Baseball bites, culinary classes, vying IPAs, and more Pittsburgh food news
This week's Pittsburgh food news includes updates on PNC Park, Umami Izakaya, McDonald’s, Krispy Kreme, Third Space Bakery, and East End Brewing Company, as well as classes for charcuterie and cooking, a big Jewish food festival, and a cross-state beer contest. The Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley is offering cooking classes throughout the month, including a "Soups of the Season" class on Fri., April 5, "Food of the Philippines and Guam," and a Pierogi Night on Thurs., April 18. PNC Park's food vendor, Aramark Sports + Entertainment, has partnered with Pittsburgh restaurants LowKey and Coop de Ville to offer new dishes at the park. East End Brewing Company is celebrating another Pittsburgh neighborhood with its YOU ARE HERE beer project, Allegheny Center, becoming the 85th Pittsburgh neighborhood honored with its own beer. Coven Brewing will launch a Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) beer class series, teaching "beginner-friendly" topics such as identifying beer styles and pairings to more in-depth knowledge of beer production. The first Big Nosh Jewish Food Festival will be held at Congregation Beth Shalom, celebrating Pittsburgh's Jewish and Israeli food culture. The opening date for the bakery and bakery of Strange Roots has yet to be announced.
Published : a month ago by Rachel Wilkinson in Sports Lifestyle
April is here, and Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley is ringing in spring with a “menu” of cooking classes throughout the month. The Arts Center promises a “wide variation” of culinary classes ranging from introductory cooking lessons to forays into different cuisines to date nights. Upcoming offerings include a "Soups of the Season" class on Fri., April 5, "Food of the Philippines and Guam" on Thu., April 11, and a Pierogi Night on Thurs., April 18. “Can you really say you're a Pittsburgher if you don't know how to make a pierogi?” the class’s description asks. The full class calendar is available online PNC Park will unveil some new grub on Fri., April 5 when the Pirates return for their home opener. Aramark Sports + Entertainment , the park's food vendor, announced the Pittsburgh-centric Renegade Hot Dog, a foot-long hot dog topped with mini pierogies, pot roast, caramelized onions, and pickle slices. Cannonball Burger in section 146 will offer the cheese-filled Sweet Pierogi, a sweet variation on the usually potato-filled favorite topped with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. Chicken Pitt in section 147 will have a chive bratwurst served inside a Martin’s Potato Roll with peppers, onions, and deli brown mustard. Aramark also partnered with two Pittsburgh restaurants in the ballpark to offer new dishes: LowKey will serve roasted corn on the cob, birria beef nachos, and caramel-stuffed churros at Nachorita (section 138); and Chicken on the Hill slings chicken biscuits with house pickles in partnership with Coop de Ville (section 144). If you're thirsty from all the pierogies, Aramark also brings its grab-and-go beer market, Walk Thru Bru Express, to the ballpark.East End Brewing Company is celebrating another Pittsburgh neighborhood with the latest addition to its YOU ARE HERE beer project . Allegheny Center — home to the Children’s Museum and National Aviary — will become the 85th Pittsburgh neighborhood honored with its own beer. The new brew, a Cherry Berliner Weisse, will be released on Fri., April 5 at the East Commons Community Garden (300 Stockton Ave.) from 5-8 p.m. An East End Instagram post encourages Pittsburghers to stop by the pavilion to sample the new beer and other releases, hang out in the garden, and “BYOF” after the Pirates game.Coven Brewing will launch a Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) beer class series. A press release describes WSET as “the premier international education provider in the alcohol beverage sector, focused on beverage education for enthusiasts and professionals.” Starting on Sat., April 6, two class levels will be held at Palate Partners in Bloomfield, covering “beginner-friendly” topics like identifying beer styles and pairings to more in-depth knowledge of beer production. Courses will be taught by Caiti Sullivan, co-founder and head brewer of Coven Brewing in Lawrenceville (and former brewer at Sharpsburg’s Dancing Gnome). A full class schedule and registration can be found online.presents the first Big Nosh Jewish Food Festival from Sun., April 7-Tue., April 9, and they’ve been leaning on the puns. Promising “lox of fun” and “a meal so good you’ll challah,” the inclusive three-day festival at Congregation Beth Shalom celebrates Pittsburgh’s Jewish and Israeli food culture, offering a “strictly kosher smorgasbord of Ashkenazi and Sephardic favorites.” The menu ranges from street food like shawarma to traditional fare shakshuka and lamb shank to holiday favorites like hamantaschen and rugelach. Entry is free, and noshers can view the menu and pre-order online April is brimming with culinary classes, and connoisseurs can delve into the art of beer and cheese pairing with a charcuterie workshop at Strange Roots. On Thu., April 11 from 6-8 p.m., Mt. Oliver’s The Cheese Queen hosts a charcuterie class and "cheese-filled adventure" that teaches participants how to assemble a custom charcuterie board alongside tastings of Strange Roots’ beers. Tickets cost $80 and include a glass of beer.Third Space, a cooperative worker-owned bakery and teaching kitchen, finally announced an opening date. The grand opening celebration takes place on Fri., April 12 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., during which the public can sample the bakery’s rotating menu of organic, house-made breads, sweets, and “savories” like pan pizza, quiche, and bialy, a Polish-inspired breakfast roll. As reported by, the woman-owned bakery, launched by three bakers and food educators in the former Spork Pit space in Garfield, will also host workshops and events. Snag a limited-time, discounted Third Space gift card before the opening.Old Thunder Brewing is stirring old rivalries when, on Sat., April 13. From 12-10 p.m., it pits Philadelphia against Pittsburgh in an IPA contest. The brewery will pour IPAs from across the state while serving smash burgers and fries from Moonlit Burgers. According to the brewery’s Instagram , the IPA lineup includes beers close to home, with Brew Gentlemen and Mars-based Stick City Brewing Company, and brews from farther east like Philadelphia’s Brewery ARS and Human Robot. Old Thunder also recently announced a new Loyalty Club , through which members can sign up for a punch card to earn free pints and other perks.In a seismic development for donut lovers, McDonald’s announced that its Pittsburgh restaurants will soon serve Krispy Kreme donuts. “Nothing hits the spot quite like a fresh, melt-in-your-mouth doughnut paired with a McCafé coffee… and now, McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme have a sweet update for doughnut fans,” a McDonald’s press release reads. Three of Krispy Kreme’s most popular donuts — Original Glazed, Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, and Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled — will be delivered fresh to McDonald’s locations daily and sold individually or in boxes of six throughout the day. Part of a nationwide rollout, Pittsburgh was chosen as one of the first regional markets to test out Krispy Kreme’s new team-up with the Golden Arches. For updates, follow the region’s McDonald’s on Facebook and Instagram Add Umami to the list of Pittsburgh restaurants open on Monday. The Japanese street food eatery announced on Instagram that diners now have an extra weekday to enjoy regular menu items ranging from sushi to sake, and a chef's selection of fish dishes.
Topics: Food & Drink, Baseball