008 Wheeling in Warmth and Flavor with Chef Janet Loughran

When Chef Janet Loughran wheels her way into our hearts, she's not just pulling along a red wagon filled with culinary delights; she's carting a lifetime of poignant stories and robust flavors. Her journey from distributing home-cooked comforts during the throes of a pandemic to becoming the private chef every Pittsburgher would want—it's a testament to genuine passion and a hearty wedding soup. 

Transitioning from a clerical assistant to a culinary artist is no easy feat, but with a pinch of courage and a cup of determination, Janet found her true calling amidst the sizzle and chop of the kitchen. The journey has been as flavorful as it has challenging, from navigating the dynamics of team collaboration in a high-pressure culinary environment to becoming the food and beverage director at a local golf course, and now serving as your friendly kitchen fact finder on her Instagram, @Chef.Life.Hacks!

Later in the show... Looking for some soul in your food. We spotlight the soulful A&E Eatz where every dish promises a story as rich and satisfying as the flavors on your plate. Plus we share a halushki recipe, where the noodles never mush out , and plenty of butter is the key. All this week!

Transcript

Doug: 0:00

Thanks for tuning into the Pittsburgh Dish. If you like what we're doing, consider supporting the show. You can go to our website at www. pittsburgdish. com and click on our support button, which will take you to our Buzzsprout page. If you have a food-centric business and want to advertise on the show, reach out to us. You can reach us through Get in Touch on our website or even direct message on our Instagram. Thank you, Now on to the show.

Doug: 0:29

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. How does a little red wagon carry you into private chefing? Chef Janet shares her story this week. Looking for food to feed your soul? Our friend Shayla Penn has just the place and want to avoid mushy noodles in your next halushki? We'll give you a pro tip in our recipe of the week. All that ahead, stay tuned. Thanks to Beano's Brand Sauces and Dressings for being a sponsor of the Pittsburgh Dish. Dress up your next sandwich with one of their unique flavors, like peach habanero sauce or their All-American sandwich spread, and follow them for more ideas at Beano's Brand on Facebook and Instagram. Now back to the show. Well, hey, thanks so much for being on the show.

Doug: 1:24

Thanks for having me, would you introduce yourself and what you have going on right now in food?

Janet: 1:31

Sure. So my name is Janet Loughran. I know that a lot of people don't know how to pronounce it, but it's Loughran. My husband is very Scottish, anyway. So right now I'm a private chef to eight or nine clients each week. I will deliver meals for them and their family. I sometimes wish I had a private chef, you know, with two kids. Same here.

Janet: 1:50

I know, but it's nice, so I'll make extra and have those meals for us as well. And then I do cooking classes. I'm on Talk Pittsburgh once a month and I want to do more cooking classes because I think they're so much fun. But yeah, it's exciting on Talk Pittsburgh, I just got an email from Allante. He's the producer on there.

Doug: 2:07

Yeah, the producer of the show? Yeah.

Janet: 2:08

On K2K and they've outlined the dates for the entire year that they want me on every month and I'm like okay.

Doug: 2:15

So you've got a gig for the whole year.

Janet: 2:17

Yeah, I think I think I'm doing something right. So you definitely are doing something right. It's working out.

Doug: 2:21

It's been a crazy year of growth for you.

Janet: 2:24

It's funny because I was looking back through pictures on my phone and realizing, oh, I did that and I met them and I it's just I'm a shy girl kind of. So it's, I think when I talk about my passion I just come out, my silly side comes out. But yeah, it's been a whirlwind year and I'm excited to see what this year's what's going to come so.

Doug: 2:42

I love it for you and I had a question about your meal service as a private chef. You call it red wagon meals.

Janet: 2:50

Yeah, there's a funny story behind that. So red has always been my favorite color and my sister lives in an apartment complex that has a beautiful pool and I used to go and schlep all my kids stuff in the red wagon. So people started saying, oh, there's the girl with the red wagon. Well, when COVID hit, everything kind of shut down and I didn't have anything to do. I was home all day and we had to get together. Actually, it's kind of funny. We, we all went up to the top of the parking garage and had like camping chairs six feet apart in a circle and how to get together but like socially distance.

Janet: 3:24

And I brought my soup there and they were saying, can I buy this from you? And I said yeah, sure, why not? And then it just blew up. Everybody started telling other people that you can have these gourmet meals delivered to your door and I just would use my red wagon and go through the hallways of the of the apartment complex and that's how I delivered. So that's why it's red wagon meals.

Doug: 3:45

I love that origin story. I want to go back. What was the soup that started? Oh, good question, my wedding soup, so I that's kind of like a Pittsburgh favorite anyway, yeah exactly.

Janet: 3:57

I'm one of those people that when I find something that I really like, I want to make it the best that I possibly can so I can enjoy it at home. I like I make my own mini meatballs, which is tedious, but I've never found a meatball that's, you know, fresh or frozen that I like in place. So make their own stock like use escarole and put that like egg, egg yolk and the Parmesan in there at the end, and that makes it silky smooth. I'm giving all my secrets away.

Doug: 4:22

Oh well, I don't know if anyone will do this. This is like why you went from zero to hero as a private chef by lugging your soup in your in your red wagon.

Janet: 4:29

Well, yeah, I. It's funny.

Janet: 4:30

I don't realize how much I know until people start asking me questions about cooking and like oh yeah, you know, like it's nothing, like everybody knows this right and they don't even the most minute detail. People on Instagram. I have a chef life hacks is on Instagram. Oh, I love doing that because I and we'll probably talk about this, but, like, I feel like the culmination of my life has prepared me for this moment, because I've trained numerous people, like thousands of people probably, throughout my career, and now I'm just training you in your home to feel more comfortable in the kitchen and that's my biggest goal. I just love that.

Doug: 5:03

So that's why I'm here. I love that too. I think I love. I love teaching people how to cook more than I probably love just cooking all the time for people. I'd rather, you know, I want to teach you what, what I know, and I mean I'll cook for you, of course.

Janet: 5:18

Well, that lends to your personality and why I like you. So you're just the sweetest. Do you remember when we met?

Doug: 5:23

Do I remember when we met? Is it the? The cohort meetup yeah, the cohort meetup yeah. So it hasn't even been a full year.

Janet: 5:32

I think that was April or May of last year, I remember I saw, I saw you on Instagram and I was a baby fluencer at that point. Like I had, you know, like maybe 500 followers, 1000 followers a baby fluencer, oh my goodness, I'm still a baby.

Doug: 5:47

I'm not even a teenager. I'm a toddler tween. I don't even know if I'm an influencer.

Janet: 5:51

I don't even think I'm an. The only thing I influence you is to get into the kitchen more and feel more comfortable.

Doug: 5:57

Well, I think what sets you apart with Chef Life Hacks is and you're, it's on your tag line you are a factoid finder. Yes, you will show us truly a hack, a time saver, an aha moment, I like to call it. Oh, where do you come by all of these things?

Janet: 6:12

I don't know, I think. So Going back, my dad and his brothers and my aunt Kedris, they were all educators, they big learners. They always, you know, try to learn something new every day. There's an old joke If you ask my dad what the time is, he'll tell you how to make a wooden watch. He's long-winded. He also should have been on Jeopardy years ago. But any who it just it kind of instilled in me like oh, that's really cool. I bet other people would like to know that. You know it makes it easier for you or, like you said, time saving. So I think that is where that factoid thing comes from.

Janet: 6:49

But, back to the Cohort. Can I tell you I remember this oh yes, go for it. I just want like reverence for you. I just loved your demeanor, your energy. I'm all about energy, like what you bring to the table is just kind of it's there.

Shayla: 7:01

you know oh thank you.

Janet: 7:04

And so I saw you and it was like the crowds parted and you saw me and we pointed at each other and we're like dog Janet. And then, you know, we just met and it was just, you know, we were in cahoots from then on.

Shayla: 7:16

We were.

Janet: 7:17

And I just think it's it's so. I think that's the best part about all of this. I've met such a great community of foodie people in this area. Some I knew about, some I haven't learned about until now, but it's just friendly. I mean, that's what Pittsburgh is. You know, I didn't realize because I moved around a lot as a kid. I didn't realize. You know, it's kind of awkward to talk to the cashier at the seven eleven when you're in virginia beach, like who, who's this crazy person? And then if you don't talk to the cashier here in fitsburg, it's like who's this crazy person not talking to me, you know. So it's, it's it.

Doug: 7:49

We have a good here, I feel like, yeah, and for any of our listeners that don't know what the cohort is, it's an organization that's trying to really build a community of creators and give more resources for people that are out there trying to do their thing, and so that was one of the first mixers, let's say are networking things they had. And I'm at a couple folks that night, especially you, who I had also noticed when KDKA began the second show called Talk Pittsburgh with Heather Abraham, and you were gonna be on it, and I'm excited for anyone that's getting into that kitchen because I feel so Privileged to be there to and and so congrats on your journey there.

Janet: 8:28

You've been a good resource to, because I I know the first couple times I was on I, you know it's a new space for me.

Janet: 8:34

I don't know how to navigate it and I'm one of those people that just wants to do a really good job, you know. So you were so instrumental in saying, okay, yeah, you know, spell this out in your head, but also have a little bit of leeway, because maybe they'll shoot you a question you weren't anticipating. You're going in direction and just the number one. Actually I've told other people there on talk pittsburgh, at the friend katlyn art with mrs e, she's now gonna be a regular as well and I said you know, my friend dug told me, talk to heather like you're talking to a friend and just explaining what you're doing.

Janet: 9:05

you know, say hello to the cameras at the beginning of the end but just block that out and that has been so helpful for me yeah, you kind of if you, if anyone's going out on live tv, focus more on the person you're talking to, it's easier.

Doug: 9:17

I'll say that I think it's easier, and then you get to play off of their energy right, you're not.

Janet: 9:23

You don't have an agenda in your mind like, oh, I gotta get to this, or what you do somewhat yeah, have to be fluid with it. Yeah, yeah.

Doug: 9:29

Yeah, my only point is I want to make sure they get a bite, and I've noticed other folks that are keen on that. They'll have it ready and they'll be making another one, which is all you know.

Janet: 9:39

Theatrics super fun no, I think so. I mean, I never would have guessed that I would be on tv. I was real shy as a kid. I between sisters she was the outgoing one, you know just kind of in the corner, like I'm over here, you know. But I just think, like I said, it's my passion and it's what I love to talk about. So just flows out of me and at the end of every segment I'm like whoa, what just happened? You?

Doug: 10:00

know it's a whirlwind. My knee shake every time do you remember what you say on tv?

Janet: 10:05

Some what I remember what I the missteps is not so funny. You go straight to like oh, I shouldn't have said that or I should have. You know, transition easy. And then I look back, I'm like it was fine, no one would know. You know, it's so crazy how I got on there too. So it's coming up on my anniversary, and one of the dates that they're having me on is the exact year anniversary, april 10th, that I was on my first appearance and I think that's really serendipitous.

Janet: 10:30

I think it's a good thing, but anyway, I'm donnie iris donnie iris he's a local guy and he had a couple hits in the 70s, 80s and he's always come into the golf course that I worked at, just very unassuming the nicest guy. You have no idea who he is until you know who he is. You know, and he was on Pittsburgh Today Live, I think it was his 80th birthday, 85th birthday, something like that. They were just commemorating him and so I commented on you know the post, the same thing, nicest guy, used to come in the golf course. I would say, maybe 20 minutes later I'm heather abraham, like that comment, like oh, that's cool cuz.

Janet: 11:05

I've been watching her. We're the same age, almost like almost literally the same age, and I remember watching her, you know, when she just started out and like, look at this girl, go, like she has such she. She's so down to earth, but she keeps it professional, but it's fun to watch her right, and wow, she liked my comment. 10 minutes later she starts following me oh, what the heck. And then, five minutes after that, she sends me a message through like a dm and says we're starting something new in Pittsburgh. I'd like to you know on KDKA, would like to talk to you about it, sure, and then the rest is history. And that's how she got in contact with me. And Now she says I'm like one of them, like part of the crew, like you feel like to. It's just, it's so Crazy, cool you know, I'm so excited for you.

Doug: 11:49

Congratulations.

Janet: 11:50

You're so sweet. Oh you're such a good friend.

Doug: 11:52

You know you have mentioned a couple of times now your family, your dad and the the sort of the learned approach, and you have a twin sister I do, and I was just wondering what was food life like, kind of going back in your early days, growing up, like who cooked, who cooked for you? You know how did that shape you becoming a chef?

Janet: 12:10

Good question. Um, I told my mom I would probably say this, but my mom is a great baker. Oh wink wink, wink, okay, um she, you know we, we ate a lot of, uh, chef Boyardee and, and you know, hamburger helper, which was delicious to me. You know it wasn't.

Doug: 12:26

Well, I think let's take a step back. It's convenient for any mom out there and you are a mom of two we just talked about Heather Abraham's a mom of three and you're working. You're doing some crazy stuff, so I think you know any mom out there that's gone with the convenience foods. Have at it.

Janet: 12:41

I agree, I know. And, and, to add on top of that, my dad was in the Navy. So a lot of times he was gone for months at a time, you know, she had two, two young kids, full-time job. A lot of times we weren't around other family that could help her out. So she's an angel.

Janet: 12:57

Um, we were born in California and, uh, my parents didn't know they were having twins until an hour before we were born. So, yeah, um, they didn't do sonograms unless you were having complications. Um, and it was right before. You know, she was in labor and that and her knees were shaking, going into the operating room and everything, Uh, they had to go out and get another stroller, another car seat, all that stuff. So I remember, whenever I had my first kid I don't know if I was in the hospital or at home I remember having the realization and looking at my mom with like eyes as big as sand dollars, like how did you do this with two without help? Cause my dad unfortunately had to go out, uh, what they call out to sea. So he was on an air you know a lot of um, naval ships and things like that and they thought it was going to be a two month cruise turned into a 10 month cruise, so he was gone the entire first year of our lives. And Did you, did you live close?

Doug: 13:48

to family at all. No, so we were.

Janet: 13:50

I think at that point we were in Napa cause I was born in Huntington Beach and then we moved to Napa and then I had family in Idaho. My dad's family is from Idaho, seattle area, and then my mom's family is from Pittsburgh. Okay, so she was kind of on an island out there. You know there'd be people that come out and help her here and there but I just I give her so much credit.

Doug: 14:07

Yeah, my mom's the best. Not the same kind of family network that you have if you're living close to Right.

Janet: 14:13

Yeah, I remember whenever we had our kids, my husband and I he wanted to move away. I'm like you don't understand what it's like to not have that familial support around you, because it gives you peace of mind as a family that the people that are helping to raise your kids are are part of your family. You know it's. It's a different thing, but after my dad got out of the Navy um, you know it was right after the golf war he was trying to find a job and there was a little bit of an in-between time. So we lived with my grandma, Cecilia, who I talk about a lot yeah.

Janet: 14:39

And she was the first person that she would. It wasn't even like she pushed me into the kitchen, it was. She just would do what she normally did. I'm like, what are you doing, grandma? She's like, oh, I'm making Halupkes or cabbage rolls, or I'm making spetzl, or I'm making my chicken noodle soup. And I'm like, well, what can I do? Well, you can snap those beans over there, you could tear up that bread for the stuffing, or you know. So it just kind of got me more comfortable. And then, whenever we moved to Cranberry, I think I was yeah, I was like I was 13 when we moved. So Food Network started and I started watching people cook. I'm like, well, I can do that. You know, let's try.

Shayla: 15:12

Woo, it's harder than you think.

Janet: 15:14

The first thing I ever made was a Bolognese. It took about seven hours to make. It was horrible, it had stuck to the bottom. Like looking back and my parents God bless their souls they were like this is really good. You know, it was horrible, you try.

Doug: 15:30

Right, you have to try and fail, because the failures are the biggest lessons. Sure, oh yeah.

Janet: 15:35

In my life for sure, my failures have definitely been my biggest lesson. So that you know, I'm not a baker, I think it's. I love people that are bakers. It's a little restrictive for me. I kind of like to just throw stuff into a pot and make it taste good. But with baking it's so regimented, you have to put exactly this amount and you have to have the good environment in the oven to make it come out right, and you don't know if it's right till the end. So it's a different animal, even though it's the same creature. You know what I mean. But yeah, I'm definitely a savory chef for sure.

Doug: 16:04

Where did your grandma live?

Janet: 16:06

Belle Vernon.

Doug: 16:07

Local to Pittsburgh.

Janet: 16:08

Yeah, it's about an hour south of Pittsburgh.

Doug: 16:11

So when you all moved back and you said you lived with her a little bit you were down in Belle Vernon and up in Cranberry. Your grandma was really the one that sort of attracted you into the kitchen.

Janet: 16:19

She did. And then I have another family member, my uncle Mac. He's from Alabama and he's lived here for almost 40 years and I think his accent has gotten stronger in those 40 years. He's funny, he's very Southern. Whenever I was younger I was a little bit scared of him because he has a loud voice and he'd be cooking Thanksgiving dinner and he'd be like there's too many people in here, get out of the kitchen. And I was like, okay, but he's softened up, especially as he's become a grandfather.

Janet: 16:47

I'm like who's this squishy little bear, but he introduced me to different flavors and ingredients that I had never seen before okra or Cajun spices that were spicy. I feel like the rest of my family is allergic to spice you know what I mean, but he brought that in and red-eye gravy and sausage gravy and just, oh my gosh, I could go on His pulled pork so good. I'm still trying to get the recipe for that, but I have to barter and trade. I feel he's a big inspiration for me too.

Doug: 17:18

And this was Uncle Mike.

Janet: 17:19

Uncle Mike.

Doug: 17:19

Polk. Yeah, uncle Mike, and so all of that's happening in the family. When did you decide that you would go to culinary school, or how did that educational path happen?

Janet: 17:32

Great question. I did a little backwards actually, so I told you I was shy. I remember I think I was 17 and I started working at this place called Fun For All. It was like a go-kart arcade, putt-putt place you know, and if you've seen that movie Adventureland that was filmed at Kennywood it's similar to that like smaller scale but similar, like we were just kids just having the blast and our bosses were just absent.

Janet: 17:57

You know what I mean. They were like, well, I don't care what you're doing. That kind of brought me out of my shell. I went to Pitt and graduated with a marketing degree and I had no idea what I was going to do. I was still having a good time, you know what I mean.

Janet: 18:09

So those wild oats and I was working for a gentleman who used to be a physician and then, like, hire up in Highmark I was just kind of like an assistant. I was doing clerical work, you know, setting appointments and flights and everything like that, and he was really nice, really sweet. He had a wonderful, lovely wife named Judy who liked to have dinner parties and get together and things, and she was kind of behind the eight ball. One day I could see that she was stressed, trying to get everything ready for the weekend party. I'm like Jude, I like to cook, I can help if you need.

Janet: 18:40

And one thing led to another and I kind of just took over and she enjoyed that. I took over and just kind of took the helm. And so Monday morning rolls around and the husband comes, my boss comes over and says hey, I don't want to lose you as an employee, but what the hell are you doing? I see you in the kitchen. That is what you should be doing. You come alive Like I didn't realize. And it's so hard for me because every time I tell this story I tear up because, it.

Janet: 19:04

really, it was the trajectory of what I should have been doing and what makes me so happy to do. Shoot, that's another thing I get from my mom. We laugh, I'm sorry, we cry when we're sad and we cry when we're happy. So anyway, he said that and it just was like a light bulb went on in my head and I'm like, why am I not doing this? If I can do something that I love and get paid for it, why not? So then I just was. I think it was two months later I enrolled in culinary school and I just wanted to learn as much as I possibly could, and I did. It was the best decision I ever made. So that's where I got there.

Doug: 19:39

My gosh, do you have a tissue? Yeah, I have a tissue.

Janet: 19:42

I have a little brace. This is Janet Loughran of Chef Life Hacks and you're listening to the Pittsburgh dish.

Doug: 19:49

Oh, now after tissues.

Janet: 19:50

Yeah, we got tissues Okay.

Doug: 19:52

But so you have this epiphany you head to culinary school and then give me the cliff notes, like what happens after culinary school. Where did you start your professional? What would we call it? The commercial kitchen career, so to speak?

Janet: 20:07

Right, Okay, so where I worked straight off the bat was actually probably one of the best place I could work. It was a big banquet hall as well as a restaurant that was attached to it.

Doug: 20:17

Okay.

Janet: 20:17

So I started as a server. They didn't have any availability in the kitchen, surprisingly. I just kind of worked my way through and became the assistant manager of the restaurant and then finally it was like can I do catering? You know, maybe off-premises catering? They used to call me slash, you know I was assistant manager slash, off-premises manager, slash, cook slash, you know so it was just me being a sponge.

Janet: 20:38

I just wanted to learn everything I could about every aspect of that business. I was there for about three years and then where I moved actually I think I was only there for a year and a half it was called Tusca Tapas, in the South Side Works.

Janet: 20:52

It's no longer there, unfortunately, and I learned the most there about cooking that I've ever learned. And Jeff Maggs Jeff Maggs, sorry, yeah, he was a big mentor for me to understand that, okay, if you don't know how to do something, tell someone. Don't waste that product thinking, oh, I can do this. I remember I cut carrots and he's like, do you know how to diamond cut them? I'm like, oh yeah, sure, no clue, you know. I'm like looking on Google on my phone. I'm like, okay, I think I got this. And he comes back over. He's like, janet, just ask me next time. It's okay, you know, you have to have that humility that when you're learning you don't know everything, right, yeah, so, and he was actually the sous chef. He wasn't even the exec chef, but I learned a lot from him. And then, after that was the longest tenure of my career was food and beverage director at a 36-hole public golf course.

Shayla: 21:35

Wow.

Janet: 21:36

So I ran the restaurant and the bar and then we did about 120 outings every year and I would cater the food for that. So that really let me understand, not only about you know, having so many things in the air, so many balls in the air, and how to manage all these different departments at the same time while getting there, you know, 6am at work and just employee relations, my reaction to things, understanding that there's a, there's a way to handle different types of personalities, because not everybody's the same. You're not going to get the same motivation from everybody or the way to handle them. Some people need tub love, some people need a little you know, arm over the shoulder and like, hey, you're doing a great job. I know you made a mistake, but let's pick it up and we can do this again and do it better the next time. So I learned a lot, a lot there actually.

Doug: 22:27

And it's a full team experience that I am really not so familiar with when you're talking about a restaurant kitchen you know so different than being a home cook. And I mean, I saw that with you when we did outreach darms. You know what you're doing, how to do it. But I couldn't read the look on your face. I'm like, oh, what should I do? Are you mad at me? You're like oh no, I'm just concentrating.

Janet: 22:49

Yeah, I have a resting B face. So when I'm in the zone and I'm just working and I don't have anybody, you know, talking to me, I look angry and focus. I don't understand why my face does that, but I've actually. It would be part of like my training spiel when I would tell people I'm like listen, if you see me, and my face looks kind of mad. I'm usually in a good mood, like you'll know when I'm not you know, so just disregard that.

Janet: 23:14

But yeah, I just think it really. It was all encompassing you know, every single aspect of what running a restaurant and a catering business entails. And I was 26 when I started. I was. I don't think they realized how young I was, you know. So coming in, I mean, I love the bear, the show, but the sous chef, sydney, she reminds me of myself a lot because I had to manage people that had been there for years before me that were seasons that were older. And who's this little young whipper?

Doug: 23:43

snapper coming in. It was a new manager who has some chops, knows the things, but you're still learning to, and these folks are really good in their existing roles.

Janet: 23:54

Exactly, it's an interesting paradigm. Yeah, it was tough there. I will say I'm glad that I had my husband at that time. You know he's in sales, he works in corporate America. He kind of would say this isn't as big of a deal as you think, or this is a bigger deal than you think you know he kind of he's an outside the box thinker.

Janet: 24:11

And a sounding board for you, right, exactly, you know and I would come home and I'm like this is what happened, and he would say well, I think he did a good job, or, you know, maybe next time you would handle it different this way, or what did they do that led you to do that? So it just kind of helped me navigate it easier and I really thank him for that. I've told him that in the past, but yeah, it's interesting.

Doug: 24:29

You've learned so much there, but now you're kind of doing your own thing.

Janet: 24:31

Yeah which I love. Do you have any employees that? No, not yet.

Doug: 24:35

So you were a one person show.

Janet: 24:36

I am yeah, oh, my goodness.

Doug: 24:38

Yeah, I mean, I'm a red wagon meals. I know you talked about the wedding soup that started it all. Do you have a couple recipes that are the most popular thing, people?

Janet: 24:48

are asking for yeah.

Doug: 24:50

I'm not going to ask you what your specialty is, because I know you don't love that question. It's not funny. No, no, chef, really does.

Janet: 24:57

Can I tell you why I don't like that question? Yes, I haven't explained it, okay. This is why I feel like I feel like it pigeonholes the chef. Sure, so you ask what your specialty is, unless you know they own a dumpling place or a shawarma place, like that's their specialty. If I'm just a chef and I say, well, my specialty is making good stuff and making more good stuff, you know, that kind of sounds snarky.

Janet: 25:19

You can't really say that kind of discredits their question, which is valid. It's a valid question, but I feel like if you say what's your favorite thing to make for people, or what's your favorite thing that that you know people like, that you make it kind of. You have an answer for that.

Doug: 25:34

It's. You know what I mean. I think that's why I wanted to ask what is the maybe most requested meal or recipe, and not that it's your specialty per se, because you might have a favorite that is not that Right.

Janet: 25:45

Yeah, my crab cakes.

Doug: 25:47

Everyone loves my crab cakes Most requested.

Janet: 25:49

Yeah, and I I decided at the beginning of the year I never do New Year's resolutions, but I kind of felt like I had this feeling I just need to let a lot of things go, literally, figuratively, in my life. What's happened you know professionally, personally. So I started giving away my favorite recipes, like my actual recipes, cause I'm a little weird. People would ask for my crab cake recipe. I would give them a recipe for crab cakes. I wouldn't give them my recipe. But yeah, it's a secret and Guerni is is lemon zest.

Shayla: 26:17

That's what it is.

Janet: 26:18

Yeah, but I think my short ribs. I love making my short ribs and people go crazy over that.

Doug: 26:23

Is that a favorite of your own?

Janet: 26:25

It's hard Cause I don't know if you feel the same way when you're working on a meal for a while and you finally sit down to eat it. It's not appetizing to you. You know it's good, you've been testing it and tasting it all throughout, but it's like I don't know. I sometimes feel like other people's foods are my favorite, because I'm my own worst critic, you know.

Doug: 26:45

Well, also when someone cooks for you, it always tastes better.

Janet: 26:48

Oh, I love that. I know, I love when people cook for me.

Doug: 26:52

So, janet, let's move forward. You have had an incredible year of growth, from a baby influencer to a pretty substantial following on chef life hacks on Instagram. You are a constant regular on local TV. You're still doing your private cheffing. What else are you looking forward to in 2024 or future goals?

Janet: 27:14

So it's funny, I'm not. I need to become one of those people that make goals. I kind of I'm kind of like fly by the senior pan, see what happens, type of thing, and then deal with it when it comes, which is good and bad at the same time.

Janet: 27:26

I love teaching people how to cook and I think, this last year has solidified in my brain that that's what I was meant to do and what really brings me the most joy. I can't tell you whenever someone sends me a message hey, I never thought I could make short ribs, but you show me, that's actually easier than I thought and I made it and it was delicious and my family loved it and it's just. That's awesome. You know, it's just broadening their education in a way that they didn't think that they were going to get. But food demos I would love to do in person and virtual cooking classes. So even if you're across the country, I can send you a grocery list and then you could cook with me or just sit there and watch and interact with other people that are on there. I'm going to be at the Yinzer Fest at the David Lawrence Convention Center and do like a big demo in front of a big crowd, so that's awesome.

Janet: 28:14

I know it's funny, like whenever I'm in front of a phone or a camera screen or anything like that, I'm cool, like I'm good with it, and then you get a bunch of eyeballs looking at me and I get a little nervous, like my shy little, you know, introvert side comes out and I think we're going to have to do it and maybe you can come.

Doug: 28:30

I'm going to do a couple like softs. You'll do great. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks, buddy Janet. This has been such a great conversation. I always like to give everyone a moment to you know, go ahead and plug again everything you've got going on. But then I have a final question for you.

Janet: 28:43

Okay, yeah, I'm, I have the red wagon meals, I do deliveries and I do catering as well. Through that, I am setting up a website for myself, which is very exciting, so I'll give you news on that on Chef Life Hacks on Instagram whenever that comes out, but just a lot of little things coming up that I'm super excited about. I'm really trying to pick and choose what really excites me and what I'm going to do a great job at at, at helping to, you know, get out to the masses. So, yeah, that's where I'm at.

Doug: 29:12

Oh my gosh, I love it. And if folks are trying to find you on Instagram, it's cheflifehacks.

Janet: 29:19

Right, and I've also actually searched. If you don't do the dots, it'll still come up.

Shayla: 29:23

Oh good yeah, but I kind of like that delineation.

Janet: 29:25

So you know like it's not chef life, it's chef and life hacks. Yes, you know, it's not just in the kitchen. So I love it. Thanks, buddy.

Doug: 29:32

All right. So final question I always have for everyone on the show. The show is called the Pittsburgh dish and I'd love to ask you what has been the best dish you've eaten this week?

Janet: 29:44

This week. Oh my gosh, I wish I'm blanking right now. Well, you know what I'll plug myself. I just made my short ribs last week and I tried it. I mean, like you know what? That's damn good. It's just I would be raving about it if I got it in a restaurant. So it sounds a little selfish, but I guess my short ribs oh, I think it's okay.

Doug: 30:04

You are not the first person that has made their own food and said it was the best this week. Oh good, okay, janet Loughran, thanks so much for being on the show.

Janet: 30:13

My pleasure.

Doug: 30:15

Up. Next the weekly recommend. We want to thank Isaly's for sponsoring this week's episode of the Pittsburgh dish. Their White House Cherry Ice Cream flavor recently came out on top as a fan favorite. Pick up some for yourself on your next grocery trip. Go to Isalys. com and check their store locator to see where Isley's products are sold near you. Hey everybody, we're back with my friend Shayla Penn of Burgh Eats and Treats on Facebook. Hey, Shayla, I was wondering if you could give us a restaurant recommendation. I know you have been making the rounds for some of those top fives. Is there a place that has sort of stood out to you that you've stopped at? That could use a little love, and you just thought the food was great.

Shayla: 30:58

Yeah. So I want to recommend definitely A and E Eats, the chef and owner's name, Asia. She's located in McKee's Rocks on Island Avenue. She's like a block town from Doughboy's.

Doug: 31:12

And what's the cuisine style for Asia?

Shayla: 31:14

It's authentic soul food. Her motto is food that feeds the soul. Oh, I love that, yeah, so she. I got a chance to meet with her and interview her, and her inspiration was her grandmother, some of her mom, but mostly her grandmother, she said, and she just grew up loving to cook. She bonded with her grandmother cooking, she shared her recipes and then she started cooking for events and pop ups and everybody she would sell out. So she went through the steps and just opened, I think in December.

Doug: 31:52

So it's new that brick and mortar's new for her.

Shayla: 31:55

Yes, and she has a lot of ties to the community. I do my research on everybody.

Doug: 32:01

I don't just go and just pop up. You're not fooling around.

Shayla: 32:04

No, I'm not fooling around. So I did my research and I heard nothing but positive things about her and I reached out to her and told her what I was doing and she was so excited she had a whole tasting table when I got there and she had an array of her. Oh, it was a beautiful, beautiful spread.

Doug: 32:20

You got to tell me what. What did you have?

Shayla: 32:22

Everything Fried fish, honeyglaze, salmon, yams, greens, fried chicken, which was so, so good. She had lamb dessert I didn't even want to touch it with Guini and that was just not even half of her menu.

Doug: 32:40

Oh my goodness.

Shayla: 32:41

So she makes a lot of other foods, but those were, and the standout to me buy for was the honeyglaze salmon. And she can compare it over a Pittsburgh classic salad with the fresh cut fries. I would love that.

Doug: 32:57

All right, so that is A and E. Eats yes Over in McKee's

Shayla: 33:01

Rocks on Island Avenue. Yes, Shayla.

Doug: 33:04

Yes, thanks, so much, thank you. Shayla Penn is the creator of the popular Facebook group Burgh Eats and Treats! You might also catch Shayla on the radio doing some of her top food reviews. I recently sat down with my food friend, Beth Kurtz Taylor, for a longer conversation, but we got to talking about one of our favorites, halushki, or as my family calls it, halushki. Let's hear about her version as our recipe of the week. We were talking about an article that you wrote about Halushki, yes, or Haluski, I'm not sure.

Doug: 33:39

We say Halushki. I say Halushki. Yeah, and it's such a staple in our region. Can you tell me a little bit more about your version of Halushki, like how do you make it and maybe what time of year do you make it?

Beth: 33:52

I usually make it in the fall months because it's a very hearty dish. There's a lot of interpretations of it depending on where you came from Not just Poland, a lot of Eastern European countries, you know. You might see a dumpling instead of a noodle. You may see bacon and farmer's cheese put in it, all you know and people are very. It's polarizing.

Doug: 34:13

It is polarizing. Yes, Like so many other cuisines. Yes, yes. We do put bacon in ours. I do like it with bacon. Of course, we do lots of butter. How does yours come together?

Beth: 34:26

With a lot of butter. Okay, I started making it in large quantities an entire electric roaster full for the marching band's concession stand at high school football games for my son. So I could tell you that big quantity. That is a lot, but we'll scale it down a lot but it was a two-day process. But cabbage and onion cut really thin. You know I would for a family size. I use a bag of noodles.

Doug: 34:52

Do you buy the Kaluski noodles?

Beth: 34:54

I do not. This is what I buy.

Doug: 34:56

What kind do you like?

Beth: 34:57

I like Manischewitz egg noodles, okay Extra wide. You know it's a Jewish food manufacturer, but it is a really sturdy egg noodle that holds up well if this is sitting in your oven for a while or sitting on a buffet table or sitting at a football game in electric roaster you know, so yeah. Yes yes, if you use something else, they tend to get soggy and you have much doubt so, and I always just cook those al dente.

Doug: 35:22

you know, but Because they're gonna be there for so long.

Beth: 35:26

So a ton of butter sauteing the finely sliced cabbage. So at home I'll use a bag of noodles, maybe about a half of a good size head of cabbage, and three, four onions. Slice them finely thin. I usually put them through the food processor.

Doug: 35:39

Do you usually put the onions through the food processor?

Beth: 35:41

Okay, and the cabbage. So I just and just put it right through the slicing blade. Okay, not the chopping, but the slicing.

Shayla: 35:48

All right, got it.

Beth: 35:49

So melt a big stick of butter and probably a giant 12 inch skillet and throw that in and just start stirring it around.

Doug: 35:59

How long do you think you cook the cabbage?

Beth: 36:00

I would say, the cabbage is about 20 minutes or a half hour. At least yeah, cause you gotta get a little bit of the golden on the edges A little bit and you want it low and slow and it gets sweet and delicious, you know, and if you feel like it needs a little more butter, you should add that in too.

Beth: 36:14

But I salt and pepper throughout and taste you know, initially just put it in with the lid on for a while to steam it and kind of break it down, and then take the lid off after a while, just keep salting and peppering and tasting until it is just really soft and sweet and delicious.

Doug: 36:29

Yeah, it's that gorgeous, luxurious texture that we all love. Yeah.

Beth: 36:34

So then when I put it together, sometimes I used to do that step the day before when I was making it for the, for the band, but A big amount. I'll cook the noodles, melt some more butter, toss that in and then incorporate the cooked cabbage in. Now, some people my mother used to do this and I'll do this sometimes put a little caraway in it.

Beth: 36:54

I love caraway, that's delicious too, but yeah, tasting the whole time and making sure your seasoning's adjusted and yeah, that's it. I've made it for a number of graduation parties and, of course, the band and at home, and we really enjoy it.

Beth: 37:07

I'll use that same cabbage cook down to do a pierogi filling. Another fun thing I found working on this there was a church in New Kensington that did a Polish platter dinner every fall and it was kabase, halushki, pierogi and stuff, cabbage. I think you got in this whole thing, but they would. When you roll pierogi sometimes you roll that dough too much, it gets tough and instead of continually rolling it they take the scraps and make halushki out of that dough scrap. We do that, yeah.

Doug: 37:39

Oh, that's not so good. We've done that too, but yeah, that's the third version of halushki. I could probably talk about it for another hour. Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that recipe.

Beth: 37:47

Oh, you're welcome, you're welcome. Love to keep that alive.

Doug: 37:49

All right, bye-bye.

Beth: 37:51

Bye.

Doug: 37:52

Beth Kurtz Taylor is a food educator, freelance writer and one of the owners of Third Space Bakery. You can find out more about Beth's business at Third Space PGH on Instagram. That's our show for this week. We wanna thank 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.