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Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds

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A crowd-pleasing side dish, especially when farm-fresh green beans are in season.

The first ingredient of a great summer party is people! That’s why TABLE was so excited when Marvista Design + Build decided to invite their favorite clients to a summer soiree at their Squirrel Hill showroom, alongside sponsors Cambria Stone, Tisdel Sub Zero Wolf, Don’s Appliances, and TABLE Magazine.

Chef Brandie Lamb journeyed to Pittsburgh from her Cincinnati home, bringing her expertise as a Tisdel SubZero Wolf chef to the proceedings. She joined forces with Pittsburgh caterer Elegant Edge’s owner Judah Cowen to develop a light, bright Kosher menu.

Just before the guests gathered, Chef Brandie showed us how each dish was made. Photographer Dave Bryce and our publisher Justin Matase captured the deliciousness…and the party came alive just after.

Enjoy these dishes at a summer gathering of your own design!

GREEN BEANS WITH SHALLOTS & ALMONDS RECIPE

2 lb green beans

1 tbsp olive oil

5 shallots

Salt

Pepper

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Toasted almonds

Blanch green beans lightly, then flash on a hot grill for grill marks and flavor.

Heat oil in a pan, add sliced shallots. Stir on high heat till brown.

Add salt, pepper, and brown sugar and cook until caramelized.

Mix green beans with shallots, olive oil, and lemon juice.

Garnish with toasted almonds.

Photography by Dave Bryce / Styling by Justin Matase / Venue by Marvista Design + Build

Try more great summer dishes from our party at Marvista Design + Build:

Chicken Bruschetta

Grilled Sweet Corn Salad

Salmon with Pineapple Mango Salsa

Skirt Steak with Scallion Salsa

Don’t miss a single delicious thing:

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine here!

Grilled Sweet Corn Salad

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When the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye, you make corn salad!

The first ingredient of a great summer party is people! That’s why TABLE was so excited when Marvista Design + Build decided to invite their favorite clients to a summer soiree at their Squirrel Hill showroom, alongside sponsors Cambria Stone, Tisdel Sub Zero Wolf, Don’s Appliances, and TABLE Magazine.

Chef Brandie Lamb journeyed to Pittsburgh from her Cincinnati home, bringing her expertise as a Tisdel SubZero Wolf chef to the proceedings. She joined forces with Pittsburgh caterer Elegant Edge’s owner Judah Cowen to develop a light, bright Kosher menu.

Just before the guests gathered, Chef Brandie showed us how each dish was made. Photographer Dave Bryce and our publisher Justin Matase captured the deliciousness…and the party came alive just after.

Enjoy these dishes at a summer gathering of your own design!

GRILLED SWEET CORN SALAD RECIPE

4 ears sweet corn

2 chopped shallots

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 chopped Fresno pepper

1 tsp chopped cilantro

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Boil corn for 5 minutes, then grill for flavor until done. Cut the corn off the cobs.

While corn is still warm, combine all the remaining ingredients together and pour over corn. Mix again until fully coated.

Photography by Dave Bryce / Styling by Justin Matase / Venue by Marvista Design + Build

Try more great dishes from our summer party at Marvista Design +Build:

Chicken Bruschetta

Strawberry Pecan Salad

Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds

Salmon with Pineapple Mango Salsa

Skirt Steak with Scallion Salsa

Don’t miss a single delicious thing:

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine here!

Strawberry Pecan Salad

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“Fresh fresh fresh” is the best way to describe this refreshing salad.

The first ingredient of a great summer party is people! That’s why TABLE was so excited when Marvista Design + Build decided to invite their favorite clients to a summer soiree at their Squirrel Hill showroom, alongside sponsors Cambria Stone, Tisdel Sub Zero Wolf, Don’s Appliances, and TABLE Magazine.

Chef Brandie Lamb journeyed to Pittsburgh from her Cincinnati home, bringing her expertise as a Tisdel SubZero Wolf chef to the proceedings. She joined forces with Pittsburgh caterer Elegant Edge’s owner Judah Cowen to develop a light, bright Kosher menu.

Just before the guests gathered, Chef Brandie showed us how each dish was made. Photographer Dave Bryce and our publisher Justin Matase captured the deliciousness…and the party came alive just after.

Enjoy these dishes at a summer gathering of your own design!

STRAWBERRY PECAN SALAD

 Ingredients

3 cups green spring mix

¼ cup candied pecans

½ cup quartered strawberries

1/4 cup sliced red onion

1/4 cup sliced avocado

1 sliced avocado

1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette

Instructions

Add all ingredients and mix gently.

Photography by Dave Bryce / Styling by Justin Matase / Venue by Marvista Design + Build

Try more great summer dishes from our party at Marvista Design + Build:

Chicken Bruschetta

Grilled Sweet Corn Salad

Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds

Salmon with Pineapple Mango Salsa

Skirt Steak with Scallion Salsa

Don’t miss a single delicious thing:

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine here!

Summer Squash Roll-Ups

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Zucchini and yellow summer squash fill two cast iron pans.
Peak summer squash season is coming — here’s a delicious way to enjoy the bounty.

That overabundant, peak-harvest moment of summer always brings zucchini and summer squash into the limelight. What do we do with it all!? Here’s a lovely, elegant idea that takes no time or trouble once you slice Shenot Farm‘s produce and sprinkle the dish with Blackberry Meadows Farm bacon. It’s downright delicious.

SUMMER SQUASH ROLL-UPS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 tsp salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 egg
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
3-4 strips of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Using a mandolin, thinly slice zucchini and squash lengthwise into long ribbons. Place into a Ziplock back with 1 teaspoon salt and let sit for 20 minutes (this will allow the squash to become pliable and will keep the pieces from breaking while rolling up).
  2. In a bowl, evenly mix the remaining ingredients. Line up each ribbon of squash flat on a plate, spread 1 tablespoon of filling evenly over each ribbon, roll up, and place in a baking pan. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan.
  3. Broil for 10-12 minutes until the filling is cooked through and the tops start to brown, then serve.

STORY BY KEITH RECKER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE / RECIPE AND STYLING BY ANNA CALABRESE

With the support of Buy Fresh, Buy Local of Western Pennsylvania and PA Preferred

The Challenges Family Farms in Pennsylvania Face

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Freshly harvested Pennsylvania farm produce, including bright red tomatoes, sliced yellow squash, dark purple eggplant, corn on the cob, cantaloupe slices, and green zucchini.

Across Pennsylvania, 59,000 farms are responsible for almost $136 billion in direct and indirect economic activity, as well as 579,000 jobs. Just 2% of the state’s population works not only to create enormous dollar impact, but also nourishing food and a way of life that is central to our very identity. Is the beauty of well-managed farmland and healthy farm produce just a byproduct of all the above? We don’t think so.

Challenges for Family Farms in Pennsylvania

And yet this essential part of Pennsylvania life is challenged. There are twice as many farmers over 65 as there are under 35. Farm acreage declined 5% between 2012 and 2017. That’s 400,000 acres that went to other purposes – often because population growth is driving the value of land upward, and farmers feel financial pressure to sell. Not to mention the battle to make a living when costs go up and profitability can seem a bridge too far.

What Can We Do?

Let’s put our feet in the street this summer and head out to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from family farms and farmers’ markets. Tell your friends how delicious the offerings are. Take them with you next time you go. Every purchase helps keep a family business healthy. While you’re at it, a word of appreciation would help, too!

Pennsylvania harvests over 400 million pounds of apples each year – putting it in the top five apple-growing states across the nation. The highest concentration of orchards sits in Pennsylvania’s south-central region, but apples are grown commercially in every county. The apples that make it to farm stands are a small portion of overall sales, but an important one. When an orchard owner gets apples directly into your hands, the sale is often the most profitable he or she will make.

There’s a temptation to see apple growing as simple: plant the tree, harvest the fruit. But there’s a lot more to it. In order to fill your bushel with beautiful, nourishing, delicious apples, farmers need to master integrated pest and pollinator management to combat all manner of diseases and predators. Sometimes they introduce competitive insects like lady bugs. Sometimes they place pheromone-laden decoys to trap apple-munching insects and reduce their numbers. Occasionally they spray a clay compound onto fruit in the very early stages of formation to create a deterrent micro-barrier, which gradually comes off with rain and standard washing prior to market.

Growing interest in heirloom apples bred for flavor rather than appearance inspires many local farms, such as Norman’s Orchard in Tarentum, to add heritage varieties each year. These efforts help keep the region’s apple offerings healthy and diverse.

The Ark of Taste

The Slow Food organization’s Ark of Taste project, an effort to catalog heritage foodstuffs around the world, lists only seven vegetables from Pennsylvania. Three of them are peppers: Fish Pepper, Hinkelhatz, and Martin’s Carrot Pepper. While these rarities might be hard to find at local farm stands, dozens of peppers flourish in fields and gardens across the state and there is no lack of variety around Pittsburgh. Trax Farms in Library grows several varieties including Hungarian, Gypsy, Green Bell, and Red Bell. McConnell’s Farm in Aliquippa adds the beautiful Flamingo pepper to this list, which emerges a luminous ivory-yellow color, and matures into beautiful orange-red.

Adams and Franklin counties in south-central Pennsylvania are famous for their peaches and plums – a reputation that started in the late 19th century. Some say it’s the soil that makes great stone fruits. Some say it’s the rarity of spring frosts, and guaranteed hot, humid summers. Whatever the reason, farm stands around Chambersburg and Gettysburg welcome visitors from far and wide, helping to make Pennsylvania the country’s fourth largest peach producers. Dwight Mickey, owner of Schatzer’s Fruit Market in Chambersburg, is known for his selection of authentically local stone fruits. Cavan Patterson, co-founder of Wild Purveyors, says that an Indian Blood plum he bought there “was the most delicious I’ve had in my entire life.”

Right here in our backyard, Shenot Farm in Wexford harnesses their rich soil and all the sunshine they can get to grow fifteen varieties of peaches, nectarines, and a few plums, too.

Looking to visit a family-run farm or farmers’ market this summer? Check out our printable list of local growers in the Western Pennsylvania region.

A comprehensive list of Pennsylvania family farms and local farmers' markets in the Pittsburgh region, including addresses, products, and contact information for places like Janoski's Farm, Kretschmann Farm, and the City of Pittsburgh Farmers' Markets, promoting local produce and food.

Story by Keith Recker
Photography by Adam Milliron

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

The Crucial Role of the Local Farmer on Your Dinner Table

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A smiling farmer wearing overalls and a baseball cap stands in an apple orchard, carrying a young child securely in a large red canvas harvesting bag suspended from his shoulder straps.

So many things that were taken for granted in a pre-Covid-19 world are now being viewed as luxuries from another time. Feeling more distant and luxurious than ever is the idea of sitting indoors at a restaurant–sans mask–and enjoying a meal with friends, complete with libations.

How the Local Farmer Impacts Your Dinner Table

This major shift in everyday living has altered so many livelihoods thanks to shutdowns, partial shutdowns, and interruptions in food distribution and supply chains. Local farms who depend on restaurants for much of their income are reeling. How does our region continue to feed communities? Who is buying locally sourced produce, dairy, and meat? Can local farms fill the void that disrupted supply chains created due to the pandemic?

There is a way forward, but it will take all of us to activate.

“It’s like coming back home, so to speak,” said Don Kretschmann, co-owner of Kretschmann Farm, which focuses on organic, local produce and community sponsored agriculture (CSA) delivered to your doorstep. As they analyzed their practices in providing wholesale goods to grocery stores and regional suppliers in March when the pandemic began hitting food supply chains hard in the Pittsburgh region, they became inundated with requests for CSA subscriptions.

“People are reevaluating,” he said. “I look at it like a family. When push comes to shove, you can count on your local food producers. Hopefully that will stick around and people will realize that long after this crisis,” he added.

Becky Kretschmann, Don’s partner in both life and on the farm, notes that people had not seen empty shelves at the grocery stores or a backorder of items normally available. While some stocked up in fear, others faced another challenge.

Can a CSA Help?

“Yes, we’ve seen an uptick in people signing up for our CSA boxes, but some have had to cut back on their normal amount. They feel like they have to really watch their money. You can’t cut back on rent or mortgage, but you can cut back on food. This issue is multi-pronged. You have the consumer who can’t afford the amount of food like they did in the past, and you have the suppliers with no restaurants to provide produce to. It really changes how people look at this entire infrastructure,” she said.

Because they are a local provider of fresh produce, they have created a system within their CSA distribution to assist families and those who suddenly find themselves unable to afford produce.

Beyond Your Own Table

“Most farmers give to food banks, are pretty generous and give whatever they can. We’ve always looked to ourselves as serving the communities with good foods and don’t look at it as a business,” Becky said.

They have instituted a program that allows their community members to sign up if they lose their job or can’t afford produce. Others can donate CSA boxes to those in need. “When was the last time you walked into a grocery store and they floated you if you came up short?” Don asked.

Covid-19 has exposed the fact that many people were teetering on the brink of financial ruin, and that national supply chains were unequipped to deal with something like a pandemic, which in turn wiped out crops and caused waste in vast quantities around the country.

Farmer Calvin McConnell has seen history repeat itself, reflecting on how his family farm, which dates back to possibly 1787, made it through the Spanish Flu of 1918 and now this. “We hunker down. It’s stubbornness that has seen us through the hard times, and it will get us through these times, too,” he said. The difference now, he sees, is how people are shopping for their food.

A Shift in the Consumer

“People used to shop seasonally. Load up on produce, freeze them, can them… but now everything is about convenience. You can get whatever you want, whenever you want it, so people are just not as educated as to what farmers have to do to get food to the consumers,” he said. McConnells’ Farm & Market, with delicious peaches, always focuses on the direct to consumer market and he worries that as time progresses, more local farms could close.

“There is this quote by farmer Victor Davis Hanson on our chalkboard that reads: ‘The family farm in America has all but vanished. And with it we are losing centuries of social and civic wisdom imparted by the agrarian life…’ ” When we lose local farms, we lose whole communities,” he said.

And education is key. Chris Kubiak, of Timber Wolf orchard in Mercer County will start selling Westsylvania Cider soon and agrees that if we continue to lose farmland, the collective knowledge of farming practices, history and cultural ties to our land and communities will also degrade.

“That is the human aspect,” he said. “But from an environmental perspective, farms provide green space and habitats to wildlife. If we lose habitats, we lose birds, we lose pollinators, we lose multifaceted parts of our communities. We must support our local providers of produce, dairy, meat, cider… all of it,” said Kubiak.

Sustainability in the Long Run

Unpacking meat from plastic wrappers, picking out strawberries from a store bin instead of a farm stand changes the ways in which we relate to our environment, to one another and to food.

“If there ever was a sign to go local, this was it,” said Cavan Patterson, owner of Wild Purveyors, founded in 2009. Wild Purveyors supplies Pittsburgh’s restaurant industry and grocers with wild, exotic, and seasonal foods, in addition to regionally sourced foods from exceptional farmers and outstanding producers.

Normally, factories produce goods at the point of origin, which sits at distributors for days or weeks before they send it out to possibly another distributor before actually hitting the grocery stores. “We cut out ninety percent of that,” said Patterson. “I think there is inherently less potential for disruption this way. I’d love to see a world in which our model was instituted across the country. Instead of major chains and factory farms, you’d have small, regional distributors which can help provide fresher, more nutritious foods,” he said.

Jason Oddo, owner of Bitter Ends Farm Co., also noted the dangers of relying on a national food supply chain. “The first thing you notice about the national and homogenous food industry is that it has no preference or doesn’t care about the area you live in. Capitalism does what is best for business,” he said.

Where Do We Go From Here?

For example, this year there is a statewide sweet corn shortage. “People are losing their minds. When Covid-19 happened, the industry depended on migrant labor and the farms had no one to pick it. So it’s not available. It really does impact us. The effect can’t really be felt until something we depend on disappears,” he said.

He echoed the sentiment of other local farmers, stressing the importance of buying from farmers’ markets, locally owned grocers that work specifically with local farms, as well as visiting and interacting with local farms in your region.

Besides committing to purchasing produce from local farms, Desiree Sirois, co-founder and co-owner of Fallen Aspen Farm believes that Americans have to rethink how they interact with the food supply chain entirely.

“Americans want fast, cheap and easy. When it comes to food, we often rationalize why we spend less, but really, it costs us more to engage with the system this way,” she said.

Be Your Own Farmer

She suggests growing your own vegetables if you can, and purchasing meat as a delicacy, not a staple. “I know we run a livestock farm, and I know other farmers may not like it when I say this, but Americans need to eat less meat.” Think quality, not quantity. “If you do feel the need to eat meat, take that seriously and respect it. Purchase from a place that respects animals. I got into this type of farming because I feel really strongly about that,” she added.

She also recognizes that “farming has been traditionally a white man’s world.” If we want to save local farms, we must support all types of people from all walks of life to reconnect to the land and provide aid for local farmers to thrive, including help with grant writing and networking opportunities to learn from one another.

“I can count on one hand how many women I know that farm. I know even less Black and brown farmers. We need to not only educate ourselves about our food systems, but also encourage more people to grow food and become a part of the solution from the ground up.”

Please support our region’s farms by visiting, asking questions, and buying their goods.

Story by Natalie Bencivenga

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

Lamb Sloppy Joes

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Lamb Sloppy Joes deconstructed on a white plate.

Lamb Fest 2021 was a delicious day for lamb lovers and connoisseurs of good flavor, including dishes of these special Lamb Sloppy Joes. Seven of our nine teams shared their recipes to try at home for TABLE readers.

The chef teams who competed for the top prize at TABLE Magazine’s Lamb Fest 2021 brought their experience, imagination, and talents to SouthSide Works in October. The results were the nine fantastic variations on deliciousness. Each entry was unique in its flavor profile, in its textures, and in its presentation. It was a tough choice, but hundreds of attendees voted for their taste buds. Guest Judge Hal B. Klein supervised the count and announced the verdict. And the rest is lamb history.

Team Average Joes at Our Lamb Fest

Speckled Egg founders Jacqueline and Nathan Schoedel met up with R.C. Carter and free agent Patrick Duffy to create a luscious mouthful of savory lamb sloppy joes finished perfectly with luxurious creme fraiche and served on a tiny bun from Mediterra. The team rounded out this delicious picture with the sharpness of homemade pickled vegetables. This is a dish anyone can try, and succeed with, at home.

Print

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Lamb Sloppy Joes deconstructed on a white plate.

Lamb Sloppy Joes


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star


  • Author:
    Kylie Thomas

Description

A more decadent sloppy joe that you won’t mind getting messy for.


Ingredients


Scale

For the creme fraiche:

  • 1 pt heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp buttermilk

For the lamb mixture:

  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup Heinz ketchup
  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup yellow mustard
  • 5 dashes Tabasco
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp coriander
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon


Instructions

  1. Mix heavy cream and buttermilk in a non-reactive container (Tupperware works well).
  2. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature for at least 12 hours. Refrigerate.
  3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add ground lamb and season with salt and pepper. While the lamb is cooking, break up the lamb into smaller pieces.
  4. When fully cooked, remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.
  5. Return pan to heat; add onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes until fragrant. Add garlic and when the garlic becomes fragrant, add tomato paste, and stir frequently. Cook until tomato paste starts to darken, about 3 minutes.
  6. Deglaze the pan with white wine scraping the bottom of the pan. Reduce the white wine by half.
  7. Return the lamb to the pan and add the remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Stir often, bring to a boil, and then down to a simmer. Cook on the lowest setting for a half hour. Taste and re-season if necessary.
  9. Assemble sandwiches by adding sloppy joe mix to a bun and top with creme fraiche.

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Recipe by Jacqueline Schoedel, Nathan Schoedel, R.C. Carter, and Patrick Duffy
Story by Keith Recker
Photography by Laura Petrilla
Styling by Ana Kelly

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Rosé Pairing for Summer Eating

0
Flat lay of three bottles of rosé and white wine (Clos Cibonne, Jean-Luc Colombo, Domaine Vetriccie) surrounded by river stones and sand on a wooden table, with glasses of pink and gold wine being poured, highlighting summer wine pairings.

Though every season provides moments of culinary delight, I must admit I’m partial to the bounty that summer affords us, namely an abundance of fresh produce and conditions that demand the use of a grill. With such a diversity of delectable seasonal ingredients, we’re truly spoiled for choice – but that kaleidoscope of flavors can sometimes prove challenging when it comes to finding the right wine(s) for the occasion.

Rosé Pairing for Your Favorite Summer Foods

Like many of you, I am thrilled that rosé has had a recent resurgence as the category has stepped out of the dark shadow cast by oceans of sickly sweet white Zinfandel. There is, however, more to the story than pale pink Provençal juice; rosé comes in a variety of shades from a plethora of different regions and grapes, and they pair perfectly with many classic summer foods. And while soaring temperatures scream for white wine alongside rosé, several reds have a rightful place at the picnic table.

Salad Season

One of the joys of summer is a crunchy, just-picked salad. Pairing wines with vegetables can, however, be a little bit of a minefield. If you’re using greens as a base for your salad, there are a few grapes that fit the bill. A personal favorite is Vermentino, an Italian variety that can be found in several regions but does its best work, in my estimation, on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. Bursting with notes of lime, lemon, and green apple, it often finishes with a hint of sea spray and bitter almond, making it suitable for an array of salads (and it takes the addition of seafood and a citrus vinaigrette to new heights). The Domaine Vetriccie from Corsica is an absolute steal at $12, and the juicy Pala ‘I Fiori’ from Sardinia offers additional stone fruit and floral flavors for just a touch more ($19).

Watermelon salads, which have become ubiquitous of late, are another summer highlight, and they deserve a snappy rosé to match. This is where our friends from Provence come into focus, whether you opt for something inexpensive like Jean-Luc Colombo Cape Bleue Rosé ($13) with its zesty blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre or splurge a bit on a personal favorite, Clos Cibonne Cuvée Tradition Rosé ($45) made chiefly from the rare indigenous Tibouren grape. They work just as well when you toss strawberries into your spinach salad, too.

Beyond Brews for Burgers

While I can’t argue against the classic pairing of burgers and beer, I humbly suggest that wine, too, deserves to be part of the conversation. The aforementioned rosés would certainly be welcome here, but I’d like to take this as an opportunity to highlight red wines that belong in your summer repertoire.

No, this isn’t the time to whip out big, burly bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah: they’re better for warming you up on a winter night and will weigh you down while sweating next to a grill. Better to serve reds that you can belightly chill with a 30-40 minute stint in the fridge before serving. The trick is to find grapes that are low in tannin – the compound in grape skins that causes the drying, sometimes bitter sensation on the palate – but have high acidity and a light body, which results in an impression of juiciness. Cinsault is a perfect option with its flavors of crunchy red fruit and hints of herbs and earth, and South Africa’s The Blacksmith Paarl Cinsault ($23) is top-notch. The País grape, which is enjoying a renaissance in Chile, also does the trick.

Barbecue Beckons

Whether it’s ribs, chicken, or brisket, it’s impossible to forget the central role barbecue plays in our lives this time of year. Here’s where we go off-piste with Parés Baltà Ros de Pacs ($10) from the Penedès region in Spain. This organic and biodynamic rosé, a blend of Garnatxa, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, drinks more like a light red. Enjoy bold, dark red fruit flavors with black pepper and a smoky, vegetal edge that clearly demonstrates the diversity of rosé.

Story by Adam Knoerzer
Styling by Ana Kelly
Photography by Adam Milliron

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Granola and Coconut Chia Pudding

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A hand on the left digs into coconut chai pudding and granola. Next to that bowl sits plates of fruit and salad. Here we share the granola recipe and the recipe for the chia pudding.

Consider time in the kitchen an opportunity to connect with yourself, and to infuse the day with mindfulness and good feeling. Savor a healthy snack and recommit to the goals you’ve set. Fairmont Pittsburgh Sous Chef Caleb Allen shares his recipes for Coconut Chia Pudding and Fl.2 Granola as one way to enjoy your quiet time.

Fl. 2 Granola Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 vanilla bean
8 cups rolled oats
2 cups sliced almonds
2 cups pine nuts
3 cups coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Pinch of sea salt
2 cups raisins

DIRECTIONS

Cut the vanilla beans and scrape out seeds into a bowl. Add dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Combine. Bake at 325° until golden brown. Add raisins to mix once cooled.

Coconut Chia Pudding Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ cup water
½ cup chia seeds

DIRECTIONS

Combine wet ingredients, then whisk in chia seeds. Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Once set, layer it, starting with the pudding, then granola, then diced mango or any fruit you like!

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Forging Forward: Food from the Heart

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Tom Berna, Fishes and Loaves Cooperative Ministries’ operations manager, says that the organization serves 60 to 70 households five days a week. Photo by Jeff Swensen

Forging Forward 2022 is a series of six articles about organizations helping our region make progress on the significant issues challenging our friends and neighbors. The series is presented with the generous support of The Pittsburgh Foundation.  

The #ONEDAY Critical Needs Campaign, a day of online giving to organizations doing vital work, is on August 9: mark your calendars and plan to be part of something great!

One of the most famous parables of the Bible has Jesus, through faith and love, feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes. This metaphor for multiplying goodness in the service of others is the backbone of Fishes & Loaves Cooperative Ministries. Based in the Hazelwood community of Pittsburgh, this nonprofit organization offers Meals on Wheels, congregate lunch, emergency food, and a buying club for residents of Hazelwood, Glenwood, Glen Hazel and most of Greenfield.

After the last grocery store closed in the Hazelwood community more than a decade ago, the community decided to start a buying club and shopping service to serve their neighbors and friends. “This was before Instacart,” said Tom Berna, operations manager. “We started shopping twice a month for about 15 to 20 families. When the pandemic hit, those numbers doubled. And we continue to serve 60 to 70 clients a day, five days a week,” he added.

The organization operates out of St. Stephen Catholic Church Pastoral Center and utilizes a commercial kitchen and pantry storage in the Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood.

While Meals on Wheels is the noprofit’s primary focus, serving more than 100 people a week, it also created a grab-and-go program where people have the option to dine and congregate with other community members. It also offers an emergency food program, which originated during the pandemic.

“In 2018, people would call and say, “I don’t have any food in my house.” We started to think about this: ‘Why don’t we deliver emergency food?’ We began giving out food and by 2021, we gave out 12,000 pounds of food to 100 families. We are one of the few food pantries that deliver. We get calls from people who can’t get to us, providing food once-a-month within a seven-mile radius,” said Tom, a former engineer-turned-deacon who, prior to coming to Pittsburgh worked around the country in hospitals and prisons.

Through this work, Tom and his team have also provided wellness checks, connecting community members to other resources and support systems. He and his team are often the first people who connect with those in need of help.

“I was bringing food to one home and the woman answered the door in a bedsheet. Her boyfriend had taken all of her clothes, and her children’s clothing, too. We were able to find her support so that she could send her children back to school, properly clothed, and so that she could get back to work, as well,” he said.

Never knowing what he may encounter, leading with compassion and an open heart has served him well over the years. Not only does Fishes & Loaves feed the body, but the work nourishes peoples’ souls, too.

“It gives people hope that there is help available and there are people doing it out of the kindness of their hearts,” said Tom. The organization currently has two part-time employees and 20 volunteers. During the pandemic all have worn masks and gloves and implemented contactless delivery service and grab-and-go lunches.

“When the government checks went out during Covid, we saw a decrease in need for emergency food. But once those checks ran out, the demand went right back up again,” he noted. Working with The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and 412 Food Rescue, the nonprofit has been able to provide fresh and shelf-stable foods that are nutritious and delicious. “Once in a while we get pastries from Giant Eagle, which is always a nice treat,” he said.

Groups like The Pittsburgh Foundation help provide Fishes & Loaveswith the funds it needs to continue its mission. “This work is why I get out of bed in the morning,” said Tom. “When we help our neighbors, we uplift everyone.”

Join The Pittsburgh Foundation’s ONE DAY campaign to provide support to Fishes & Loaves Community Ministry on Aug. 9. Together, we can create a healthy, more equitable world.

Get to know Fishes & Loaves Cooperative Ministries here, and support its work to address our neighbors in need.

Read about other organizations doing vital work to help our neighbors in Western Pennsylvania by reading more in our Forging Forward series, presented with the support of The Pittsburgh Foundation:

Tech 25: The Future is Now

Outreach Teen and Family Services

Neighborhood Legal Services

Fishes and Loaves

Build the Community Center

Healthy Start

Easing the food insecurity of our neighbors is the mission of Fishes and Loaves. Photo by Jeff Swensen

Tom Berna, operations manager for Fishes and Loaves, loads up supplies. Photo by Jeff Swensen

Fishes and Loaves delivers to residents of Hazelwood, Glenwood, Glen Hazel and most of Greenfield. Photo by Jeff Swensen

STORY BY NATALIE BENCIVENGAPHOTOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN MERRIMAN

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