July 2013

Put me indoors on the perfect summer day, and internally, I’m squirming like a kiddo confined to a church pew. Fortunately, Pittsburgh chefs are embracing summer scenes as the backdrops for their seasonal cooking and the showcases for their ingredient sourcing. Having ventured to a farm dinner or two, the opportunity for outdoor, urban dining was quite exciting, especially with Chef Kate of e2 behind the grill!

Wanting to showcase the developments of Bryant Street in the Highland Park neighborhood of Pittsburgh, a local lot owner offered his grassy nook to the ever talented e2 crew. What popped up was a BBQ of classic comfort foods made with local, seasonal produce and a real respect for the ingredients.

Like the event itself, conversation popped up with an accelerated familiarity, and in concert with the meal, made summer dining all the more memorable…

“Kate and Tara are going to get ‘Wendy [the alpaca].’ I’m going to hug her so hard. She’s going to spit in my face, and it’s going to ruin my friendship with them, but it has to happen!”

Summer meals are better outdoors, so here’s to blades of bright green grass, a setting sun, flickering candles, wine stains, purple lips, heaping plates of ribs, corn lodged unabashedly between teeth, images of alpaca spit and sweet cobbler conclusions!