morels

We finally got a little rain, temperatures are more stable and its starting to feel like spring in beautiful Western Pennsylvania. Many have been waiting for these weather conditions since it indicates the beginning of morel season. Mushroom foraging is a favorite activity of mine, and Glen Wantje was kind enough to take me with …

represent

This week I, along with a few of my colleges, had a chance to think about our culinary careers. I reevaluated years of working in kitchens in different countries and innumerable life changing experiences in order to accomplish one goal: a single dish that would represent me as a chef. One dish?! How about a …

a peek behind the scenes at Vivo

Sam and I will be sharing a little behind the scenes action on Tuesday, April 27th at 7:00 p.m. Come and be part of a hands-on experience in the kitchen! Let us share the culinary philosophy we practice daily. Fresh and local will be the focus. The Menu: Appetizer: House Made Duck Prosciutto with Melon …

there is no Fat Club

We all have heard of the underground dinner sites in DC or the extravagant, secret foodie gatherings in Seattle. All these have the same thing in common--they are "by invitation only" and any other details are vague. Pittsburgh is no different. Chefs around the city have always that favorite delicacy they want to share or …

serendipity spreads

I am a strong supporter of everything local--I will do whatever possible to make sure most of my ingredients are locally grown. With this said, once in a while I like to see what other people are doing with their local produce and ingredients. My friends from Serendipity Spreads in Santa Cruz, CA are a …

desarme

Maybe because of this time of the year, or perhaps because I can eat it anytime--fish is on my mind. Salted cod to be more specific, which brings me to this recipe. Salted Cod with Garbanzo Beans and Spinach, known in Asturias and probably all of Spain as "Desarme," is one of the most typical …

Vivo restaurant nourishes foodies of all ages

Much has been written about the DiBattista family. Bellevue has enjoyed this family's ventures for many years and very few in the food industry in Pittsburgh have not heard of them. I grew up in a restaurant much like this one. I have known and worked with these folks for a few months now. In …

consider yourself paired – Yinzer torte wine pairing!

First of all, I want to mention that it's really great that Daniel is using local resources as his ingredients. It's really sad that people are so urbanized and removed from nature that they don't even trust the fruit that grows on their local trees! Just like Daniel used the local quinces for the Yinzer …

yinzer torte

ingredients 4 oz. sugar 8 oz. butter 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 lemon - zest only 1/2 orange - zest only 1 oz. maria cookies 2 oz. marcona almonds 2 oz. hazelnuts 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. salt 1/2 all purpose flour 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 cup quince butter or …