November 10, 2024 • 42 mins
(01:01) Pastry Chef Selina Progar takes us on a mesmerizing culinary journey, sharing her artistry and passion that illuminate Pittsburgh's dessert scene. From her innovative multi-component apple dessert at Eleven Contemporary Kitchen to crafting bonbons for Umi and seasonal delights for Kaya, Selina's creations redefine what it means to experience dessert. Join us as she reveals her secrets to balancing the complexity of restaurant masterpieces with the simplicity of homemade comforts.
(11:42) Selina's career trajectory is equally compelling, as she recounts her rise from the Culinary Institute of America to the demanding kitchens of top-tier restaurants. Her story is one of creativity, consistency, and resilience, shaped by experiences at esteemed establishments like Altius and fueled by childhood baking memories with her father. Discover how Selina navigated high-pressure environments, honed her craft, and returned to Pittsburgh, transforming the local culinary landscape through her work with the Big Burrito Group. We end with a heartwarming glimpse into Selina's personal life, exploring a love story that blossomed at Altius, and upcoming dessert plans for her own wedding!
(32:59) Keeping in the world of sweets, Chantal and Alex Huff take us on a visit to Amy's Bakery for coconut buns and other Asian delights. And then, enjoy a heartfelt cookie recipe story from John Chamberlain of the YaJagoff podcast, highlighting the deep connections we forge through food and tradition.
Whether you're a culinary enthusiast or simply love a good story, this episode promises a delightful mix of inspiration, love, and scrumptious desserts.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Doug (00:01):
Welcome to the Pittsburgh Dish.
I'm your host, Doug Heilman,searching for desserts that are
far beyond the average slice ofcake.
We have the perfect guest and aplace for you.
Want an under-the-radar Asianbakery?
The Hungry Huffs Introduce usto a spot.
And do you rejoice when you geta treasured holiday cookie
(00:27):
recipe?
We have one from JohnChamberlain of the Yajagoff
podcast.
All that ahead, stay tuned.
The Pittsburgh Dish issupported by Chip and Kale
plant-based meals.
Check out their latest menu foritems like curried chickpea
soup with pita croutons or onepot Greek pasta.
(00:49):
Head to their website atwwwchipandkalecom and use code
DISH to save on your next order.
Now on to the show.
Well, thank you so much forcoming over and for being on the
show.
Would you introduce yourselfand what you have going on in
food right now?
Selina (01:10):
Hi, my name is Selina Progar.
I am the pastry chef at ElevenContemporary Kitchen.
I also make all the bonbons atUmi and I have two rotating
seasonal desserts at Kaya.
Doug (01:22):
Oh, my goodness, I have to say the desserts that I see you
make for Eleven are like art tome.
You're not just making a sliceof cake.
In fact, I just watched acouple of your latest creations.
Can you just describe one ofthem Like?
Walk us through one of them.
I know it has like maybe fiveto seven parts.
Selina (01:44):
Yeah, there's a um.
Bill Fuller is always, so Ihave to have him come on to the,
to the restaurant, and eat thedesserts before we put them on
the menu is part of the.
Making sure everything'sapproved correctly.
Doug (01:56):
What a tough job.
Selina (01:57):
I know to make sure all the food tastes good at all the
restaurants.
Uh and he always goes this has19 components.
You are aware that this has 19components.
And I'm like yes, chef, I know,I know, chef, but okay, so our
apple dessert, it is flying offthe shelves right now it is a
caramelized puff pastry and it'smade with palmier style, so
(02:18):
it's layered with sugar in theraw.
Doug (02:21):
Oh, so I've had palmieres, which they're usually like this
bent elephant ear kind of thing.
Selina (02:29):
Yes, so what we do is we just lay?
It out flat and then cut stripsout of it and bake it like that
instead of in so same exactflavor just in a strip.
Doug (02:34):
But that's just the first component.
Selina (02:35):
Yes, let's keep going.
Yeah, we have a apple ciderdiplomat, which is a pastry
cream style mousse.
We have a caramel custard, thenon top we have a spiced apple
compote, a apple cider gelée, anapple namlaka.
A namlaka is a Japanese ganache, oh my.
(02:56):
A fiatine crumbs, a sour applechantilly, a dulce chocolate
twist made by Valrhona, a goldleaf and a pumpkin spiced wheel,
selena did you come up withthis?
Yourself.
Doug (03:13):
Yes, Okay, so we'll have to talk about this, because this
is the reason I want to go torestaurants, because I will
never make what you are creatingat home.
So thank you, thank you.
I love when I go to arestaurant and I have a dish
that's never going to besomething I make in my own
kitchen and I think that iswhere you grab me.
And I didn't really know youuntil we sat down today, but
(03:37):
I've seen you doing this pastryartistry on KDKA.
Selina (03:42):
Yeah, yeah.
When did that start?
I was on Talk Pittsburgh,probably in the first month that
it was a thing.
Doug (03:51):
Yeah, since it aired.
Selina (03:52):
Yeah.
Doug (03:52):
You've been a regular.
Selina (03:53):
I have been a regular.
Doug (03:54):
So it's getting on at least a year.
Selina (03:56):
I would say six or seven times I've been on, so I'm not
on there as much as maybe AlekkaSweeney.
Doug (04:03):
Okay.
Selina (04:06):
But I would say that every two months I'll get on
there.
Yeah, yeah, it's really nice,it's always just amazing to me.
Yeah, and at first I tried toput one of the desserts that we
do at 11 on there.
Five minutes is not very muchtime, no, no, and I felt like I
might've been a little bitoverwhelming.
Doug (04:21):
Oh yeah.
Selina (04:22):
So uh, which is fine.
So I kind of veered away fromthat and thought maybe I could
do something a little bit moresimple, so things that are a
little bit more in season, orworking on a single component as
opposed to trying to do all ofthe components.
Doug (04:37):
Well, I like what you're saying because when I've been on
, I think I'm trying to teachpeople something they can do at
home.
But I think it's okay.
You have the permission to sayokay, here's a little bit of
something you can do at home,but here's what I do, cause
that's a little different andit's super fun to watch you.
Selina (04:52):
Yeah, I uh showed them how to do pop tarts so you can
make your own pie dough and gothrough the process of making
your own jam and everything, andyou know.
Then you make your own icing.
But you could also just go tothe store and buy Pillsbury pie
dough Off the shelf.
Pie dough works, you know.
You can fill it with jam thatyou buy off the store.
(05:12):
But what you know is you knowexactly what's going in that and
then you can serve that to yourkids and freeze it as opposed
to buying.
You know toaster strudels orpop tarts you know off the shelf
that have 35 ingredients in it,yeah, so much better when it's
homemade.
Doug (05:26):
How perfect.
Yeah, love it All right.
Well, let's get back to 11 alittle bit more.
How?
How long have you been there?
Selina (05:32):
A little over two years, two years and maybe three
months.
Doug (05:35):
You alluded to it earlier, 11 is part of the big burrito
group, so there are severalrestaurants and you mentioned
you do some things for Umi andSoba.
Selina (05:46):
So Umi Soba is actually done by Nicole Bosserman.
Okay, yeah, we work together atGluten-Free Goat, and then
she's also from Husk inCharleston.
Jonathan (05:56):
Oh wow.
Selina (05:57):
Yeah so she has a great background as well.
Another good pedigree of pastryyes, but I just do Umi, just
the omakase tasting oh my gosh,and then Kaya, and then
obviously Eleven.
Doug (06:09):
Okay, and if anyone's wondering, a couple of the other
restaurants in that group areall of the Mad Mex's, the Alta
Via concept and AVP.
I'm probably missing one.
Selina (06:21):
Casbah, that's right yeah.
Doug (06:22):
Over in Shadyside.
Selina (06:24):
Yes.
Doug (06:25):
Also good.
Selina (06:25):
So good, yeah, I mean, I don't know how they do it.
Doug (06:29):
It is one of the first premier restaurant groups that I
remember when I moved back toPittsburgh from college.
I think a lot of thoserestaurants were brand new in
the nineties and I've just kindof always lived with them and
it's sort of like the precedentfor a lot of other restaurants
to follow.
Selina (06:46):
But you have these fine dining restaurants that also
have been around for 20 years.
That's right, it's not just asmall stint and it's not just a
quick concept.
Five years, six years, butthese have been around for 20,.
You know, I think 11 has beenaround for 22 or three years or
something like that.
Doug (07:02):
It's incredible.
It's amazing and consistent,consistent and good and you know
the service, the food, thepastries, all of it.
Selina (07:10):
It's a science.
Doug (07:11):
Yeah.
Selina (07:12):
Yeah, wow.
Doug (07:13):
So I want to talk a little bit about you in this amazing
machine of the big burrito groupand 11.
You said earlier that youcreated this dessert.
Can you just describe what youstart thinking about when you're
creating something new for themenu, Like where where does your
mind go or where does theinspiration come from?
Selina (07:31):
So I think the first thing that I always think about
is seasonal.
Jonathan (07:35):
Okay.
Selina (07:36):
So seasonal is always the easiest for me because you
can say fall, you know, you canput an apple and a pumpkin
dessert on the menu.
Doug (07:43):
Oh yeah.
Selina (07:43):
Winter citrus Spring you can do.
It's a little bit trickierbecause not really too many
things are in season, but youcan go for a lot of bright
colors, that's right.
And then summer, you haveeverything available to you.
So I always start with ifseasonal is available and I'll
go from there.
And then I think to myself,okay, what haven't I done?
(08:05):
Okay, and I just go through thecatalog of all the desserts
that I've already done and Ithink to myself, okay, well, we
can't do that, so let's come upwith something different.
Let's try to not repeatanything that we've done in the
past.
I just sit down with a notebookand I just start jotting down
ideas.
I get on Instagram and I seewhat the chefs in Europe are
(08:29):
doing.
I try to find out inspirationon different techniques.
I read just blog after blog andjust try to come up with
something that is inspirationalbut achievable in a high end
restaurant that is also highvolume.
Doug (08:46):
Yeah, you were sparking several questions for me, so I
want to just take one step back.
Do you have like a log of allof the desserts you've done?
Selina (08:56):
A lot of times it ends up just in the prep book.
So we'll have, we just have anotebook that has all of our
prep lists in it and I'll justflip a page over and just start
writing things down.
And it's just random.
And then I'll tear that pieceof notebook paper out and I'll
shove it in the folder in thebinder.
I would not say that it'sorganized, it's more chaos than
(09:19):
organization.
But I have probably 10 or 12three-inch ring binders in my
basement full of recipes that Ihave had in the past, and I have
two flash drives that haveprobably 5,000 recipes on it
that I've done.
Doug (09:36):
Oh my gosh.
I was going to ask if you havelike dozens or hundreds, but you
are into the thousands.
Selina (09:41):
Absolutely.
Wow, because I mean so if onemenu has five desserts on it.
Doug (09:47):
Yeah.
Selina (09:47):
Okay, each dessert has 10 components.
On it.
That's 10 recipes for onedessert, that's 50 recipes and
there's test runs in the processso that recipe changes 10 times
over.
You know, then we'll do specialdinners.
Then we have the otherrestaurants 10 times over, you
know, then we'll do specialdinners, then we have the other
restaurants that we do.
You know that sometimes I don'teven write the recipes down and
(10:11):
we're just kind of going at itas fast as we can.
Doug (10:14):
Because of the volume.
Selina (10:15):
Yeah.
Doug (10:16):
You're a machine.
You were incredible.
Selina (10:17):
I was like go in, chef.
Eli always says what are youdoing in the office?
I'm like I'm trying to type therecipes up, chef, just trying
to get them organized.
Doug (10:28):
On a high volume night.
I imagine that's like a Fridayor Saturday night at 11.
How many desserts go out thedoor?
Selina (10:36):
60 to 80.
Okay, yeah.
Doug (10:39):
And these are again the multiple component desserts.
You're never serving just acookie or a piece of cake at 11.
Selina (10:45):
No, even our ice creams are a little bit more complex
than regular ice creams, so theyhave inclusions in them and
they're served with.
They're served with cookies,but they're you know.
We have a double chocolate, asweet soy cookie, we have a
triple chocolate, Dulce cookie.
We have a brown butter vanillabean cookie.
So you know we try to elevateevery single piece that goes out
(11:08):
.
Doug (11:08):
And I would say 11, is one of the what I would call one of
the highest end restaurants inPittsburgh.
Am I right?
What do you think?
Selina (11:14):
Yeah, In fact it is actually one of the two four
diamond restaurants inPittsburgh.
Doug (11:20):
It's awarded by AAA.
Selina (11:22):
Oh yeah, that's great.
Yeah, I mean, the otherrestaurant is Altius and I
worked there for six years.
Doug (11:28):
I was going to say we need to talk about your work history
next.
Oh well, then you are.
You're spreading diamondsacross the whole region, these
restaurants that you have workedat.
I mean, there's obviously likea fire and a passion.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your culinary career?
You just mentioned you workedat Altius before 11.
(11:49):
But did I read you went to theCulinary Institute of America.
Is that where it all kind ofgot started?
Selina (11:55):
Yeah, I attended the Hyde Park campus and I got an
associate's degree in baking andpastry.
Doug (12:01):
So did you know right away that baking and pastry was like
your jam?
That's what you were going togo for?
It absolutely was yeahabsolutely.
Selina (12:08):
I baked with my dad growing up.
So, yeah, it was a great, greatthing that we did on all the
holidays and for people'sbirthdays.
It was great.
Doug (12:18):
Wonderful.
Let's talk about your education, but then I want to go back and
talk about family a little bittoo.
So, after Hyde Park and the CIA, where did you go next?
Selina (12:27):
Yeah, I actually came back to Pittsburgh.
I didn't know what I wanted todo, but I knew that I needed to
go home for a little bit.
Doug (12:36):
And you grew up in Pittsburgh.
Selina (12:37):
I did.
I grew up in Canonsburg oh yeah, yeah and my mom said why don't
you go online and Google bestbakeries in the city and just
start calling them?
Doug (12:49):
Smart mom and seeing if there's jobs available.
Selina (12:52):
Yeah, and that's when I stumbled across Le Gourmandine.
Doug (12:56):
Oh, of course.
Selina (12:57):
At the time, Le Gourmandine was producing
desserts that were unlikeanything in the city and I just
called and asked if they werehiring and if I could have a job
interview.
And they were they were.
Yeah, and it's weird how, ifyou just ask, a lot of times,
people just you know are nice.
Doug (13:16):
Selina, I have to say in this whole crazy food world I'm
finding the same thing.
Sometimes you just need toreach out and people are way
more open than you think theywill be.
Absolutely, and a lot of placesneed more help than you realize
too.
Which?
Selina (13:29):
is always good.
Yes.
Doug (13:32):
Okay, so you came back home LaGormandine.
How long were you atLaGormandine?
Selina (13:37):
I was there for about a year and a half Okay, maybe
about two years.
I went from working part-timeas a help during Easter to
full-time to the head pastrycook there.
Doug (13:52):
That's a pretty big jump.
Selina (13:53):
Yeah, at 20.
Doug (13:54):
You knew what you were doing, yeah.
Selina (13:57):
And then they were going to open up the second location
in Mount Lebanon.
Yeah, and then they were goingto open up the second location
in Mount Lebanon.
Fabian wanted me to go and leadthat bakery but I wasn't sure
if that's actually what I wantedout of my career.
And one night I just got aphone call from a friend and he
goes I have a job for you inNantucket, Do you want it?
Doug (14:19):
Wow, that's a leap.
Selina (14:21):
It was like 1130 at night.
Doug (14:22):
Yeah, that's crazy.
Selina (14:23):
Yeah, and I was like, oh , what, I don't know, I was
asleep.
I had to be at work in fourhours.
Doug (14:29):
I've got to get up early and start making pastries.
Yeah, I don't.
Selina (14:32):
Yes, I don't.
I mean, can we talk a littlebit more about this?
Yeah, and he goes.
Yeah, it's going to pay $25 anhour, which, in 2013, was like
gold.
Doug (14:44):
Really good yeah.
Selina (14:46):
Yeah, I mean even now, that's.
Doug (14:47):
That's not bad.
Not a bad job, yeah, no.
Selina (14:49):
I thought about it on my drive to La Gourmandine.
It was 40 minutes and I thoughtabout it and I go yes, let's do
it, I'm going to do it.
Wow, and I put my notice in andflew to Nantucket.
Doug (15:01):
Wow, and so how long did you spend in Nantucket?
Selina (15:03):
I spent two summer seasons there.
Doug (15:05):
And was this a restaurant?
Selina (15:07):
It was.
It was also a four-diamondrestaurant, four-star hotel, oh
my gosh, and it's called Toppersat the Walwinette.
Okay, now it holds afive-diamond award, probably
because you were there?
Doug (15:21):
No, you never know.
You never know.
Selina (15:24):
No, Gino is the pastry chef there and he is amazing.
Doug (15:27):
He's one of my role models .
Yeah, do you still stayconnected to folks like that?
Yeah, yeah.
Selina (15:32):
I have two really good friends there.
Uh, we actually just went up toNantucket last summer to visit
everybody.
Doug (15:38):
It was great.
Yeah, oh, that's so good and itprobably keeps you kind of
motivated and inspired to justhave those people in your life,
right, yeah?
Selina (15:45):
But, um, it was my first , uh, restaurant job, because I
had just worked in that bakery,you know, and I was 22.
So, um, I was thrown into thewolves and it was busy.
They called it angry August.
When I walked in there, it was200 covers every single night.
It was a prefix menu, so everysingle person that sat down got
(16:06):
five courses.
Doug (16:07):
Oh my goodness.
And Nantucket is this vacationmecca anyway.
So everyone's there to just dothat kind of thing, right?
Yeah, oh, wow.
Selina (16:15):
And I went from working 4.30 in the morning until 2 in
the afternoon to working 10 inthe morning to 1 o'clock in the
morning.
Oh my goodness, yeah, it was along day and the expectation was
set Get your job done, andwhatever it means for you to do
that, that's what you have to do.
Doug (16:37):
The things that we will do in our 20s.
Selina (16:39):
Yeah, for $25 an hour.
I know I was like this is gold,this is awesome, yeah I mean,
but it really made me have anoutstanding work ethic.
You ever see those videosonline of the people scrubbing
the fine dining restaurants andit's like water and suds
everywhere and everybody'sworking in unison and
everybody's using squeegees andtowels and there's deck brushing
(17:01):
.
That's what we did.
Doug (17:02):
It's really like that.
Yeah, it's really like thatyeah.
Oh my gosh.
Selina (17:05):
It was extremely hard and they made you strong.
Doug (17:09):
Wow, yeah, wow.
Just the level of expectation,the level of excellence that
they want to provide to a guest.
It's kind of incredible.
Selina (17:16):
Yeah, and we also had a lot of celebrities there as well
.
So I mean Drew Barrymore wasthere every weekend, hi, so I
mean everything had to beperfect all the time for Drew.
Doug (17:28):
Wow, that's so crazy.
Yeah Well, how long was ituntil you came back to
Pittsburgh?
Selina (17:34):
So after that first summer season I moved to Utah oh
wow yeah where I worked atanother five diamond restaurant
in Deer Valley as the assistantpastry chef.
And then I moved back toNantucket for the second summer
season Whoa.
I drove cross country bothtimes.
Doug (17:49):
Whoa.
Selina (17:50):
Yes.
Doug (17:51):
And was this like whole, like multi diamond restaurant
situation appealing to you ordid you like?
When you're going to Utahyou're like I'm getting myself
into the same kind of thing I'mdoing in Nantucket.
Oh, I loved it, you did.
Selina (18:01):
It was a high you thrived on it.
I wanted it Wow.
I couldn't get enough of it.
Chantal (18:06):
Oh, wow.
Selina (18:07):
And I am also.
I've been skiing my entire life, okay, and I thought to myself
what's better than this?
Now I get an opportunity to skiout Springs.
I wanted to go ski on realmountains, yeah.
So my job came with a ski pass.
Doug (18:22):
Oh, wow.
Selina (18:23):
Yeah, okay, yeah, for sure, absolutely, whoa.
Doug (18:26):
So we went from Nantucket to Utah, back to Nantucket
Anywhere else before coming backhome.
No, I came home then.
I was really tired.
Selina (18:44):
Were you 23?
At this point I'm tired at 23.
I was about to turn 25.
Oh, yes, yeah, I came backright before I turned 25 and I
was just exhausted.
I mean, it was a lot of working.
Yeah, this is Selina Progar andyou're listening to The
Pittsburgh Dish.
Doug (18:55):
Thinking about the dessert you described earlier, was it
similar at these other placeswhere they heavily composed?
Selina (19:02):
Yes, I mean they are.
Those chefs are my role models.
Yeah, I mean everything that Ido is based off of everything
that I've learned from them.
So, you know five to eightcomponents per plate and it
should take time and you shouldbe detail oriented.
Doug (19:17):
Yes, I just want to take a sidestep here.
So for this desserts thatyou're making even today on the
regular, what time are yougetting to 11 now and are you
preparing then like one of theeight things and then another
one of the eight things and likeportioning it out?
Is that how it goes?
Selina (19:35):
So three days a week, I start at 11 o'clock in the
morning and I work until about10 at night yeah, I work through
dinner service and then twodays a week, I try to have a
prep shift.
Yeah.
Just to create some normalcy inmy life.
Wow, so I am not working everyhour of every day?
Doug (19:55):
Oh my gosh yes.
Selina (19:57):
Whenever we go in, we have a giant gridded list of
every single component for everydessert.
In the morning, after our prepshifts, we fill out one half of
the count sheet and then, afterdinner service is done, we fill
out the second half of the countsheet.
So then all you have to do islook at the chart.
(20:17):
It's a puzzle.
It's a puzzle.
The chart for Eleven, the chartfor Kaya, the chart for any
catering events, the chart forUmi, wow, and then make a list.
Honestly, it just is whateverseems like the most time
consuming.
You're going to do that beforeservice starts.
Doug (20:32):
Okay.
Selina (20:33):
Yeah, so whether that's chocolate work, so that could be
any chocolate deco, that couldbe our birthday plaques, that
could be any kind of likespraying, so we spray with a
paint gun like some of ourdesserts.
Edible cocoa butter.
Doug (20:47):
Yeah.
Selina (20:47):
Yeah, so that way it has like kind of a velvety texture
to it.
Oh my gosh, anything that'sdipping, so like anything that
is a lot of walking in and outof the freezer.
Doug (20:57):
Yeah.
Selina (20:57):
So that way you have that accessibility without
having to be like carrying sheettrays through the dining room,
because you actually have towalk through the dining room to
get to the pastry kitchen in 11.
Doug (21:06):
Yeah, yeah, yes, I am the pastry chef at Eleven.
Selina (21:23):
And then I have Scott Morgan, who has been working
with me for seven or eight years.
Doug (21:28):
Okay.
Selina (21:28):
Alex Portis, who actually is a former child star
on the Food Network.
What, yes, it's a great story.
Doug (21:36):
Oh my gosh, yes.
Selina (21:36):
And then I have an intern from the CIA.
His name is Enrique.
And then I have an intern fromthe CIA, his name is Enrique.
And then I have another girl.
Her name is Lily.
I have taught her how to do allthe bonbons, so she has no
experience in chocolate, andshe's actually going to medical
school at Pitt right now.
Whoa yeah, so she makes all mychocolates.
And then another student at theCCAC Culinary School and her
(21:58):
name is Caitlin.
Doug (21:59):
So what is that I'm trying to count?
Was that like five people andyou and you're leading them?
Selina (22:04):
So it's three full-time and two part-time.
Doug (22:07):
Gotcha.
Selina (22:07):
Yeah, and then me.
Doug (22:10):
Oh my gosh, and we didn't even talk about these like
special events.
Like you said, there's catering.
Sometimes you're doing someother stuff.
Selina (22:15):
Absolutely.
Yeah, it's a a well-oiledmachine, but it is very busy all
the time.
Wow.
Doug (22:21):
You mentioned earlier, when you went to the CIA, you
really did so because you likedbaking with your dad.
Yes, can we talk about family alittle bit?
Selina (22:29):
Yes, I grew up baking with my dad on holidays
specifically.
Chantal (22:34):
Aw.
Selina (22:43):
But also we are Slovenian and he liked to bring
a lot of traditional baked goodsinto our family.
So whether that was Petitsawhich is commonly known as not
roll, apple strudel and krofe,which are just donuts, yeah.
Doug (22:51):
I'll take it all yes.
Selina (22:52):
So we learned how to do that at a really young age.
We also would go to RestaurantDepot and before I think I who
knows how he got his card but wewould go down into Pittsburgh
and buy like giant blocks ofchocolate and melt that down and
temper that and make likechocolate molds out of that.
And I didn't even know whattempering was at that age, but,
(23:14):
blow my mind, he knew what hewas doing.
How did he learn?
I don't know His mom my grandma.
Doug (23:20):
I have no idea.
Selina (23:23):
You don't know.
No, I never really like askedhim how he knew how to do the
chocolate like he does.
He just was a wizard and I justlistened to him, oh yeah did
you have a big family?
Doug (23:32):
like was food like a super important thing with all of
that?
Selina (23:35):
so I just have one brother, okay, um, and then, uh,
my parents split when I waslittle and I have a awesome
stepdad, awesome step siblings.
So I mean the family is big indifferent ways, but it's my dad
and I and my brother, and thenmy mom and my stepdad and his
(23:56):
two children and then all of mymom's siblings.
So you know, it can be, it's abig family.
Doug (24:01):
It's a big family yeah.
Are there any other, like bigmentors, that you still look up
to or reach out to today?
Selina (24:10):
So in my internship at Bethel Bakery her name is Barb,
she was one of the cakedecorators there.
I still reach out to her everynow and again and just try to
see, like bounce some ideas offof her.
And then, um, chef Gino, uh,from Nantucket, yeah, um.
Doug (24:28):
And then Chef Eli, honestly, he's the head chef at
Eleven.
Selina (24:32):
Yes, he's a great sounding board.
He definitely will tell me thetruth.
Yes, which is never a bad thing.
Doug (24:39):
No, you need that Absolutely.
I mean, you guys are doing justcrazy, amazing looking work.
Jonathan (24:44):
Yeah.
Doug (24:45):
All right.
Well, we've talked so muchabout your work history.
We've hit a little bit offamily, selena, I just want to
know, as you keep progressing at11, do you have any goals or
things you want to accomplish inthe next coming months, years,
anything big coming up on thehorizon?
Selina (25:02):
So I think that the biggest goal of mine is just to
keep doing what I'm currentlydoing.
I think that Big Burrito issuch a great company to work for
.
I really feel like I hit thejackpot, so I don't really want
to change that.
I guess maybe my biggest goalfor this year is making my own
(25:24):
desserts for my wedding.
Well, I was going to say Ithought I had heard you have a
wedding coming up, so maybe thatis a big goal, yeah it is a
pretty big goal, yeah, and I'mgoing to create all the desserts
for that wedding and there'snot going to be a wedding cake
and there isn't going to be acookie table.
Doug (25:39):
Oh my gosh, You're doing this yourself.
Selina (25:41):
I am Whoa yeah.
Doug (25:43):
Can we maybe talk a little bit about your fiance and in
fact, could we include himAbsolutely?
Jonathan (25:55):
include him, absolutely All right.
Hello there.
Hey, doug, would you introduceyourself to our listeners?
I am Jonathan.
Homer I am the executive chef ofBlue Sky and I am Selena's
fiance.
John (26:01):
Yes, my proudest thing.
Doug (26:03):
I love that we have this culinary romantic connection
going on.
I've seen it on PittsburghToday, live or Talk Pittsburgh.
They had you guys on it, like.
Selina (26:12):
Valentine's Day, right, valentine's Day on Pittsburgh
Today Live.
Doug (26:15):
And as I'm sitting here, I just see now Selena has raised
her hand and I see herengagement ring, which looks
very, very sharp.
Nice job, Homer.
Thank you, sir.
How did you two meet?
Selina (26:26):
He tells the story so much better than I tell the
story and don't leave anythingout.
Oh okay, I tell the story anddon't leave anything out.
Jonathan (26:34):
I lived in St Louis I'll keep it a little short here
and I was coming back from StLouis and my dad told me to call
the best restaurants.
As her mom told her, uh, callthe best restaurants.
And he called Altius, where shewas the pastry chef at.
I walk in the door, I get thechef at Altius.
Jess, she was amazing.
(26:57):
She, um.
She told me to come in for ameeting.
I walk in the door and there'sSelena and I said, hey, is a
chef here?
I'm dressed to the T, selena's,dressed in her chef clothes,
just sweating her butt off,doing chocolate work, making the
magic.
First time I got to see it andshe said yeah, she's just like
you know, kind of angry.
It's an angry Monday type ofthing.
She walks down these stairs andI was like, am I following you?
(27:18):
And she just turns to me andgoes wait here.
Selina (27:22):
I would just like to say that it was July and it was a
hundred degrees in that kitchen.
Jonathan (27:27):
Oh my goodness, it wasn't good.
And immediately I was like I'mgoing to marry that girl you did
.
Doug (27:32):
That's the best story ever .
Jonathan (27:33):
So I, uh, I staged it out this and, uh, I hung out
with all of her and her friendsthat night and I, just I
absolutely fell in love with herand worked there and the rest,
as you would say, is on her hand.
Doug (27:46):
Love at first sight.
Was it the same for you, Selena?
Selina (27:56):
So right off the bat.
Obviously I was in some kind ofpastry rage, but that night I
remember being so smitten by himand just asking our friend Abby
what do you think his deal is?
I got to want to hang out withhim.
I want to get his phone number,but at the time we weren't
allowed to date each otherbecause I was a manager.
Doug (28:11):
I see you were both at the same restaurant, altius on
Mount Washington which isamazing.
Selina (28:15):
Yes, absolutely, the food is outstanding.
Yeah yeah, the company wasamazing.
I mean, I stayed there for sixyears.
I wouldn't have been there ifit wasn't awesome and he chose
to leave so we could date eachother.
Doug (28:29):
Oh, yes, I love that story .
Best decision ever.
Thank you guys both for sharingthat.
Yeah, and so back to myquestion to you, selena making
all of your own high-enddesserts for your own wedding?
Yes, that's a big goal.
Selina (28:42):
I know.
Doug (28:43):
I hope you enjoy your wedding day.
Selina (28:45):
So I'm going to hire uh, I actually we're going to hire
a big burrito catering team.
Doug (28:49):
Amazing.
Selina (28:49):
So I'm going to make everything at the restaurant and
then they're going to deliverit.
Doug (28:54):
So it'll all be, done yes.
Selina (28:56):
Yeah, no, I already have it.
I already talked to Danielle,so she's going to be amazing and
she's going to set everythingup for me.
You will not be in pastry rageno no, I think I would love to
get a picture of me quenellingsomething in my wedding dress,
because that would be awesome.
Doug (29:12):
That would be the best.
Selina (29:13):
Yes.
Doug (29:15):
Well, I want to say once again, thank you both for coming
over and Selina for giving yourtime and telling us your story.
If people want to find you andfollow you on social media,
where can they find you?
Selina (29:28):
So they can follow me on Instagram at Pastry Chef Selina
.
You can look up my Facebook.
It's just my name, SelinaProgar.
It's the same thing that's onInstagram.
Doug (29:39):
It's a lot of beautiful pictures of your work.
Selina (29:42):
Yes.
Doug (29:42):
And, of course, where else they should see not necessarily
you, but your creations is bygoing to Eleven.
Selina (29:48):
Eleven.
And then Kaya for thehummingbird cake and the glass
dessert that we have right now.
It's a pumpkin cake with apumpkin mousse.
Doug (29:56):
Yes.
Selina (29:57):
And then you can also go to Umi, which is currently on
their winter break, and you cantry their bonbons.
Doug (30:05):
Yes, when they're back from winter break.
Selina (30:07):
Yes.
Doug (30:08):
All right, selina, there's always a final sign-off
question.
I ask our guests you know this.
Selina (30:14):
Yes.
Doug (30:15):
I think I did hear that you binged a few episodes before
this.
Selina (30:18):
Maybe Definitely all of them, all of them, everyone.
That's a super fan.
I am a podcast super fan.
I'm honored.
Yeah, what did you think theywere awesome?
Oh, thank you.
I love.
Your canter is amazing.
Your laugh is contagious.
Your voice is perfect.
Yes, it is a perfect slice ofPittsburgh.
(30:39):
I'm blushing.
Doug (30:42):
All right, so I'm going to get back to my question.
Selina, what was one of thebest dishes you've eaten this
past week?
Selina (30:50):
Okay, so I couldn't choose so.
Doug (30:53):
I'm going to give you two.
Okay, all right.
Selina (30:55):
All right, it's the Elote corn dog at loaded.
Doug (30:59):
Oh, at loaded.
Oh, remind us where is loadedat the Lawrence Food Hall.
That's right Up inLawrenceville, the new Lawrence
Hall.
Selina (31:07):
Yes, Um, it was one of the best corn dogs I think I've
ever had in my whole life.
It was a panko crusted corn dogand it had spicy mayonnaise on
it and lime and cojita cheeseand corn.
Oh my goodness it was.
I wanted 10 of them.
Doug (31:22):
So this is normally like what you get when you get the
elote corn.
That's covered in those typesof things, but they're doing
this as a corn dog.
Selina (31:29):
Yeah, and they have like seven corn dogs on their menu.
Doug (31:32):
My mind is blown.
I need to go.
Selina (31:34):
Yes.
Doug (31:34):
I've been there already, but I did not go to Loaded, so
yeah, I need to go back.
Selina (31:38):
Okay, and then my second one are the Forsythe mini golf
ice cream sandwiches.
Doug (31:43):
Oh, right over here in Carnegie.
And they just closed for theseason.
Selina (31:48):
I know, I know we went on Sunday and we got six ice
cream sandwiches to you know,maybe hold us over for two weeks
.
Doug (31:55):
Hidden treasure, hidden gem.
For those that don't know,forsythe mini golf, it's not so
much about the golf, but it'salso about the food that they
serve.
Selina (32:04):
Yes, yeah, the mini golf is so much fun, though it is
Just an old school mini golf,it's not fancy it certainly is
challenging.
Alex (32:12):
Yeah.
Selina (32:14):
It's not fancy.
It certainly is challenging.
Yeah, it's a hard course, yeah,but, uh, they have these
awesome ice cream sandwiches, uh, and they have about 15
different flavors, but then youcan also create your own.
Oh yeah and uh, I think thefluffer nutter is probably my
favorite, which is a peanutbutter cookie, peanut butter,
fudge, ice cream and then littlemini marshmallows on the
outside.
Doug (32:33):
So delicious.
I hope you bought extra andjust froze them for the winter.
I did you did.
Selina (32:37):
Yeah, there's six in my freezer right now.
Yes, oh perfect, yes.
Doug (32:41):
Best bites of the week.
Yes, chef Selena Progar, thankyou so much for being on the
Pittsburgh Dish.
Selina (32:48):
Thank you, Doug.
It was the best time of my life.
Doug (32:51):
Oh, and, chef Homer, thank you as well.
John (32:54):
Thanks, Doug.
Got to tell my favorite story,so I appreciate it oh.
Doug (32:59):
If you appreciate Asian pastries or just want to learn
more about them.
I recently sat down with Alexand Chantal Huff of the Hungry
Huffs and they shared a favoritespot.
Hey, everybody, we're joinedwith Alex and Chantal Huff of
Hungry Huffs on Instagram.
Guys, when you were here last,we talked about a couple of
restaurants, but I was thinkingfor this week, could you give us
(33:21):
a bakery or you know some kindof patisserie that you're really
into?
That maybe is a little lesserknown, Lesser known.
Chantal (33:29):
There are tons of great bakeries in Pittsburgh, but for
a lesser known choice in MountLebanon there is a bakery called
Amy's Bakery.
And if you were to see it onInstagram, you would think this
is just like a cake shop awedding cake shop but it's
actually an Asian bakery and ifyou go in there they have the
best coconut buns I may haveever had.
Doug (33:49):
Oh, my goodness, now that's saying something.
And, chantal, I just want toask you for anyone that hasn't
had a coconut bun could you justdescribe it for us?
Chantal (33:59):
Sure, I mean, I've never described this before, but
it is like a bun, like a loaf,like you would imagine, but the
dough itself is sweet and thefilling is like flaky coconut
and, I imagine, sugar.
It's like a kind of paste notlike a cream.
Like you, could you have theflakes of the coconut?
Doug (34:16):
Oh, wow.
Chantal (34:16):
So good.
Doug (34:18):
Oh, that sounds so delicious.
I like that it's sort of underthe radar in that you don't know
until you go.
Alex (34:23):
You seriously don't like.
The first time we went in therewe had no idea what to really
expect from Amy's bakery.
I think we were just walkingdown the street in Mount Lebanon
.
We're like let's stop in here.
And we saw they had bubble tea,they had the coconut buns, they
had the taro buns, the mochicrepe cakes.
They have everything there andit's everything's delicious,
like it's definitely, I think,the most hidden gem of a bakery
in the Pittsburgh area.
Doug (34:44):
Alex, you've just listed a ton of things that I want to go
try and we've had a couple oflike national chain Asian
bakeries pop up, but this is alocal, independent bakery right.
Alex (34:54):
That's correct.
Yeah, and it's been there for awhile, I believe.
Doug (34:57):
And it looks like I'm taking a look now.
It's just right alongWashington Road.
It looks like a couple blocksdown from Il Pizziolo in Mount
Lebanon, and they're open everyday, but Sunday from 10 to nine.
So if you haven't get over toAmy's Bakery and check it out,
to Amy's Bakery and check it out.
Chantal (35:10):
Yeah, you will not regret it.
Alex (35:11):
Yeah, you will not regret the coconut buns.
They're out of this world.
Doug (35:15):
Oh, my goodness, I think there's going to be a run on the
coconut buns.
Thank you so much, guys.
You can follow Chantal and Alexon Instagram at Hungry Huffs.
We're getting into the holidayand baking season, and if you've
ever rejoiced when you got yourhands on a treasured cookie
recipe, well, we have one foryou this week.
Let's give John Chamberlain ofthe YaJagoff podcast a call and
(35:40):
learn about one of his favorites.
Hello, hey, John, it's Doug.
How are you?
I'm doing great.
Hey, thank you so much forsending over this recipe, for I
guess this is a favorite cookieof yours, is that right?
John (35:57):
It is indeed a favorite cookie of mine, and it was baked
by me, by a favorite person ofmine.
Doug (36:03):
And am I saying this right ?
This is Mrs Marie Cersosimo'sItalian cookie.
All right.
John (36:11):
Yes, you have it exactly right, and it's funny that you
know, know, I'm the Irish Germanguy and you know I love the
Italian cooking and so I come inby through it, by you know,
through Rachel's family andthrough other family members
throughout my life, and none ofthe Italians that I know
actually know the name of thiscookie, but no, I, so I just
basically call it the Italian.
(36:32):
Mrs C's Italian spice cookie.
Chocolate spice cookie.
Doug (36:36):
Oh well, you kind of answered my next question.
If you could describe it alittle bit for anybody that
hasn't seen the recipe card yet,so it's a chocolate spice
cookie.
John (36:45):
I call it a chocolate drop cookie.
So my mom used to makechocolate cookies where you had
a batter, you spoon it up, youput it in like teaspoon mounds
on the tray and then you bakethose and there's nuts in there
and then when they come out theycool.
You put like a powdered sugarand milk butter kind of icing on
it, just like glaze.
(37:05):
So that's kind of how youdescribe it to your listeners.
But in it is there's all spice,listeners, but in it is there's
all spice, there's cinnamon,there's all these other type
spices that make it just alittle bit different than a
chocolate cookie.
Doug (37:20):
Oh, it really is like a spice cookie and a chocolate
cookie mashup.
I don't know if I've ever hadsomething like this.
That's kind of exciting.
John (37:27):
You know, to be honest with you, when she first gave
them to me for Christmas, shewould make them for me every
Christmas and every birthday.
And I thought I love thesethings and she said you better
love them because the task ofmaking them is so crazy, it's
hard, and so when she started toget older, then her daughter,
linda, started to make them forme, and then it got down to OK,
(37:50):
just Christmas, because we'reonly doing this one time a year.
And then I started saying, ok,I'm going to start making the
cookies.
And that's when the swear wordstarted to come out in my
kitchen, because it is.
I knew at that point how muchlove went into these cookies,
(38:10):
because of the task that thesecookies take to bake and Rachel
has actually been there a coupleof times when I made them and
it literally is an all dayaffair for me and it is messing
up every bowl, every measuringcup in your kitchen, every
spatula.
But that's how I know they weremade with love by Mrs Cersosimo
.
Doug (38:29):
And they're worth it, no question.
And John, just to take a stepback, what's the story with you
and Mrs Cersosimo?
Did you say this was a friendor a neighbor?
How did you know each other?
John (38:42):
Sure.
So I came to know Mrs Cersosimothrough her daughter Linda.
We went to EMT class together.
We knew a large circle offriends that were in EMS and
paramedics and EMTs.
We knew a large circle offriends that were in EMS and
paramedics and EMTs and Lindabecame a nurse and Mrs C was
sort of that mom.
That was everybody's mom, butonly Linda's mom.
You know what I mean.
Of course, every time we'd showup and say hey, it's Mama C,
(39:04):
what are you doing today?
You know, always have to gogive her a hug, and I didn't
grow up being a hugger or akisser, you know that kind of
thing.
But man, once you get in thatItalian family you know like if
you don't hug and kissrespectfully, you're out and
you're not getting any morecookies.
Doug (39:18):
Exactly.
John (39:20):
So that's, they just became longtime friends and
really just very, very close anddear friends.
And Mrs Cersosimo was thislittle Italian lady, was young
at heart and, you know, lived onPepsi and chocolate, you know,
and lived a great life and had agreat family.
(39:41):
Her husband used to own a delitype thing down behind Mancini's
Bread and they made Cesosimo'sItalian sausage until they
didn't have like a butcher shop,until they didn't have like a
butcher shop.
But anyways came to know themover the years and kind of was
accepted into the family,thankfully, so that I could get
chocolate, cookies and meatballsand red sauce and pasta.
Doug (40:02):
Well, I'm going to say this John, you definitely were
accepted in, because there's alot of Italian families that
will never give up an actualrecipe, and you got this one, so
we can see that there's lovethere.
What a special connection.
John (40:14):
It was very special and the best part was when she made
fun of me the first time I madethese cookies.
The batter gets really thick,it gets really hard and I was
trying to mix it and I did nolie.
I broke three wooden spoons andI burned up a hand mixer.
And when I called to tell her Isaid am I doing something wrong
?
Because my hand mixer motorjust blew up.
(40:36):
She said what's wrong with you?
Don't you have any strength,any muscles in your arms?
You're not supposed to use amixer, you're supposed to use a
spatula.
So she would make fun of me.
The fact that she was strongerthan I am the way she mixed the
cookies.
Doug (40:47):
Oh, I bet she was definitely in the kitchen.
John (40:50):
No doubt, no doubt.
Doug (40:51):
So you make these at Christmas.
We could really make them anytime of year, but what a special
story around this cookie, achocolate spice cookie from a
beloved Italian family, MrsMarie Cersosimo.
Yes, john, thank you so muchfor sharing this recipe, and I
do understand folks can checkout a video you made of this on
(41:12):
your pod, the YaJagoff podcast,over on YouTube, and we'll leave
a copy of the recipe up on ourblog as well.
John (41:19):
I appreciate it, and the video does not include the swear
words.
Doug (41:22):
Oh, that's good, John Chamberlain, thank you so much
for being on The Pittsburgh Dish.
John (41:28):
Thank you, Doug.
I much appreciate it.
Have a good day.
Doug (41:30):
You too Bye-bye, bye Much appreciated.
Have a good day you too.
Bye-bye, bye.
You can find more from JohnChamberlain and his partner in
crime, Rachel Rennebeck, attheir website, www.
yajagoff.
com, or on Instagram at yajagoff.
That's our show for this week.
We'd like to thank all of ourguests and contributors, and to
(41:51):
Kevin Solecki of CarnegieAccordion Company for providing
the music to our show.
We'll be back again next weekwith another fresh episode.
Stay tuned.
Welcome to the Pittsburgh Dish.
I'm your host, Doug Heilman,searching for desserts that are
far beyond the average slice ofcake.
We have the perfect guest and aplace for you.
Want an under-the-radar Asianbakery?
The Hungry Huffs Introduce usto a spot.
And do you rejoice when you geta treasured holiday cookie
(00:27):
recipe?
We have one from JohnChamberlain of the Yajagoff
podcast.
All that ahead, stay tuned.
The Pittsburgh Dish issupported by Chip and Kale
plant-based meals.
Check out their latest menu foritems like curried chickpea
soup with pita croutons or onepot Greek pasta.
(00:49):
Head to their website atwwwchipandkalecom and use code
DISH to save on your next order.
Now on to the show.
Well, thank you so much forcoming over and for being on the
show.
Would you introduce yourselfand what you have going on in
food right now?
Selina (01:10):
Hi, my name is Selina Progar.
I am the pastry chef at ElevenContemporary Kitchen.
I also make all the bonbons atUmi and I have two rotating
seasonal desserts at Kaya.
Doug (01:22):
Oh, my goodness, I have to say the desserts that I see you
make for Eleven are like art tome.
You're not just making a sliceof cake.
In fact, I just watched acouple of your latest creations.
Can you just describe one ofthem Like?
Walk us through one of them.
I know it has like maybe fiveto seven parts.
Selina (01:44):
Yeah, there's a um.
Bill Fuller is always, so Ihave to have him come on to the,
to the restaurant, and eat thedesserts before we put them on
the menu is part of the.
Making sure everything'sapproved correctly.
Doug (01:56):
What a tough job.
Selina (01:57):
I know to make sure all the food tastes good at all the
restaurants.
Uh and he always goes this has19 components.
You are aware that this has 19components.
And I'm like yes, chef, I know,I know, chef, but okay, so our
apple dessert, it is flying offthe shelves right now it is a
caramelized puff pastry and it'smade with palmier style, so
(02:18):
it's layered with sugar in theraw.
Doug (02:21):
Oh, so I've had palmieres, which they're usually like this
bent elephant ear kind of thing.
Selina (02:29):
Yes, so what we do is we just lay?
It out flat and then cut stripsout of it and bake it like that
instead of in so same exactflavor just in a strip.
Doug (02:34):
But that's just the first component.
Selina (02:35):
Yes, let's keep going.
Yeah, we have a apple ciderdiplomat, which is a pastry
cream style mousse.
We have a caramel custard, thenon top we have a spiced apple
compote, a apple cider gelée, anapple namlaka.
A namlaka is a Japanese ganache, oh my.
(02:56):
A fiatine crumbs, a sour applechantilly, a dulce chocolate
twist made by Valrhona, a goldleaf and a pumpkin spiced wheel,
selena did you come up withthis?
Yourself.
Doug (03:13):
Yes, Okay, so we'll have to talk about this, because this
is the reason I want to go torestaurants, because I will
never make what you are creatingat home.
So thank you, thank you.
I love when I go to arestaurant and I have a dish
that's never going to besomething I make in my own
kitchen and I think that iswhere you grab me.
And I didn't really know youuntil we sat down today, but
(03:37):
I've seen you doing this pastryartistry on KDKA.
Selina (03:42):
Yeah, yeah.
When did that start?
I was on Talk Pittsburgh,probably in the first month that
it was a thing.
Doug (03:51):
Yeah, since it aired.
Selina (03:52):
Yeah.
Doug (03:52):
You've been a regular.
Selina (03:53):
I have been a regular.
Doug (03:54):
So it's getting on at least a year.
Selina (03:56):
I would say six or seven times I've been on, so I'm not
on there as much as maybe AlekkaSweeney.
Doug (04:03):
Okay.
Selina (04:06):
But I would say that every two months I'll get on
there.
Yeah, yeah, it's really nice,it's always just amazing to me.
Yeah, and at first I tried toput one of the desserts that we
do at 11 on there.
Five minutes is not very muchtime, no, no, and I felt like I
might've been a little bitoverwhelming.
Doug (04:21):
Oh yeah.
Selina (04:22):
So uh, which is fine.
So I kind of veered away fromthat and thought maybe I could
do something a little bit moresimple, so things that are a
little bit more in season, orworking on a single component as
opposed to trying to do all ofthe components.
Doug (04:37):
Well, I like what you're saying because when I've been on
, I think I'm trying to teachpeople something they can do at
home.
But I think it's okay.
You have the permission to sayokay, here's a little bit of
something you can do at home,but here's what I do, cause
that's a little different andit's super fun to watch you.
Selina (04:52):
Yeah, I uh showed them how to do pop tarts so you can
make your own pie dough and gothrough the process of making
your own jam and everything, andyou know.
Then you make your own icing.
But you could also just go tothe store and buy Pillsbury pie
dough Off the shelf.
Pie dough works, you know.
You can fill it with jam thatyou buy off the store.
(05:12):
But what you know is you knowexactly what's going in that and
then you can serve that to yourkids and freeze it as opposed
to buying.
You know toaster strudels orpop tarts you know off the shelf
that have 35 ingredients in it,yeah, so much better when it's
homemade.
Doug (05:26):
How perfect.
Yeah, love it All right.
Well, let's get back to 11 alittle bit more.
How?
How long have you been there?
Selina (05:32):
A little over two years, two years and maybe three
months.
Doug (05:35):
You alluded to it earlier, 11 is part of the big burrito
group, so there are severalrestaurants and you mentioned
you do some things for Umi andSoba.
Selina (05:46):
So Umi Soba is actually done by Nicole Bosserman.
Okay, yeah, we work together atGluten-Free Goat, and then
she's also from Husk inCharleston.
Jonathan (05:56):
Oh wow.
Selina (05:57):
Yeah so she has a great background as well.
Another good pedigree of pastryyes, but I just do Umi, just
the omakase tasting oh my gosh,and then Kaya, and then
obviously Eleven.
Doug (06:09):
Okay, and if anyone's wondering, a couple of the other
restaurants in that group areall of the Mad Mex's, the Alta
Via concept and AVP.
I'm probably missing one.
Selina (06:21):
Casbah, that's right yeah.
Doug (06:22):
Over in Shadyside.
Selina (06:24):
Yes.
Doug (06:25):
Also good.
Selina (06:25):
So good, yeah, I mean, I don't know how they do it.
Doug (06:29):
It is one of the first premier restaurant groups that I
remember when I moved back toPittsburgh from college.
I think a lot of thoserestaurants were brand new in
the nineties and I've just kindof always lived with them and
it's sort of like the precedentfor a lot of other restaurants
to follow.
Selina (06:46):
But you have these fine dining restaurants that also
have been around for 20 years.
That's right, it's not just asmall stint and it's not just a
quick concept.
Five years, six years, butthese have been around for 20,.
You know, I think 11 has beenaround for 22 or three years or
something like that.
Doug (07:02):
It's incredible.
It's amazing and consistent,consistent and good and you know
the service, the food, thepastries, all of it.
Selina (07:10):
It's a science.
Doug (07:11):
Yeah.
Selina (07:12):
Yeah, wow.
Doug (07:13):
So I want to talk a little bit about you in this amazing
machine of the big burrito groupand 11.
You said earlier that youcreated this dessert.
Can you just describe what youstart thinking about when you're
creating something new for themenu, Like where where does your
mind go or where does theinspiration come from?
Selina (07:31):
So I think the first thing that I always think about
is seasonal.
Jonathan (07:35):
Okay.
Selina (07:36):
So seasonal is always the easiest for me because you
can say fall, you know, you canput an apple and a pumpkin
dessert on the menu.
Doug (07:43):
Oh yeah.
Selina (07:43):
Winter citrus Spring you can do.
It's a little bit trickierbecause not really too many
things are in season, but youcan go for a lot of bright
colors, that's right.
And then summer, you haveeverything available to you.
So I always start with ifseasonal is available and I'll
go from there.
And then I think to myself,okay, what haven't I done?
(08:05):
Okay, and I just go through thecatalog of all the desserts
that I've already done and Ithink to myself, okay, well, we
can't do that, so let's come upwith something different.
Let's try to not repeatanything that we've done in the
past.
I just sit down with a notebookand I just start jotting down
ideas.
I get on Instagram and I seewhat the chefs in Europe are
(08:29):
doing.
I try to find out inspirationon different techniques.
I read just blog after blog andjust try to come up with
something that is inspirationalbut achievable in a high end
restaurant that is also highvolume.
Doug (08:46):
Yeah, you were sparking several questions for me, so I
want to just take one step back.
Do you have like a log of allof the desserts you've done?
Selina (08:56):
A lot of times it ends up just in the prep book.
So we'll have, we just have anotebook that has all of our
prep lists in it and I'll justflip a page over and just start
writing things down.
And it's just random.
And then I'll tear that pieceof notebook paper out and I'll
shove it in the folder in thebinder.
I would not say that it'sorganized, it's more chaos than
(09:19):
organization.
But I have probably 10 or 12three-inch ring binders in my
basement full of recipes that Ihave had in the past, and I have
two flash drives that haveprobably 5,000 recipes on it
that I've done.
Doug (09:36):
Oh my gosh.
I was going to ask if you havelike dozens or hundreds, but you
are into the thousands.
Selina (09:41):
Absolutely.
Wow, because I mean so if onemenu has five desserts on it.
Doug (09:47):
Yeah.
Selina (09:47):
Okay, each dessert has 10 components.
On it.
That's 10 recipes for onedessert, that's 50 recipes and
there's test runs in the processso that recipe changes 10 times
over.
You know, then we'll do specialdinners.
Then we have the otherrestaurants 10 times over, you
know, then we'll do specialdinners, then we have the other
restaurants that we do.
You know that sometimes I don'teven write the recipes down and
(10:11):
we're just kind of going at itas fast as we can.
Doug (10:14):
Because of the volume.
Selina (10:15):
Yeah.
Doug (10:16):
You're a machine.
You were incredible.
Selina (10:17):
I was like go in, chef.
Eli always says what are youdoing in the office?
I'm like I'm trying to type therecipes up, chef, just trying
to get them organized.
Doug (10:28):
On a high volume night.
I imagine that's like a Fridayor Saturday night at 11.
How many desserts go out thedoor?
Selina (10:36):
60 to 80.
Okay, yeah.
Doug (10:39):
And these are again the multiple component desserts.
You're never serving just acookie or a piece of cake at 11.
Selina (10:45):
No, even our ice creams are a little bit more complex
than regular ice creams, so theyhave inclusions in them and
they're served with.
They're served with cookies,but they're you know.
We have a double chocolate, asweet soy cookie, we have a
triple chocolate, Dulce cookie.
We have a brown butter vanillabean cookie.
So you know we try to elevateevery single piece that goes out
(11:08):
.
Doug (11:08):
And I would say 11, is one of the what I would call one of
the highest end restaurants inPittsburgh.
Am I right?
What do you think?
Selina (11:14):
Yeah, In fact it is actually one of the two four
diamond restaurants inPittsburgh.
Doug (11:20):
It's awarded by AAA.
Selina (11:22):
Oh yeah, that's great.
Yeah, I mean, the otherrestaurant is Altius and I
worked there for six years.
Doug (11:28):
I was going to say we need to talk about your work history
next.
Oh well, then you are.
You're spreading diamondsacross the whole region, these
restaurants that you have workedat.
I mean, there's obviously likea fire and a passion.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your culinary career?
You just mentioned you workedat Altius before 11.
(11:49):
But did I read you went to theCulinary Institute of America.
Is that where it all kind ofgot started?
Selina (11:55):
Yeah, I attended the Hyde Park campus and I got an
associate's degree in baking andpastry.
Doug (12:01):
So did you know right away that baking and pastry was like
your jam?
That's what you were going togo for?
It absolutely was yeahabsolutely.
Selina (12:08):
I baked with my dad growing up.
So, yeah, it was a great, greatthing that we did on all the
holidays and for people'sbirthdays.
It was great.
Doug (12:18):
Wonderful.
Let's talk about your education, but then I want to go back and
talk about family a little bittoo.
So, after Hyde Park and the CIA, where did you go next?
Selina (12:27):
Yeah, I actually came back to Pittsburgh.
I didn't know what I wanted todo, but I knew that I needed to
go home for a little bit.
Doug (12:36):
And you grew up in Pittsburgh.
Selina (12:37):
I did.
I grew up in Canonsburg oh yeah, yeah and my mom said why don't
you go online and Google bestbakeries in the city and just
start calling them?
Doug (12:49):
Smart mom and seeing if there's jobs available.
Selina (12:52):
Yeah, and that's when I stumbled across Le Gourmandine.
Doug (12:56):
Oh, of course.
Selina (12:57):
At the time, Le Gourmandine was producing
desserts that were unlikeanything in the city and I just
called and asked if they werehiring and if I could have a job
interview.
And they were they were.
Yeah, and it's weird how, ifyou just ask, a lot of times,
people just you know are nice.
Doug (13:16):
Selina, I have to say in this whole crazy food world I'm
finding the same thing.
Sometimes you just need toreach out and people are way
more open than you think theywill be.
Absolutely, and a lot of placesneed more help than you realize
too.
Which?
Selina (13:29):
is always good.
Yes.
Doug (13:32):
Okay, so you came back home LaGormandine.
How long were you atLaGormandine?
Selina (13:37):
I was there for about a year and a half Okay, maybe
about two years.
I went from working part-timeas a help during Easter to
full-time to the head pastrycook there.
Doug (13:52):
That's a pretty big jump.
Selina (13:53):
Yeah, at 20.
Doug (13:54):
You knew what you were doing, yeah.
Selina (13:57):
And then they were going to open up the second location
in Mount Lebanon.
Yeah, and then they were goingto open up the second location
in Mount Lebanon.
Fabian wanted me to go and leadthat bakery but I wasn't sure
if that's actually what I wantedout of my career.
And one night I just got aphone call from a friend and he
goes I have a job for you inNantucket, Do you want it?
Doug (14:19):
Wow, that's a leap.
Selina (14:21):
It was like 1130 at night.
Doug (14:22):
Yeah, that's crazy.
Selina (14:23):
Yeah, and I was like, oh , what, I don't know, I was
asleep.
I had to be at work in fourhours.
Doug (14:29):
I've got to get up early and start making pastries.
Yeah, I don't.
Selina (14:32):
Yes, I don't.
I mean, can we talk a littlebit more about this?
Yeah, and he goes.
Yeah, it's going to pay $25 anhour, which, in 2013, was like
gold.
Doug (14:44):
Really good yeah.
Selina (14:46):
Yeah, I mean even now, that's.
Doug (14:47):
That's not bad.
Not a bad job, yeah, no.
Selina (14:49):
I thought about it on my drive to La Gourmandine.
It was 40 minutes and I thoughtabout it and I go yes, let's do
it, I'm going to do it.
Wow, and I put my notice in andflew to Nantucket.
Doug (15:01):
Wow, and so how long did you spend in Nantucket?
Selina (15:03):
I spent two summer seasons there.
Doug (15:05):
And was this a restaurant?
Selina (15:07):
It was.
It was also a four-diamondrestaurant, four-star hotel, oh
my gosh, and it's called Toppersat the Walwinette.
Okay, now it holds afive-diamond award, probably
because you were there?
Doug (15:21):
No, you never know.
You never know.
Selina (15:24):
No, Gino is the pastry chef there and he is amazing.
Doug (15:27):
He's one of my role models .
Yeah, do you still stayconnected to folks like that?
Yeah, yeah.
Selina (15:32):
I have two really good friends there.
Uh, we actually just went up toNantucket last summer to visit
everybody.
Doug (15:38):
It was great.
Yeah, oh, that's so good and itprobably keeps you kind of
motivated and inspired to justhave those people in your life,
right, yeah?
Selina (15:45):
But, um, it was my first , uh, restaurant job, because I
had just worked in that bakery,you know, and I was 22.
So, um, I was thrown into thewolves and it was busy.
They called it angry August.
When I walked in there, it was200 covers every single night.
It was a prefix menu, so everysingle person that sat down got
(16:06):
five courses.
Doug (16:07):
Oh my goodness.
And Nantucket is this vacationmecca anyway.
So everyone's there to just dothat kind of thing, right?
Yeah, oh, wow.
Selina (16:15):
And I went from working 4.30 in the morning until 2 in
the afternoon to working 10 inthe morning to 1 o'clock in the
morning.
Oh my goodness, yeah, it was along day and the expectation was
set Get your job done, andwhatever it means for you to do
that, that's what you have to do.
Doug (16:37):
The things that we will do in our 20s.
Selina (16:39):
Yeah, for $25 an hour.
I know I was like this is gold,this is awesome, yeah I mean,
but it really made me have anoutstanding work ethic.
You ever see those videosonline of the people scrubbing
the fine dining restaurants andit's like water and suds
everywhere and everybody'sworking in unison and
everybody's using squeegees andtowels and there's deck brushing
(17:01):
.
That's what we did.
Doug (17:02):
It's really like that.
Yeah, it's really like thatyeah.
Oh my gosh.
Selina (17:05):
It was extremely hard and they made you strong.
Doug (17:09):
Wow, yeah, wow.
Just the level of expectation,the level of excellence that
they want to provide to a guest.
It's kind of incredible.
Selina (17:16):
Yeah, and we also had a lot of celebrities there as well
.
So I mean Drew Barrymore wasthere every weekend, hi, so I
mean everything had to beperfect all the time for Drew.
Doug (17:28):
Wow, that's so crazy.
Yeah Well, how long was ituntil you came back to
Pittsburgh?
Selina (17:34):
So after that first summer season I moved to Utah oh
wow yeah where I worked atanother five diamond restaurant
in Deer Valley as the assistantpastry chef.
And then I moved back toNantucket for the second summer
season Whoa.
I drove cross country bothtimes.
Doug (17:49):
Whoa.
Selina (17:50):
Yes.
Doug (17:51):
And was this like whole, like multi diamond restaurant
situation appealing to you ordid you like?
When you're going to Utahyou're like I'm getting myself
into the same kind of thing I'mdoing in Nantucket.
Oh, I loved it, you did.
Selina (18:01):
It was a high you thrived on it.
I wanted it Wow.
I couldn't get enough of it.
Chantal (18:06):
Oh, wow.
Selina (18:07):
And I am also.
I've been skiing my entire life, okay, and I thought to myself
what's better than this?
Now I get an opportunity to skiout Springs.
I wanted to go ski on realmountains, yeah.
So my job came with a ski pass.
Doug (18:22):
Oh, wow.
Selina (18:23):
Yeah, okay, yeah, for sure, absolutely, whoa.
Doug (18:26):
So we went from Nantucket to Utah, back to Nantucket
Anywhere else before coming backhome.
No, I came home then.
I was really tired.
Selina (18:44):
Were you 23?
At this point I'm tired at 23.
I was about to turn 25.
Oh, yes, yeah, I came backright before I turned 25 and I
was just exhausted.
I mean, it was a lot of working.
Yeah, this is Selina Progar andyou're listening to The
Pittsburgh Dish.
Doug (18:55):
Thinking about the dessert you described earlier, was it
similar at these other placeswhere they heavily composed?
Selina (19:02):
Yes, I mean they are.
Those chefs are my role models.
Yeah, I mean everything that Ido is based off of everything
that I've learned from them.
So, you know five to eightcomponents per plate and it
should take time and you shouldbe detail oriented.
Doug (19:17):
Yes, I just want to take a sidestep here.
So for this desserts thatyou're making even today on the
regular, what time are yougetting to 11 now and are you
preparing then like one of theeight things and then another
one of the eight things and likeportioning it out?
Is that how it goes?
Selina (19:35):
So three days a week, I start at 11 o'clock in the
morning and I work until about10 at night yeah, I work through
dinner service and then twodays a week, I try to have a
prep shift.
Yeah.
Just to create some normalcy inmy life.
Wow, so I am not working everyhour of every day?
Doug (19:55):
Oh my gosh yes.
Selina (19:57):
Whenever we go in, we have a giant gridded list of
every single component for everydessert.
In the morning, after our prepshifts, we fill out one half of
the count sheet and then, afterdinner service is done, we fill
out the second half of the countsheet.
So then all you have to do islook at the chart.
(20:17):
It's a puzzle.
It's a puzzle.
The chart for Eleven, the chartfor Kaya, the chart for any
catering events, the chart forUmi, wow, and then make a list.
Honestly, it just is whateverseems like the most time
consuming.
You're going to do that beforeservice starts.
Doug (20:32):
Okay.
Selina (20:33):
Yeah, so whether that's chocolate work, so that could be
any chocolate deco, that couldbe our birthday plaques, that
could be any kind of likespraying, so we spray with a
paint gun like some of ourdesserts.
Edible cocoa butter.
Doug (20:47):
Yeah.
Selina (20:47):
Yeah, so that way it has like kind of a velvety texture
to it.
Oh my gosh, anything that'sdipping, so like anything that
is a lot of walking in and outof the freezer.
Doug (20:57):
Yeah.
Selina (20:57):
So that way you have that accessibility without
having to be like carrying sheettrays through the dining room,
because you actually have towalk through the dining room to
get to the pastry kitchen in 11.
Doug (21:06):
Yeah, yeah, yes, I am the pastry chef at Eleven.
Selina (21:23):
And then I have Scott Morgan, who has been working
with me for seven or eight years.
Doug (21:28):
Okay.
Selina (21:28):
Alex Portis, who actually is a former child star
on the Food Network.
What, yes, it's a great story.
Doug (21:36):
Oh my gosh, yes.
Selina (21:36):
And then I have an intern from the CIA.
His name is Enrique.
And then I have an intern fromthe CIA, his name is Enrique.
And then I have another girl.
Her name is Lily.
I have taught her how to do allthe bonbons, so she has no
experience in chocolate, andshe's actually going to medical
school at Pitt right now.
Whoa yeah, so she makes all mychocolates.
And then another student at theCCAC Culinary School and her
(21:58):
name is Caitlin.
Doug (21:59):
So what is that I'm trying to count?
Was that like five people andyou and you're leading them?
Selina (22:04):
So it's three full-time and two part-time.
Doug (22:07):
Gotcha.
Selina (22:07):
Yeah, and then me.
Doug (22:10):
Oh my gosh, and we didn't even talk about these like
special events.
Like you said, there's catering.
Sometimes you're doing someother stuff.
Selina (22:15):
Absolutely.
Yeah, it's a a well-oiledmachine, but it is very busy all
the time.
Wow.
Doug (22:21):
You mentioned earlier, when you went to the CIA, you
really did so because you likedbaking with your dad.
Yes, can we talk about family alittle bit?
Selina (22:29):
Yes, I grew up baking with my dad on holidays
specifically.
Chantal (22:34):
Aw.
Selina (22:43):
But also we are Slovenian and he liked to bring
a lot of traditional baked goodsinto our family.
So whether that was Petitsawhich is commonly known as not
roll, apple strudel and krofe,which are just donuts, yeah.
Doug (22:51):
I'll take it all yes.
Selina (22:52):
So we learned how to do that at a really young age.
We also would go to RestaurantDepot and before I think I who
knows how he got his card but wewould go down into Pittsburgh
and buy like giant blocks ofchocolate and melt that down and
temper that and make likechocolate molds out of that.
And I didn't even know whattempering was at that age, but,
(23:14):
blow my mind, he knew what hewas doing.
How did he learn?
I don't know His mom my grandma.
Doug (23:20):
I have no idea.
Selina (23:23):
You don't know.
No, I never really like askedhim how he knew how to do the
chocolate like he does.
He just was a wizard and I justlistened to him, oh yeah did
you have a big family?
Doug (23:32):
like was food like a super important thing with all of
that?
Selina (23:35):
so I just have one brother, okay, um, and then, uh,
my parents split when I waslittle and I have a awesome
stepdad, awesome step siblings.
So I mean the family is big indifferent ways, but it's my dad
and I and my brother, and thenmy mom and my stepdad and his
(23:56):
two children and then all of mymom's siblings.
So you know, it can be, it's abig family.
Doug (24:01):
It's a big family yeah.
Are there any other, like bigmentors, that you still look up
to or reach out to today?
Selina (24:10):
So in my internship at Bethel Bakery her name is Barb,
she was one of the cakedecorators there.
I still reach out to her everynow and again and just try to
see, like bounce some ideas offof her.
And then, um, chef Gino, uh,from Nantucket, yeah, um.
Doug (24:28):
And then Chef Eli, honestly, he's the head chef at
Eleven.
Selina (24:32):
Yes, he's a great sounding board.
He definitely will tell me thetruth.
Yes, which is never a bad thing.
Doug (24:39):
No, you need that Absolutely.
I mean, you guys are doing justcrazy, amazing looking work.
Jonathan (24:44):
Yeah.
Doug (24:45):
All right.
Well, we've talked so muchabout your work history.
We've hit a little bit offamily, selena, I just want to
know, as you keep progressing at11, do you have any goals or
things you want to accomplish inthe next coming months, years,
anything big coming up on thehorizon?
Selina (25:02):
So I think that the biggest goal of mine is just to
keep doing what I'm currentlydoing.
I think that Big Burrito issuch a great company to work for
.
I really feel like I hit thejackpot, so I don't really want
to change that.
I guess maybe my biggest goalfor this year is making my own
(25:24):
desserts for my wedding.
Well, I was going to say Ithought I had heard you have a
wedding coming up, so maybe thatis a big goal, yeah it is a
pretty big goal, yeah, and I'mgoing to create all the desserts
for that wedding and there'snot going to be a wedding cake
and there isn't going to be acookie table.
Doug (25:39):
Oh my gosh, You're doing this yourself.
Selina (25:41):
I am Whoa yeah.
Doug (25:43):
Can we maybe talk a little bit about your fiance and in
fact, could we include himAbsolutely?
Jonathan (25:55):
include him, absolutely All right.
Hello there.
Hey, doug, would you introduceyourself to our listeners?
I am Jonathan.
Homer I am the executive chef ofBlue Sky and I am Selena's
fiance.
John (26:01):
Yes, my proudest thing.
Doug (26:03):
I love that we have this culinary romantic connection
going on.
I've seen it on PittsburghToday, live or Talk Pittsburgh.
They had you guys on it, like.
Selina (26:12):
Valentine's Day, right, valentine's Day on Pittsburgh
Today Live.
Doug (26:15):
And as I'm sitting here, I just see now Selena has raised
her hand and I see herengagement ring, which looks
very, very sharp.
Nice job, Homer.
Thank you, sir.
How did you two meet?
Selina (26:26):
He tells the story so much better than I tell the
story and don't leave anythingout.
Oh okay, I tell the story anddon't leave anything out.
Jonathan (26:34):
I lived in St Louis I'll keep it a little short here
and I was coming back from StLouis and my dad told me to call
the best restaurants.
As her mom told her, uh, callthe best restaurants.
And he called Altius, where shewas the pastry chef at.
I walk in the door, I get thechef at Altius.
Jess, she was amazing.
(26:57):
She, um.
She told me to come in for ameeting.
I walk in the door and there'sSelena and I said, hey, is a
chef here?
I'm dressed to the T, selena's,dressed in her chef clothes,
just sweating her butt off,doing chocolate work, making the
magic.
First time I got to see it andshe said yeah, she's just like
you know, kind of angry.
It's an angry Monday type ofthing.
She walks down these stairs andI was like, am I following you?
(27:18):
And she just turns to me andgoes wait here.
Selina (27:22):
I would just like to say that it was July and it was a
hundred degrees in that kitchen.
Jonathan (27:27):
Oh my goodness, it wasn't good.
And immediately I was like I'mgoing to marry that girl you did
.
Doug (27:32):
That's the best story ever .
Jonathan (27:33):
So I, uh, I staged it out this and, uh, I hung out
with all of her and her friendsthat night and I, just I
absolutely fell in love with herand worked there and the rest,
as you would say, is on her hand.
Doug (27:46):
Love at first sight.
Was it the same for you, Selena?
Selina (27:56):
So right off the bat.
Obviously I was in some kind ofpastry rage, but that night I
remember being so smitten by himand just asking our friend Abby
what do you think his deal is?
I got to want to hang out withhim.
I want to get his phone number,but at the time we weren't
allowed to date each otherbecause I was a manager.
Doug (28:11):
I see you were both at the same restaurant, altius on
Mount Washington which isamazing.
Selina (28:15):
Yes, absolutely, the food is outstanding.
Yeah yeah, the company wasamazing.
I mean, I stayed there for sixyears.
I wouldn't have been there ifit wasn't awesome and he chose
to leave so we could date eachother.
Doug (28:29):
Oh, yes, I love that story .
Best decision ever.
Thank you guys both for sharingthat.
Yeah, and so back to myquestion to you, selena making
all of your own high-enddesserts for your own wedding?
Yes, that's a big goal.
Selina (28:42):
I know.
Doug (28:43):
I hope you enjoy your wedding day.
Selina (28:45):
So I'm going to hire uh, I actually we're going to hire
a big burrito catering team.
Doug (28:49):
Amazing.
Selina (28:49):
So I'm going to make everything at the restaurant and
then they're going to deliverit.
Doug (28:54):
So it'll all be, done yes.
Selina (28:56):
Yeah, no, I already have it.
I already talked to Danielle,so she's going to be amazing and
she's going to set everythingup for me.
You will not be in pastry rageno no, I think I would love to
get a picture of me quenellingsomething in my wedding dress,
because that would be awesome.
Doug (29:12):
That would be the best.
Selina (29:13):
Yes.
Doug (29:15):
Well, I want to say once again, thank you both for coming
over and Selina for giving yourtime and telling us your story.
If people want to find you andfollow you on social media,
where can they find you?
Selina (29:28):
So they can follow me on Instagram at Pastry Chef Selina
.
You can look up my Facebook.
It's just my name, SelinaProgar.
It's the same thing that's onInstagram.
Doug (29:39):
It's a lot of beautiful pictures of your work.
Selina (29:42):
Yes.
Doug (29:42):
And, of course, where else they should see not necessarily
you, but your creations is bygoing to Eleven.
Selina (29:48):
Eleven.
And then Kaya for thehummingbird cake and the glass
dessert that we have right now.
It's a pumpkin cake with apumpkin mousse.
Doug (29:56):
Yes.
Selina (29:57):
And then you can also go to Umi, which is currently on
their winter break, and you cantry their bonbons.
Doug (30:05):
Yes, when they're back from winter break.
Selina (30:07):
Yes.
Doug (30:08):
All right, selina, there's always a final sign-off
question.
I ask our guests you know this.
Selina (30:14):
Yes.
Doug (30:15):
I think I did hear that you binged a few episodes before
this.
Selina (30:18):
Maybe Definitely all of them, all of them, everyone.
That's a super fan.
I am a podcast super fan.
I'm honored.
Yeah, what did you think theywere awesome?
Oh, thank you.
I love.
Your canter is amazing.
Your laugh is contagious.
Your voice is perfect.
Yes, it is a perfect slice ofPittsburgh.
(30:39):
I'm blushing.
Doug (30:42):
All right, so I'm going to get back to my question.
Selina, what was one of thebest dishes you've eaten this
past week?
Selina (30:50):
Okay, so I couldn't choose so.
Doug (30:53):
I'm going to give you two.
Okay, all right.
Selina (30:55):
All right, it's the Elote corn dog at loaded.
Doug (30:59):
Oh, at loaded.
Oh, remind us where is loadedat the Lawrence Food Hall.
That's right Up inLawrenceville, the new Lawrence
Hall.
Selina (31:07):
Yes, Um, it was one of the best corn dogs I think I've
ever had in my whole life.
It was a panko crusted corn dogand it had spicy mayonnaise on
it and lime and cojita cheeseand corn.
Oh my goodness it was.
I wanted 10 of them.
Doug (31:22):
So this is normally like what you get when you get the
elote corn.
That's covered in those typesof things, but they're doing
this as a corn dog.
Selina (31:29):
Yeah, and they have like seven corn dogs on their menu.
Doug (31:32):
My mind is blown.
I need to go.
Selina (31:34):
Yes.
Doug (31:34):
I've been there already, but I did not go to Loaded, so
yeah, I need to go back.
Selina (31:38):
Okay, and then my second one are the Forsythe mini golf
ice cream sandwiches.
Doug (31:43):
Oh, right over here in Carnegie.
And they just closed for theseason.
Selina (31:48):
I know, I know we went on Sunday and we got six ice
cream sandwiches to you know,maybe hold us over for two weeks
.
Doug (31:55):
Hidden treasure, hidden gem.
For those that don't know,forsythe mini golf, it's not so
much about the golf, but it'salso about the food that they
serve.
Selina (32:04):
Yes, yeah, the mini golf is so much fun, though it is
Just an old school mini golf,it's not fancy it certainly is
challenging.
Alex (32:12):
Yeah.
Selina (32:14):
It's not fancy.
It certainly is challenging.
Yeah, it's a hard course, yeah,but, uh, they have these
awesome ice cream sandwiches, uh, and they have about 15
different flavors, but then youcan also create your own.
Oh yeah and uh, I think thefluffer nutter is probably my
favorite, which is a peanutbutter cookie, peanut butter,
fudge, ice cream and then littlemini marshmallows on the
outside.
Doug (32:33):
So delicious.
I hope you bought extra andjust froze them for the winter.
I did you did.
Selina (32:37):
Yeah, there's six in my freezer right now.
Yes, oh perfect, yes.
Doug (32:41):
Best bites of the week.
Yes, chef Selena Progar, thankyou so much for being on the
Pittsburgh Dish.
Selina (32:48):
Thank you, Doug.
It was the best time of my life.
Doug (32:51):
Oh, and, chef Homer, thank you as well.
John (32:54):
Thanks, Doug.
Got to tell my favorite story,so I appreciate it oh.
Doug (32:59):
If you appreciate Asian pastries or just want to learn
more about them.
I recently sat down with Alexand Chantal Huff of the Hungry
Huffs and they shared a favoritespot.
Hey, everybody, we're joinedwith Alex and Chantal Huff of
Hungry Huffs on Instagram.
Guys, when you were here last,we talked about a couple of
restaurants, but I was thinkingfor this week, could you give us
(33:21):
a bakery or you know some kindof patisserie that you're really
into?
That maybe is a little lesserknown, Lesser known.
Chantal (33:29):
There are tons of great bakeries in Pittsburgh, but for
a lesser known choice in MountLebanon there is a bakery called
Amy's Bakery.
And if you were to see it onInstagram, you would think this
is just like a cake shop awedding cake shop but it's
actually an Asian bakery and ifyou go in there they have the
best coconut buns I may haveever had.
Doug (33:49):
Oh, my goodness, now that's saying something.
And, chantal, I just want toask you for anyone that hasn't
had a coconut bun could you justdescribe it for us?
Chantal (33:59):
Sure, I mean, I've never described this before, but
it is like a bun, like a loaf,like you would imagine, but the
dough itself is sweet and thefilling is like flaky coconut
and, I imagine, sugar.
It's like a kind of paste notlike a cream.
Like you, could you have theflakes of the coconut?
Doug (34:16):
Oh, wow.
Chantal (34:16):
So good.
Doug (34:18):
Oh, that sounds so delicious.
I like that it's sort of underthe radar in that you don't know
until you go.
Alex (34:23):
You seriously don't like.
The first time we went in therewe had no idea what to really
expect from Amy's bakery.
I think we were just walkingdown the street in Mount Lebanon
.
We're like let's stop in here.
And we saw they had bubble tea,they had the coconut buns, they
had the taro buns, the mochicrepe cakes.
They have everything there andit's everything's delicious,
like it's definitely, I think,the most hidden gem of a bakery
in the Pittsburgh area.
Doug (34:44):
Alex, you've just listed a ton of things that I want to go
try and we've had a couple oflike national chain Asian
bakeries pop up, but this is alocal, independent bakery right.
Alex (34:54):
That's correct.
Yeah, and it's been there for awhile, I believe.
Doug (34:57):
And it looks like I'm taking a look now.
It's just right alongWashington Road.
It looks like a couple blocksdown from Il Pizziolo in Mount
Lebanon, and they're open everyday, but Sunday from 10 to nine.
So if you haven't get over toAmy's Bakery and check it out,
to Amy's Bakery and check it out.
Chantal (35:10):
Yeah, you will not regret it.
Alex (35:11):
Yeah, you will not regret the coconut buns.
They're out of this world.
Doug (35:15):
Oh, my goodness, I think there's going to be a run on the
coconut buns.
Thank you so much, guys.
You can follow Chantal and Alexon Instagram at Hungry Huffs.
We're getting into the holidayand baking season, and if you've
ever rejoiced when you got yourhands on a treasured cookie
recipe, well, we have one foryou this week.
Let's give John Chamberlain ofthe YaJagoff podcast a call and
(35:40):
learn about one of his favorites.
Hello, hey, John, it's Doug.
How are you?
I'm doing great.
Hey, thank you so much forsending over this recipe, for I
guess this is a favorite cookieof yours, is that right?
John (35:57):
It is indeed a favorite cookie of mine, and it was baked
by me, by a favorite person ofmine.
Doug (36:03):
And am I saying this right ?
This is Mrs Marie Cersosimo'sItalian cookie.
All right.
John (36:11):
Yes, you have it exactly right, and it's funny that you
know, know, I'm the Irish Germanguy and you know I love the
Italian cooking and so I come inby through it, by you know,
through Rachel's family andthrough other family members
throughout my life, and none ofthe Italians that I know
actually know the name of thiscookie, but no, I, so I just
basically call it the Italian.
(36:32):
Mrs C's Italian spice cookie.
Chocolate spice cookie.
Doug (36:36):
Oh well, you kind of answered my next question.
If you could describe it alittle bit for anybody that
hasn't seen the recipe card yet,so it's a chocolate spice
cookie.
John (36:45):
I call it a chocolate drop cookie.
So my mom used to makechocolate cookies where you had
a batter, you spoon it up, youput it in like teaspoon mounds
on the tray and then you bakethose and there's nuts in there
and then when they come out theycool.
You put like a powdered sugarand milk butter kind of icing on
it, just like glaze.
(37:05):
So that's kind of how youdescribe it to your listeners.
But in it is there's all spice,listeners, but in it is there's
all spice, there's cinnamon,there's all these other type
spices that make it just alittle bit different than a
chocolate cookie.
Doug (37:20):
Oh, it really is like a spice cookie and a chocolate
cookie mashup.
I don't know if I've ever hadsomething like this.
That's kind of exciting.
John (37:27):
You know, to be honest with you, when she first gave
them to me for Christmas, shewould make them for me every
Christmas and every birthday.
And I thought I love thesethings and she said you better
love them because the task ofmaking them is so crazy, it's
hard, and so when she started toget older, then her daughter,
linda, started to make them forme, and then it got down to OK,
(37:50):
just Christmas, because we'reonly doing this one time a year.
And then I started saying, ok,I'm going to start making the
cookies.
And that's when the swear wordstarted to come out in my
kitchen, because it is.
I knew at that point how muchlove went into these cookies,
(38:10):
because of the task that thesecookies take to bake and Rachel
has actually been there a coupleof times when I made them and
it literally is an all dayaffair for me and it is messing
up every bowl, every measuringcup in your kitchen, every
spatula.
But that's how I know they weremade with love by Mrs Cersosimo
.
Doug (38:29):
And they're worth it, no question.
And John, just to take a stepback, what's the story with you
and Mrs Cersosimo?
Did you say this was a friendor a neighbor?
How did you know each other?
John (38:42):
Sure.
So I came to know Mrs Cersosimothrough her daughter Linda.
We went to EMT class together.
We knew a large circle offriends that were in EMS and
paramedics and EMTs.
We knew a large circle offriends that were in EMS and
paramedics and EMTs and Lindabecame a nurse and Mrs C was
sort of that mom.
That was everybody's mom, butonly Linda's mom.
You know what I mean.
Of course, every time we'd showup and say hey, it's Mama C,
(39:04):
what are you doing today?
You know, always have to gogive her a hug, and I didn't
grow up being a hugger or akisser, you know that kind of
thing.
But man, once you get in thatItalian family you know like if
you don't hug and kissrespectfully, you're out and
you're not getting any morecookies.
Doug (39:18):
Exactly.
John (39:20):
So that's, they just became longtime friends and
really just very, very close anddear friends.
And Mrs Cersosimo was thislittle Italian lady, was young
at heart and, you know, lived onPepsi and chocolate, you know,
and lived a great life and had agreat family.
(39:41):
Her husband used to own a delitype thing down behind Mancini's
Bread and they made Cesosimo'sItalian sausage until they
didn't have like a butcher shop,until they didn't have like a
butcher shop.
But anyways came to know themover the years and kind of was
accepted into the family,thankfully, so that I could get
chocolate, cookies and meatballsand red sauce and pasta.
Doug (40:02):
Well, I'm going to say this John, you definitely were
accepted in, because there's alot of Italian families that
will never give up an actualrecipe, and you got this one, so
we can see that there's lovethere.
What a special connection.
John (40:14):
It was very special and the best part was when she made
fun of me the first time I madethese cookies.
The batter gets really thick,it gets really hard and I was
trying to mix it and I did nolie.
I broke three wooden spoons andI burned up a hand mixer.
And when I called to tell her Isaid am I doing something wrong
?
Because my hand mixer motorjust blew up.
(40:36):
She said what's wrong with you?
Don't you have any strength,any muscles in your arms?
You're not supposed to use amixer, you're supposed to use a
spatula.
So she would make fun of me.
The fact that she was strongerthan I am the way she mixed the
cookies.
Doug (40:47):
Oh, I bet she was definitely in the kitchen.
John (40:50):
No doubt, no doubt.
Doug (40:51):
So you make these at Christmas.
We could really make them anytime of year, but what a special
story around this cookie, achocolate spice cookie from a
beloved Italian family, MrsMarie Cersosimo.
Yes, john, thank you so muchfor sharing this recipe, and I
do understand folks can checkout a video you made of this on
(41:12):
your pod, the YaJagoff podcast,over on YouTube, and we'll leave
a copy of the recipe up on ourblog as well.
John (41:19):
I appreciate it, and the video does not include the swear
words.
Doug (41:22):
Oh, that's good, John Chamberlain, thank you so much
for being on The Pittsburgh Dish.
John (41:28):
Thank you, Doug.
I much appreciate it.
Have a good day.
Doug (41:30):
You too Bye-bye, bye Much appreciated.
Have a good day you too.
Bye-bye, bye.
You can find more from JohnChamberlain and his partner in
crime, Rachel Rennebeck, attheir website, www.
yajagoff.
com, or on Instagram at yajagoff.
That's our show for this week.
We'd like to thank all of ourguests and contributors, and to
(41:51):
Kevin Solecki of CarnegieAccordion Company for providing
the music to our show.
We'll be back again next weekwith another fresh episode.
Stay tuned.
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