Category Archives: Food & Drink

Why Kevin Sousa’s Superior Motors Kickstarter campaign epitomizes everything we love about Pittsburgh

Here’s an obvious fact: Pittsburgh’s identity was, and still is, deeply entwined with the steel industry. After all, we’re nicknamed the Steel City, which we’re reminded of whenever prime time football comes to town and floods our televisions with images of steel mills, by the numerous Pittsburgh-related projects that are given names referencing steel (for example, our own Steel of the Week), and whenever we pass through any of the formerly-thriving steel towns.

But those of us who have lived in, worked for, and loved this city for any significant amount of time know how very much more there is to Pittsburgh. And most importantly, we recognize the enormous potential of what it still can become.

That’s why Pittsburgh is responsible for the most-funded restaurant project on Kickstarter to date– local chef Kevin Sousa‘s Superior Motors in Braddock, Pennsylvania.

Braddock, Pennsylvania. Photo from 15104.cc.

The story of Braddock is woeful. The once-thriving town, home of both Andrew Carnegie’s first steel mill and his first public library, was hit hard in the 1970s and ’80s by the collapse of the steel industry and a rising drug and gang problem. 90% of the population eventually fled the area and much of what once was now is simply deserted. The state of Pennsylvania has declared Braddock a “distressed municipality” since the ’80s.

Then came “America’s coolest mayor”: John Fetterman. The dynamic and engaged mayor has received national recognition for his unwavering commitment to rebuilding and reinventing the town– and most importantly, for his faith that a better Braddock is within reach and worth fighting for.

Photo from Braddock Redux.

With an emphasis on improving the lives of the borough’s young people, Fetterman has attracted a promising creative and artistic force to Braddock. While there’s much work still to be done, testaments to his success include: the conversion of an abandoned church into the Braddock Community Center, home to the Braddock Youth Project; Braddock Farms, which grows organic produce on 10 acres of repurposed over-grown lots and is tended to by area kids; the opening of the studio UnSmoke Artspace; and much-anticipated brewery startup The Brew Gentlemen.

Sousa’s Superior Motors hopes to bring more of that needed revitalization to Braddock. Named for the former car dealership it will occupy, the restaurant is nothing short of revolutionary. Braddock currently doesn’t have any operating restaurants and Sousa is not only looking to open one in the area, but to engage and drive the community with its operation.

Superior Motors is aiming to strengthen Braddock through food, farming, art, and more. Photo from Superior Motors Kickstarter.

Truly exemplifying fresh, local, and farm-to-table, most of the produce will be sourced from Braddock Farms, as well as the thousands of square feet in planned rooftop gardens and greenhouses. The nearby apiary, which provides beekeeping training to local youth, will provide honey, and local chickens will be the source of eggs for the restaurant.

But most impressive is what Sousa plans to do for the actual community. Superior Motors will not only offer Braddock residents with substantial dining discounts but also free professional culinary training and opportunities. A hostel located next door will be used to offer no-cost housing for some employees who are selected to train and learn at the restaurant. Sousa hopes Superior Motors will feed and strengthen the current community ecosystem of local businesses, residents, and visitors.

Farmer Marshall Hart working at Braddock Farms. Photo from the Superior Motors Kickstarter.

So on Sunday, with less than a day and a half left in the Superior Motors Kickstarter campaign and still $70,000 short of a goal of $250,000, anticipation grew. Was there the possibility that this innovative project, set in a town we all want to see succeed, would not be funded?

That’s when Pittsburghers truly came together. Retweets, posts, emails, and articles. The purported power of social media, in action. “Kickstarter” was trending on Twitter in Pittsburgh, behind only “Downton Abbey” in popularity. People watched the donation figure slowly climb with the fervor of a hotly contested election. Sousa himself rightfully couldn’t sleep.

#nosleeptilbraddock pic.twitter.com/VF7pJRZ2W8

— Kevin Sousa (@sousapgh) January 6, 2014

Because of this final push by the community, Superior Motors not only reached and surpassed its goal with nearly a day to spare, but has received an additional $40,000 grant from Rob Stephany of The Heinz Endowments. Sousa emotionally thanked the nearly 2,000 supporters “for reminding [him] what an altogether inspiring place it is that [he is] lucky enough to call home.” He even admitted that we made him cry.

Chef Sousa at the Braddock Youth Project training class at the community bread oven. Photo from the Superior Motors Kickstarter.

When indie rock band Frightened Rabbit came to town for the Thrival Music Festival in September, they commented on how much they enjoy playing here because Pittsburghers genuinely love their city and are so proud to be a part of it. How right they were.

We’re a tight-knit, thoughtful, and involved community that genuinely believes in bettering our city, be it through the successful and established medical and education sectors, a vibrant and innovative startup community, or the booming food and drink scene (Bon Appetit recently named Pittsburgh its “next big food town”). Even Lindsay, the creator of I heart PGH, had her cross-country train trip with the Millennial Trains Project successfully funded because of the incredible generosity of Pittsburghers.

We all see something worthwhile in Superior Motors. Something that will better Pittsburgh and Braddock. Something else to prove that we’re more than just a former steel town. And we’re helping to make that a reality.

The Kickstarter campaign is over but follow Kevin Sousa on Twitter for updates on Superior Motors.

The Pop Stop: Popsicles in Pittsburgh

What’s better than beating the heat with a popsicle? How about beating the heat with a freshly made popsicle containing fresh fruit and ingredients from the back of a bicycle? Pittsburgh’s newest (and only) popsicle delivery system on 2 wheels is changing the way to eat frozen treats.

English teacher and Pittsburgh native Todd Saulle started The Pop Stop after a conversation with a friend who owns a popsicle shop in West Philadelphia. Saulle was captivated with the idea and started research immediately. Given the recent boom in mobile food in Pittsburgh, Saulle decided to take the concept mobile, and thus The Pop Stop was born.

Now, for the record, these aren’t like those old school orange juice popsicles you attempted to make every summer in your freezer with toothpicks and ice trays. Saulle uses an industrial kitchen and equipment to keep up with demand. The space came with a little help from Franktuary.

“I need[ed] a commercial kitchen space to make the pops. Fortunately for me, my mobile food compatriots at Franktuary came to my aid. The Franktuary ownership, Megan Lindsey and Tim Tobitsch, were more than willing to provide me with a commercial kitchen space at their new L-ville location. Without the help of the ownership and staff of Franktuary, The Pop Stop could not operate. So, in return for their generosity, I provide them with a few batches of popsicles every week. Currently, they have two seasonal flavors: Straight-up Cantaloupe and Watermelon Parsley. You can also try an alcoholic based pop with Wigle Ginever, cucumber and lime.” Continue reading →

International Beer Day: Guide to Pittsburgh breweries and more

Even though today is International Beer Day, it’s a great chance to go local with these Pittsburgh businesses that know and love beer.

Brew Gentlemen
Coming soon to Braddock, this promising venture is a collaboration between two CMU grads. They’re working on getting a full production brewery set up, and are eventually planning to add a taproom and lounge. Even though it’s not open yet, it’s totally worth keeping an eye on!

church brew works interior (Photo credit: calamity_hane)

Church Brew Works
While their beer is tasty and their food menu interesting, the most impressive thing about Church Brew Works is the building. Located inside an old church in Lawrenceville, the beautifully restored architecture steals the show as you sip on one of their award-winning beers.

Copper Kettle Brewing Company
This place is truly unique: as the only brew-on-premise in Pennsylvania, customers can use Copper Kettle’s equipment, ingredients, recipes, and expertise to brew and bottle their own beer. Perfect for people who may be intimidated by home brewing or simply don’t want to deal with the hassle, Copper Kettle is located in Greenfield as an extension of craft beer bar Hough’s.

East End Brewing Company
A small microbrewery, East End isn’t exactly a pub where you can sit down for a beer. However, you can fill up growlers of their delicious home brews at their daily growler hours, at both their brewery and in the Strip District at the Pittsburgh Public Market. You can also find many of their beers at your favorite bar or restaurant– check out this list of places that have dedicated a tap to East End beers.

Full Pint Brewing Company
Located in North Versailles, Full Pint is both a brewery and a pub. Go on a tour of the brewery or stop by for a pint or growler of one of their many craft beers, plus check out their newly launched food menu. Fellow Yinztern Ian wrote a great, more in-depth review of the pub.

PA Brew Tours
If you want to skip the hassle of organizing your own trip or designating a driver, then these beer tours are for you. They provide a ride to local breweries and pubs, a behind-the-scenes tour (when possible), and good food for the ride. Best of all, a portion of their profits is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Penn Brewery
Modeled after the traditional beer gardens of Germany, Penn Brewery (aka the Pennsylvania Brewing Company) features craft beers, homemade food, and a historic setting. Oktoberfest in September is a roaring good time with music, dancing, German food, and, of course, tons of beer.

Rivertowne
With several restaurants located in and around Pittsburgh, Rivertowne sells lots of different beers including their own that they brew locally. You can check out any of their restaurants (which feature full menus), take a tour, or grab a six pack, case, or keg at the brewery.

South Hills Brewing Supply
Ready to tackle brewing your own beer at home? South Hills Brewing Supply has everything you need to get started with your first home brew, to perfect that recipe, or to get crazy with experimental beverages. It’s definitely your best bet in the Pittsburgh area for home brew supplies.

#UheartPGH – Nominations now open!

Here at IheartPGH, we love this city, we really do. Now it’s your turn to show some love with #UheartPGH, our best of the ‘Burgh feature. We want to know what you guys love about this city.

Here’s how you can #UheartPGH

Fill out this nifty form below with your nominations.
Go to our Facebook page and comment your nomination. Use the hashtag #UheartPGH.
Tweet at @iheartpgh and use the hashtag #UheartPGH. Don’t forget to include which category you are nominating for!

Nominations are open until Thursday, August 1st at midnight. Then we’ll collect your nominations and announce the nominees Friday. Next week, you’ll be able to vote on the nominees to determine the best of each category. We’ll profile the winners right here on the blog.

[gravityform id=”3″ name=”UheartPGH Nomination Entry”]

Local Spotlight: Full Pint Brewing in North Versailles

Walking into Full Pint Brewing, located off of Route 30 (near Rivertowne), I wasn’t quite sure what to think. I’ve read plenty about the craft beer they produce and how great it is, and visiting the brewery and the pub has been on my Summer to-do list for some time. However, I was kind of thrown by the location and nature of it, in a good way. The brewery and pub are tucked away on the hillside and kind of difficult to see from the road. Walking up to the warehouse, all of the garage doors were wide open. I could see the kettles and busy people working to box the products. The pub area is sort of just a “come on in and check us out” kind of area, and the casual nature of Full Pint is really awesome.

Pub Entrance to Full Pint Brewing

There wasn’t anyone else in the pub except for another guest enjoying a beer at the bar. Because of his friendliness, knowledge of the brewery, and comfortable attitude, I just assumed he was an owner. He wasn’t, but he was still helpful.

Ironically, I found while writing this post, he’s Eric Starkey– the host of the YouTube channel “Beers in the Burgh.” And he did a great spot on Full Pint a couple of months ago which highlights parts of the brewery, the brewing process, the types of beers offered, and some of the owners:

Beers in the Burgh has some other great spotlights on other local brewers. Check out their channel, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to take a tour of my own. The brewery was very busy, probably in preparation for the inaugural “Pittsburgh Summer Beerfest” at Stage AE TODAY and tomorrow, in which Full Pint will be featured. Ticket information is available here.

Decisions, decisions..

I did sample a few of the beers, however, including the “All In Amber,” “Little Brown Ale,” “Spruce Ale,” and the 2012 Great American Beer Festival Bronze Medalist and 2013 World Beer Competition Silver Medalist “White Lightning,” and ended up having a “full pint” (ouch) of the latter, award-winning Belgian-style white ale.

Along with the open, comfortable pub atmosphere with seemingly limitless drink options, Full Pint will be expanding their pub menu to include food as well. Right now they offer house made pizzas (which one of the founders talks about in the video above-it sound delicious), but a full pub menu will be available August 1.

The wall behind the bar in the pub was stacked with stickers of other local brewers, bars, and businesses from the Pittsburgh area which was another awesome thing about Full Pint: the hometown feel and authenticity of the place. The people I met were nice, knowledgeable, and very helpful. The whole place just has this really unique feel to it. As evidenced above, the names and label designs of the beers are all really cool and creative. The label for “White Lightning” even features a fictional version of one of Full Pint’s founders.

Customers can come in and grab a drink or two like I did, however full purchases of cases, six-packs (custom variety packs are available as well), clothing, and soon to be food are also available. So if you’re ever in the North Versailles area, pop into Full Pint Brewing and see what it’s all about– I know I’ll be going back.