jackie 20:03

I'm gonna say about five years. Wow. Yeah.

Doug 20:07

Amazing.

Jackie 20:07

Yeah, it just started off like um could I do some like holiday sides? Yes. And then I put some things together, I bring it, they take pictures, and then they take great pictures. They do. They make your food. I copy off of as much as I can because I've learned so much about how to make the pictures look better. Yes, the styling. Yes. Then it just, you know, they kind of were liking it, and so we just continued. But the writing part just came in kind of organically on the back of that.

Doug 20:37

Okay.

Jackie 20:37

Yeah.

Doug 20:38

So how fun. I mean, like that's a whole new thing for you more recently. Yeah.

Jackie 20:42

Yeah. And it's not me, it's like my knees and my hips and my ankles aren't hurting and my back from so I was a stay-at-home mom because as I said, I have a daughter with special needs. So there were times where I didn't work. So my retirement is not set up. Yes, you know, as good as I need it to be. So then I can do these types of jobs that pay me.

Doug 21:04

Yeah.

Jackie 21:04

And it builds towards, you know, it helps that.

Doug 21:07

So smart.

Jackie 21:08

Yeah. And then I can do that's why I can have five jobs. Right.

Doug 21:12

Well, you're doing a little bit of all these fun things in different places.

Jackie 21:15

Yes. And I'm even brewing beer.

Doug 21:18

Amazing.

Jackie 21:18

Yeah, I'm I'm on the I'm with Pink Boots Society. So I would be considered a brewer because I work in the brew industry and I have been to Point Park's Brew School. Okay. I um got a scholarship from the Pittsburgh Brewers Council. Okay. That's what it's called.

Doug 21:39

I don't know.

Jackie 21:40

There's so many things. But yeah, so I got that scholarship and it was a 10-week program. You went twice a week and you learned, and then we brewed a beer, and people got to taste it. Incredible. So that's what I've been doing. Last week I brewed two beers, one with Aslan and one with low level. That was two weeks ago. Wow. And those are one is for babes, birth. And one is for Pink Boots Society's party next Saturday, the 23rd, and Mike's Beer Bar.

Doug 22:07

I don't know if this will come out before those events, but we'll say it anyway. Keep an eye out for Babesburg events and Pink Boots. I don't know Pink Boots.

Jackie 22:18

Pink Boot Society is basically a group of women who work in the beer industry. Okay. And it's basically a way for us to get more involved and learn more about the industry and to support more women in getting into the brew industry. You're breaking all these barriers down the whole time you've been in your career. But I really am only have been doing what I love. I really don't think of it like barriers. I'm just like, oh, this is what I want to do today. So I I'm gonna do it.

Doug 22:47

Well, yes, but I think just that, just because you've just gone out and you've done it. Yeah. And some people are intimidated to do those things because of walls they see.

Jackie 22:56

Yeah. Yeah. I definitely don't let walls keep me. I love that. I mean, if as soon as somebody says no to me, I'm like, oh that's the motivator, right? Yeah, I'm like, you you think I can't do this? Well, I'm gonna show you that I can.

Doug 23:10

Just thinking about your motivation today, all of this cooking, food, and you know, now the the beer and brewing, what was life like growing up in terms of cooking? Was this always a passion from an early age? Were you cooking at an early age? Did you have folks cooking for you and teaching you things?

Jackie 23:27

My father was a cook in the Marines and he could cook. And my mother was the best cook ever. If you I mean, you know how you go to somebody's house and they put out a whole table full of food and you get a little of that and a little of that, and you're like, oh, that's good, and you go back for something. Everything on her table, you went back for and my mother was an excellent cook. So you had both parents who knew how to cook and do it well. Yes. And then grandmothers that cooked. So, and my grandmother had eight, my father's eight siblings. Okay, and my mother is five, so they they cook families every day. And we all strangely enough, both of my families uh lived in the same neighborhood. So it was a small neighborhood in North for Sales. It's actually the first incorporated black neighborhood. This is when they grew up, yes, North for Sales. And it's called Crestus Terrace. It's actually the second highest point in Allegheny County. So if you stand at a certain place, not even at the highest point, but you can see downtown and uh Kennywood and all the way over to wherever. But 4th of July when those fireworks, you see everything, and it's the best. It's the best. It was the best neighborhood to grow up in because I had my cousins and everybody was friends, everybody knew everything, everybody, and it was like there were families. And then those families married into the families. Like my daughter could never date anybody from the neighborhood because she's essentially related to everybody. It was so tight-knit. Very tight-knit. It's and now it's not the same. There are still people that are original people from the neighborhood. Yeah. Like my my mother's sister lives in my grandmother's house. My cousin lives next door to her.

Doug 25:13

Of course.

Jackie 25:14

In our Aunt Pearl's house. So Aunt Pearl wasn't actually a relative, but she was like family. Yeah. She was Aunt Pearl. Yeah, it was just a great neighborhood to grow up in. So we there was always something going on in the neighborhood. We had fairs and the fire hall was doing things, and it was just always people were always cooking. Always cooking. Always cooking.

Doug 25:38

What's your first memory of cooking yourself?

Jackie 25:42

Um, I'm gonna say, like just standing next to my mother.

Doug 25:46

Yeah.

Jackie 25:46

You know, most I remember baking with my grandmother though. Uh huh. So she made a lemon meringue pie that never had a recipe that I can make today without a recipe that tastes exactly like hers. Don't ask me how. But it's the best lemon meringue pie you would ever have.

Doug 26:01

Did she just do it from memory? Yeah. Nothing written down.

Jackie 26:04

Nothing. Because here's the thing about a lemon meringue pie. You could say you need a cup of lemon juice, but the is the lemons tart? Are they sweeter? Right. You need to know how to taste it. You have to taste it to know that it's going to be, you know, if it's tart enough, you know, just like the meringue, not over whipping the meringue. Right.

Doug 26:23

Or a humid day. Yes. All those things.

Jackie 26:26

I used to love the way her pies looked on the counter because after she would put it in the oven to make the meringue have that little brown on it. That's what my mom did. Would get that little, little white, I mean the little circle bubbles of yes.

Doug 26:37

The golden bubbles that run. That was the best. I know that.

Jackie 26:41

That's how I know it was the perfect pie. Oh. Was so good. So good. I might make a lemon meringue pie this weekend. Oh, well, I hope I inspired you. No, you go, I'm gonna call you. You have to come by and get a piece. Okay.

Doug 26:52

We'll make it happen.

Jackie 26:54

Absolutely.

Doug 26:55

So from there, you know, food was in your blood. And then you just said you had worked in restaurants so much of your life.

Jackie 27:01

First place I ever worked was a hot dog shop.

Doug 27:03

Wow.

Jackie 27:04

Yeah, it actually was um the it was like called the original hot dog. And it was on Route 30, where now would be where McDonald's is, where McDonald's is not anymore because they closed it. But up there by Walmart and that Great Valley shopping center area. And I've worked, I've worked Nigro's, which was one of the big Italian restaurants. I worked there for years, went from just being a server to being the main banquet um person for like when people would come in and have funerals or whatever. I would take care of it. I'd work two days a week and make the money I was making in five. So I was like, yeah, let's do this over here.

Doug 27:43

But you had all this experience, but it was finally your sister kind of pushing you at age like 45. Yeah. You're like, you need to go and just take this all seriously.

Jackie 27:51

Yeah. And I thought when I got there with all these young kids, but then there I got to some of the classes and saw that there were people older than me.

Doug 28:00

Where did you go to college? I went to CCAC. Wonderful.

Jackie 28:02

Yeah. Yeah. Great program. They've re-launched their kitchen. They have a beautiful kitchen now. I

Soft Life Goals and How To Book

Jackie 28:08

mean, the space that they had before was great, but this new one is just even better. Top notch. Yeah. Yeah.

Doug 28:14

So, Jackie, now at this point in your life, what is ahead for you in your mind's eye, in terms of what do you want to do next or goals? Or do you have just any events?

Jackie 28:25

I'm ready for my soft life. Are you? I have been working and taking care of for a long time. Yeah. So, I mean, my mother had cancer and I supported her through that. My sister, when she moved back home, she had cancer. I supported her through that. I have a daughter with special needs. I mean, I've I've just have been a caregiver. Yes. So I would just like to be in a place where I'm cared for.

Doug 28:51

Yeah.

Jackie 28:51

You know, I mean, I know I'm cared for, but in a true sense where somebody actually wakes up in the morning and says, I wonder if she's okay.

Doug 28:59

Checking in on you. Yeah.

Jackie 29:01

Yeah. Not anything that they have to physically do or financially do. Just to know that people actually care about you besides what you can bring to them in a, you know, for an event or genuinely just being on their mind.

Doug 29:17

Yes. What about food life? What would you like uh next for yourself? Uh do you want to still do catering for a bit? Do you want to keep doing the table magazine thing?

Jackie 29:27

Oh, I want to stay doing table as long as I can. Yeah. Until they don't want me, I'm I'm gonna be there. I just want to do smaller things like 50 and under, more private chef type things.

Doug 29:39

That's what you were telling me. You're like, no more 200 people at last.

Jackie 29:43

I can't. I can't. And I the older I get, I hate to say it, but I'm just turning into a grumpy old lady. And I just can't. I mean, 12 and 14 hour days at this point is just a lot. And I thought I could go until 65 because I'm 61. But I don't, I just want to be, I still want to cook because I love it. I could imagine in my life. Yeah.

Doug 30:09

But I think you're smart in saying, like, you know what, smaller events, and I'll tell you, I don't think 50 is that small in my mind, but you know, you have that that direction you want to go. Yes. You know, you keep doing the things that you love, yes, and you know when to now say no. Yes. So that you can take care of yourself.

Jackie 30:26

Yeah. Because the idea for me now is to do some traveling. Finally got my passport. Congratulations. So the plan is to start hitting the streets. And experience food from somebody else, right?

Doug 30:41

Yes. Just like your New Orleans trips. Yes.

Jackie 30:43

And I love trying new things, having things that I've never. I know it's weird, but I went to Mexico one time. And I went to it was Rosarita, and there was this restaurant. It was just roasted lobster and beans and rice and tortilla. And it was probably the best meal I ever had in my life. But great ingredients done simply but well. Yes. Yeah. Well, you know what James Beard always said. He doesn't like fancy food or whatever this food or that food. He just likes good food. Right. And I wish that they would actually go back to that model because everything is so fancy. Foam and flower. Like, just bring me hot food.

Doug 31:26

Yeah, that's not my style. I I'm not going to say I don't appreciate it. I appreciate it. But I'm not going after it. No, I'm not going to be able to do it. That's not what I'm seeking out most days.

Jackie 31:34

I want a good plate with good hot food and just eat it up. Yeah. But that's that's that's one of the things I really want to do. I want to start actually traveling to cities to have culinary experience.

Doug 31:48

Yeah, do the food adventure. Yeah. Jackie, if someone wants to follow you and your food and maybe reach out if they have that 50 or less event.

Jackie 31:59

I will take more than that. But if I cook for 20, I can cook for 50. It's just as easy.

Doug 32:05

While you've got it in how can people find or follow you? What's the best way to reach out to you?

Jackie 32:11

I would say um Instagram is uh Chef Jackie Page at Jackie Kennedy Catering on Facebook. Or those two.

Doug 32:19

That's it. Yeah. I love it.

Jackie 32:21

412-770-4642 if you just want to call.

Doug 32:26

I love the old-fashioned way. We had Chef Ken on a few weeks back and he's also just gave his numbers. Call me or text me. Well, it's been such a delight to get to know you. I'm glad to have been here. I always have an ending question for our guests. The name of the show is the Pittsburgh Dish. What's the best dish you've had to eat this past week?

Jackie 32:52

Oh, it would be the uh red snapper from Luke Wholey's Alaskan Grill.

Doug 32:57

I love it. I love that.

Jackie 33:02

Oh God. It's just so good. Had your name on it. Yeah. Well, he's I came in because I come in and I go to the kitchen and I say, Hey, what's going on? You know, I literally walk into his kitchen every day. He's like telling me, you know, what's going on, what they got good. I say, what's the specials? You know, even though there's a sign outside and a menu that I never get a menu. They never give me a menu because I know what I'm gonna eat most of the time. Guys, their crab cakes are good. Now, if you want another good dish from there, I would say my second favorite dish is his stuffed salmon. Okay.

Doug 33:35

Oh, never had that.

Jackie 33:37

It has this sauce. Oh my god. So good.

Doug 33:41

These all sound like some of the best bites.

Jackie 33:44

It they're his food is delicious, and I I really like that he is present in his restaurant. When you go there, he's talking to customers, he's on the line, he's doing expo, he's prepping, he's involved. So important. And that is what makes his place so special because he knows what he's putting out. Sometimes people don't know what's going out. He knows.

Doug 34:10

They're gonna hire you as their next marketing manager.

Jackie 34:13

He should. You hear that, Luke? Give me my job.

Doug 34:17

Chef Jackie Page, it has been such a privilege to talk with you today. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming over and thanks for being on The Pittsburgh Dish. I am honored to be here. Up

Lawrenceville Date Night Food Crawl

Doug 34:30

next, does a multi-stop neighborhood visit sound like the perfect date? Anna thinks so. Let's have a listen. We're joined today with Ana Anthony of Ana Eats PGH. Hey. Hi, Ana. Ana, I've noticed a few of your reels actually give more than just like a recommendation sometimes. You kind of give us like a day trip or a date night.

Ana 34:53

That's like my favorite reel to create. Yeah. So it's more than just one place. It's like a whole experience. And I think that people really love that.

Doug 35:00

I think that people are always about the experience. And if I am gonna travel to a neighborhood that's not my own, I wanna hit up a couple different places. Of course. Do you have one recently that's sort of like a fun, easy breezy? It could be a date night or just a fun day.

Ana 35:15

Yeah, Jourdan and I had a really great date night. This was a couple months back. And we went to Lawrenceville. Okay. And we tried Pizza Lupo for the first time, which was really, really wonderful. We loved it.

Doug 35:25

I've heard great things about it.

Ana 35:27

It's really good. If you haven't been there yet, it's definitely a place that you should try. We went to Pizza Lupo. We ate pizza in our car.

Doug 35:33

Of course, because it is a takeout kind of place.

Ana 35:36

It is takeout, and I feel like pizza is best like on the spot right out of the oven.

Doug 35:41

It's true.

Ana 35:42

To the point where I even come home and I have to put it in the air fryer, even if I just got it, you know. So we ate it on the spot in their parking lot.

Doug 35:49

What did you get?

Ana 35:50

Um, well, let me look at my post because it's on here. We got the 10th Warder pizza.

Doug 35:56

The 10th Warder.

Ana 35:57

The 10th Warder. And let me look at my video and see what's on that. Oh my. I'll show you a photo.

Doug 36:04

Ana's showing me a picture and it really looks like uh it's like ricotta, I think hot honey basil. Yeah.

Ana 36:10

It's like pretty simple.

Doug 36:11

It looks like a margarita from a a quick look, but with a little hot honey drizzle.

Ana 36:16

I love a pizza with hot honey. If you have hot honey pizza on your menu, I'm ordering it.

Doug 36:21

Takes it to the next level.

Ana 36:22

I love like sweet and salty combinations, always. That's just always what I'm craving.

Doug 36:27

You have mentioned you have a little bit of a sweet taste.

Ana 36:29

I have a very, very horrible, horrible sweet tooth.

Doug 36:33

Well, that takes me to my next question. Then, did you do anything for dessert? Did you go anywhere else?

Ana 36:39

We can't do dinner without a sweet treat around here. Like anytime I have something savory, the sweet treat monster in my brain is like, hello. We have to balance this out. Um, we went to Millie's, a classic, classic ice cream shop. It's a little bit of a drive from Pizza Lupo. So definitely if you're in cold weather, take your car.

Doug 36:58

Yeah, if it's warm, you could walk it, but it's still kind of far.

Ana 37:01

It is a little bit far, but worth it. I love their ice cream. Their s'mores ice cream is my favorite. It's their year-round.

Doug 37:08

That's so good.

Ana 37:08

It's so good. It's like a nice, I don't know if it's a marshmallow or vanilla base. I believe it's marshmallow, but I love like the pieces of chocolate in there. It's just like yum.

Doug 37:18

And they're such a great local company. I actually met Chad, the owner of Millies, and got a tour of their plants. Cool. Yeah, it was really cool. And like they're using local dairy and you know, just a great operation over.

Ana 37:30

I've always loved me some millies. So good. All right.

Doug 37:33

Pizza and ice cream, I can take that as a date night anytime, any day of the year.

Ana 37:38

Heck yeah.

Doug 37:38

Ana, thank you so much.

Ana 37:40

Thank you for having me.

Doug 37:42

You can follow Ana on Instagram @Ana EatsPGH. 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.