August 10, 2025 • 39 mins
Ever feel too exhausted to cook a proper family meal after a long day? Or wish you could help a loved one going through a difficult time without showing up with another lasagna? The latest episode of The Pittsburgh Dish explores how one local Chef and his family are solving these exact challenges.
We begin with Bonny Diver's inspiring journey from breast cancer survivor to founder of Hair Peace Charities. Her annual fundraiser, Recipe for Hope, now in its 20th year, brings together local media personalities and chefs to create delicious dishes for a night of food, drinks, and giving. The August 22nd event at Mayernik Center promises 15 food stations, celebrity bartenders, auctions, and the chance to support women during their cancer journey.
Chef Michael Harding of Family Table shares how his meal delivery service is reconnecting families around the dinner table. Drawing from his experience as a private chef and his childhood memories of family meals, Chef Michael creates heat-and-serve comfort foods that arrive family-style, encouraging conversation and togetherness. "We sell time as much as we sell food," he explains, highlighting how Family Table eliminates shopping, prepping, and cooking so families can focus on what matters. His "mom-inspired, chef-prepared" meals serve not only busy households but also elderly parents and those needing a thoughtful gift during life transitions.
The episode wraps with Karen Hoang's insider tip about Mola in East Liberty. Beyond their regular menu lies a secret omakase experience—a multi-course chef's choice feast featuring dramatic torch-flamed salmon belly and exquisite desserts like black sesame Mont Blanc cake. Available by reservation only, it's the kind of hidden gem that makes Pittsburgh's food scene so special.
And a bonus... Ready to experience Family Table for yourself? Use code DISH20 for 20% off your first order at familytablepgh.com. Whether you're seeking meaningful ways to support your community, solutions for family mealtime, or exceptional dining experiences, Pittsburgh's food innovators have you covered.
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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,love the idea of getting back to
the family dinner table, butwith less of the time and effort
it takes to get there.
Chef Michael Harding and hisfamily may have just the
solution for you with FamilyTable, looking for those
underrated dining outexperiences that are still super
(00:24):
impressive.
Karen Hoang stops by to shine alight on Mola.
But first up, if you appreciatetasty bites and sips for a good
cause, all served up by localPittsburgh celebrities, then you
need to know about Recipe forHope.
So, hey, everybody, we'retalking with Bonny Diver.
(00:44):
You might know her from thelocal radio, but I know her from
another great event Recipe forHope.
Bonny, thanks so much forjoining us on The Pittsburgh
Dish.
Bonny (00:52):
Hey, thanks for calling.
This is great, Doug.
Doug (00:55):
Yeah, we have kind of a big event coming up.
It's one of your Kind of a bigwait, wait, wait what do you
mean?
Bonny (01:00):
kind of a big, kind of a big.
It is a big event.
The biggest event of the year.
Doug (01:04):
It is we should probably clue some of our listeners in
who might be a little in thedark, Bonny.
So you have this charity calledHair Peace Charities, a piece
spelled P-E-A-C-E.
Can you tell our listeners alittle bit why you helped
establish that charity?
Bonny (01:20):
Sure I had.
I came down with breast cancer22 years ago when I was 46,
found it quite by surprise.
I had mammograms every year,never showed up.
I was like, wait, what is thislump?
And then they confirmed it.
Went through all my treatmentsand because I'm on the radio and
people generally know my name,my doctors, you know, are like
(01:44):
requesting songs every time Icame in for a treatment.
It was hilarious, but but it iscute, you know.
But they said you know, hey,people know who you are.
We need somebody to help getfunding for people to buy wigs
when they're going throughchemotherapy.
And cancer is expensive, youknow.
You have to pay for co-pays,time off of work, deductibles,
(02:06):
all that kind of stuff.
It's very expensive.
And then to be able to pay yourrent and to go out and buy a
wig can be very difficult and itfeels so much kind of selfish
and superficial but that you gotto wipe that out of your head
and say, no, it is veryimportant to regain something
that cancer tries to take away.
So that's how it started.
(02:28):
My doctor said, well, you needto do this.
And I said, well, if not me,then who?
And so that's how Hair Peacestarted then 21 years ago, and
we've been helping women andgirls with all types of cancer
in western Pennsylvania, withhair loss from chemotherapy and
thousands and thousands alongthe way.
Last year, 500 women that Italked to and we'll have even
(02:51):
more this year that will callrequesting the funding and we'll
help them out.
So not only do we help with thefunding to pay for the wig, but
we also have support, andsometimes those phone calls that
I have with the ladies arethings they don't necessarily
are comfortable with talking towith their family, and because
I'm a survivor, I get it andI've been doing this for such a
(03:14):
long time.
I can help them to navigate,get grounded, think of some good
questions for their doctors andsome things to think about to
encourage them.
That's always my goal.
Doug (03:23):
Wow, such incredible work, Bonny.
Thank you so much for all ofthat.
And then, along with thecharity, you established some
fundraisers and the one thatwe're talking about, Recipe for
Hope.
Am I correct that this is the20th year for Recipe for Hope?
Yeah, this is yeah, 20 years.
Bonny (03:41):
Recipe for Hope.
I know it's hard to provide andmake sure that it's successful
(04:06):
and He'll let me know when I'mdone.
So it's been a great fundraiser.
People come, have a great time,support it and that's how we
raise our money to help out.
And so every year we keep ongoing until it's time to say no,
but it's like it's going.
Doug (04:22):
It's working out.
I have to say and I you knowI'm so um, I feel so fortunate.
You asked me three years ago tobe part of it and to let our
folks in on it If they haven'tseen you.
You've reached out to all ofyour friends in the radio and TV
landscape here in Pittsburgh.
They all come in you.
You pair them up with a localchef or home cook.
I have been with Ron Smileyfrom KDKA, our local weatherman,
(04:45):
and we serve a tasty thatworked out pretty good for you
guys it did.
We did pretty well, and thenit's not just food, but it's
also some drinks.
I think we've had localwineries or meateries, and so
folks that attend they get towalk around, meet all of these
local celebrities, personalities.
They get all these great bitesand sips.
So, Bonny, just out ofcuriosity I know me and Ron are
(05:06):
there how many stations arethere for folks?
Bonny (05:10):
Yeah, we have 15 tables of food, which includes
appetizers, main dishes,desserts, and then we judge on
that.
We have judges that come infrom Pittsburgh Magazine and
others and it is on presentation, hospitality, taste and then
the grand prize.
So we have the perfect plateawards for it.
So everybody really ups theirgame on great food and it's a
(05:33):
lot of fun.
Doug (05:34):
So good, I'm taking notes.
Keep me honest.
There's raffles and otherthings throughout the night,
right?
Bonny (05:41):
Yeah, yeah.
So once you buy your ticket,for the ticket for the event it
takes, it covers the food, itcovers your drinks.
We have an open bar.
We have the celebrity bartender.
They compete for the top tips,so they're trying to do
different things to get tips andthen they get an award.
And David Highfield has reallybeen involved in that in the
past.
(06:01):
This year you know we'll seehow it goes.
They're really up in their game.
But you walk around and get thedifferent, you know bites of
food and and it's nice becausethe celebrities are right there
that you see on TV or here onthe radio and you get a chance
to say hello to them, talk tothem for a few minutes and they
serve you the food.
And everybody's wearing theiraprons and just down to earth
(06:24):
having fun and again competingfor the perfect plate award
which you have acquired becausewe're so fantastic.
Ron Smiley, I mean I justpaired you guys together because
I always say like, who needs,who wants to come?
Who needs a chef?
And then I kind of put thesethings together and so I paired
you guys up and it worked outpretty well.
So I keep putting you backevery year together, you guys
(06:46):
have a good time, but we're goodwith it, yeah.
Ron's a pescatarian, which isnot a Presbyterian but a
Presbyterian, you know.
So, yeah, he's a pescatarian,and so you accommodate to that,
and so it's.
If you're a pescatarian, great.
If you're not, it's stillreally good.
Now can you tell us about thefood that you're making this
(07:06):
year, because I saw it and I'mlike dying.
Doug (07:09):
Yeah, I'll give you a little primer.
And then, I think we're also onKDKA next week and I'll show a
little bit more.
But I'm kind of channeling alobster mac and cheese, but kind
of in a more German twist.
Bonny (07:26):
So I'll leave it at that.
Yeah, all good stuff.
I'm just, my eyes are rollingin the back of my head I can't
wait.
And so it's funny becausesomeone said to me you know it's
so fun to come and try allthese different foods because
they're things I've never triedbefore.
But you guys up your gamebecause you know you want to
present your best and that'swhat we have some of the best
food.
Doug (07:43):
We really do and it's really some of the best folks.
I mean I consider myself a homecook, but there are chefs there
.
I mean I've seen Bill Fullerand other folks from the area,
so you are up against somecompetition and it just makes
for a really fun evening.
Let me just recap a little bitfor our listeners to Bonnie
we're talking about recipe forhope, your big event.
(08:07):
It happens on Friday, August22nd, at the Mayernik Center
right off of Camp Horn Road.
It's really close and folks canstill find tickets on your
website, which is hairpeace.
org Again, piece being P-E-A-C-Eand it's under events.
Bonny (08:19):
Yeah, they are, and the other thing we're doing is we
put together a cookbook fromsome of the recipes from the
past 20 years.
So you can go on the websitewhen you buy your ticket for the
event.
There's a place to also order acookbook and we'll have them
there at the event for you topick up.
$20 for the book.
There's 150 recipes.
Doug (08:41):
I love this.
I had no idea I'm going toprobably get a book, for sure.
Bonny (08:44):
Yeah, so it's fun.
And then we have the auction.
You know the auction is great.
We have a live auction, whichis really cool with trips and
vacations and one of a kindthings, and then, uh, we have
the silent auction and then theraffle, where you can, you know,
just put your little tags andinto the bags and get some cool
things.
That way you know all thestandard stuff like that the
(09:05):
50-50 and everything.
Yeah, like I said, once you buyyour ticket, you don't have to
buy your drinks, you don't haveto pay for anything else.
Just bring your credit card soyou can do the auction.
Doug (09:15):
Yeah, well, we love it.
Bonny, again, we're lookingforward to it.
I know I will be there for sureFriday August 22nd at the
Mayernik Center.
This is Recipe for Hope.
It benefits Hair PeaceCharities and Bonny Diver.
Thank you again.
So much for all you do andthanks for being on The
Pittsburgh Dish.
Bonny (09:32):
Thank you for inviting me .
I appreciate it.
Doug (09:35):
Up next.
If you like the idea of gettingthe family back to the dinner
table, our next guest has thesolution.
Chef Michael Harding, alongwith his family, including his
son, daughter, wife, even thein-laws, all work to take the
time and toil out of a greatfamily meal experience.
Let's learn a little bit moreabout Family Table.
(09:58):
Thank you so much for comingover and for being on the show.
Appreciate being here, Thankyou.
Would you take a moment tointroduce yourself to our
listeners and what you havegoing on right now in the world
of food.
Mike (10:11):
Yeah, my name is Mike Harding.
I'm the chef and owner ofFamily Table.
We're a meal delivery service,serve the whole greater
Pittsburgh area and basically wetry to recreate what mom would
do back in the day for mybrother and I.
Yes, and just to put simple,healthy, wholesome meals in
(10:31):
front of families and just havethem sit and enjoy each other's
company over a good meal.
I think it's a lost art thatpeople just are so busy anymore
that they don't get around justto sit and enjoy a meal with
each other.
That's right, and I thinkthat's when all the good
conversations, you know, tend tohappen.
And so you know that's that'swhat we want to recreate, and
(10:56):
and just get families back tothe dinner table.
Doug (10:58):
I love that this is the overarching goal of what you're
doing right, yeah, that's,that's the thing.
Mike (11:03):
We just want to get families reconnected and, uh,
it's the best time to do it.
You know you're not going tohave as the same conversations
you would if you're out at arestaurant, right.
So we call them the horrorstatistics.
You know, those things dropdrastically when, when families
eat together, specifically athome, and uh, so we want to
eliminate that shopping,prepping, cooking and cleaning
(11:26):
up part.
You know, pop it in the ovenand everything's family style.
So we don't want people to sitdown to like a TV dinner, so we
want to have everybody, you know, serving out of the stuff
that's on the table.
So yeah.
Doug (11:38):
So, mike, if someone hasn't ordered from you all yet
or seen your website, tell us alittle bit more about the dishes
and how they arrive.
Am I, am I cooking anything, oris it kind of like heat and
serve?
Mike (11:51):
yeah, heat and serve, oh wow.
Yeah, there's a couple items wehave that are like a take and
bake, yes, but um other thanthat, it's a heat and serve.
Takes about a half hour to havea full dinner on your table,
and, but I'm not cutting I'm notprepping none of it and I like
your idea.
Doug (12:07):
I'm not shopping, which is kind of what we get with some
of like the delivery servicesthat give you a meal kit, right,
but I'm not making that meal,you know from scratch and, and
the best part is, if you pop itin the oven and your house is
going to smell like you, likeyou cooked all day right, right.
Mike (12:22):
So that's part of it too, that we we try to put a lot of
thought into the, the wholething and um, having not only
the flavor and the time saverbut the.
You know the smells, the.
You know this is mom's cooking.
This is mom's cooking, even ifmom didn't cook this way and a
lot of the recipes are based onour family recipes and things
like that.
Even like some things, like wedo bulgogi and you wouldn't
(12:45):
think like okay, but like mybrother and I and my dad took
taekwondo.
Yes, long story short, the guythat owned the taekwondo studio
would have these little cookouts.
And that's how we got introducedto bulgogi, so there's a story
behind everything that we, youknow so.
Doug (13:03):
Thank you for that.
Yeah, a story behind everythingthat we, you know.
So thank you for that.
Yeah, so if I'm looking at themenu, why don't you tell our
listeners what are some dishes,maybe the top sellers, or some
things that you have broughtfrom your family?
Mike (13:15):
yeah, just classic comfort food, um meatloaf, gravy,
mashed potatoes can't go wrong.
Pot roast, our, our Italianstuff always goes well, we're
Asian.
Doug (13:27):
You have stuffed shells on your menu.
Mike (13:28):
Yeah, we have stuffed shells coming up and we do
lasagna and chicken, parm and alot of the marsalas and picadas
and things like that.
That.
They're all winners for us.
Doug (13:37):
Oh my gosh yes.
Mike (13:39):
But yeah, we just.
The first ingredient ineverything is always love,
though, so that's the thing Iwant to really come through is
you know, I want people to knowthat we're cooking with our
heart and feel like they're partof the family.
Doug (13:50):
Yeah, and it's not too hard to put it together to the
final table then.
Mike (13:55):
No, you really are just kind of heating a few things,
explaining a few things.
Doug (13:59):
Perfect.
I wanted to ask a little bitmore about the business.
Since it is a delivery service,can you just give us the high
level, how that works?
Do I have to subscribe?
Do I have to buy a full meal Ifsomebody's interested?
Mike (14:15):
Everything's on our website.
There's not a subscriptionright now, just keep ordering.
We've not a subscription rightnow.
Okay it's if, just keepordering.
But we've had a lot ofcustomers say hey, we're just so
busy that we forget, or we justwant food to show up, they want
to sign up, they want to signup.
Doug (14:29):
Oh, that's great.
Mike (14:30):
We're in the process of putting that together.
We hope to have that by thisfall.
Um, so that's coming.
Doug (14:37):
And is it a rotating menu?
Do you change it a little bitthen?
Mike (14:40):
week over week, yeah, so the two days to remember with us
are Monday and Thursday.
I think we're the only mealdelivery that does twice a week,
okay, so Monday and Thursdayare the days to remember.
Every Monday we change our menu.
The first thing you'll see isour family favorites.
Those change every Monday.
Then we always have leanproteins and things of that
(15:00):
nature and those alternate alittle bit like our beefs and
pork.
We'll rotate those, always havelike a baked salmon, always
have grilled chicken, and thenyou can a la carte.
There's all kinds of differentsides that get rotated out and
yeah.
I mean, we always have dessert,some sort of dessert, and we
always have salads and breakfastsandwiches.
Doug (15:20):
I was gonna say, didn't I see a breakfast sandwich or
something, so it's really anymeal.
Mike (15:24):
Yeah, it could be breakfast, lunch, dinner for
sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, we focuson dinner, but we have options
for everything so, mike, whenwe're talking about like sort of
your audience, you know we'rethinking families at the table.
Doug (15:36):
I mean, is that your target audience, sort of like
the working family, or do youfind any other sort of
situations that folks areordering and you're like, oh,
that wasn't necessarily thedemographic I initially thought?
Mike (15:47):
Yeah, we have a lot of busy professionals.
We have a lot of adult childrenwho purchase meals for their
senior parents because theydon't want them to have to do
the heavy lifting of cooking andsuch anymore and they just want
them to have good, nourishingmeals without going through all
(16:10):
the work.
Doug (16:11):
So that's a big demographic for us and I guess
if you have an aging parent youdon't want them to be turning on
all of the burners and stuff.
This might make it all a littleeasier.
Mike (16:21):
It's definitely a little safer and, like I said, it takes
away that heavy work for them.
Doug (16:26):
Right All the shopping.
Mike (16:27):
Right and shopping, and you know so if they're maybe not
as mobile and such that it's agood way to make sure they
they're eating properly andgetting what they need.
Doug (16:39):
You know it's so interesting I really wouldn't
have thought about buying orgifting meals for, like, an
aging parent.
Mike (16:46):
Yeah, there's a ton of reasons to gift meals.
New babies, birthday gifts oh,you do this.
Yeah, we do this.
We get a lot of business thisway One-offs people buy meals
for somebody for their birthday.
Sympathy, a lot of sympathygifts.
There's countless reasons.
Doug (17:04):
Michael, you're blowing my mind To gift meals.
Mike (17:07):
So, yeah, it's a gift that , like I said, it's going to
save them time.
Doug (17:12):
It's going to nourish them .
Mike (17:13):
They're going to feel the love from you and from us.
Doug (17:16):
You do this right now.
We do it now so somebody couldgo on the website and order a
meal, but send it to somebodyelse.
Mike (17:22):
Absolutely All right.
Yeah, we get people from allover the country that will
Google us and then, you know,send a meal to whoever's in the
area.
Doug (17:30):
Yeah, maybe they don't live here anymore.
Right, right, okay, right, buttheir loved ones or friends, do.
Mike (17:35):
Yeah, how interesting.
And it's the modern way to takethat casserole to the grieving
family member, or friend orneighbor and not have to do that
.
You know cooking and such.
It's just ordered from us.
We'll even put a note on thebag or card in the bag for you.
Doug (17:54):
And, yeah, you don't even have to do anything but order it
.
I think that this, to me, is somuch better than sending
flowers.
I agree, all right.
And how long has family tablebeen in production?
When did it all get?
Mike (18:10):
started, so I incorporated in 2018.
I was with a I can't say names,but a high-end Pittsburgh
family as a private chef andwhen they passed away, this was
the long-term plan.
So initially I started out justas a personal chef service
until we found a kitchen that wewanted to get in and then
(18:32):
finally found Fulton Commonswhen they were up and ready.
And then 21, we startedOperating down in Fulton Commons
.
Doug (18:39):
Yeah, Fulton Commons, and we've had some folks on this
show that also operate out ofthere.
If folks don't know, they'reover on the north side.
I think technically it'sManchester and it's a beautiful
facility, kind of kosher spaceup top for just working, but
then the whole bottom floor isthis really lovely industrial
kitchen and you have a space andyou have storage and all those
(19:00):
things and it's a great startfor for all of us.
Mike (19:03):
Um, and you can, there's room to grow and expand there as
well.
So that's kind of where I'm atat this point is.
I've picked up a little morespace down there, but ultimately
, you know, we want to be in ourown space at some point yeah.
Yeah, for sure.
Doug (19:16):
I?
I'm just thinking about someother friends of the show.
So we met Artie Pitt of Artie'sHot Sauce and he operates, or
he did operate, down there, andthen Healthy Heartbeets.
That's Julian and Hong Ching.
Mike (19:27):
So you have some of my friends you're seeing, probably
in your space All the time.
Yeah, Dustin and Brittany.
Oh, that's right.
Oh, 77 Club.
Doug (19:35):
Yeah, 77 Club's there.
I think when they were on theshow they were not.
Maybe I'm not sure I don't knowif they were in Fulton yet I
don't think they were a littlebit before.
Well, that's great, it's suchagain sort of back to the
Pittsburgh feel.
It's such a great space andthen it's such a great
networking opportunity for allof you the community it's.
Mike (19:52):
It's a great community and you just learn from each other.
We're all in a similar boat, soit's it's good to bounce ideas
off each other and pick up newthings you know, whenever you
can to help your business.
Doug (20:04):
I do wonder, you know, since you started in 2018 and
then you moved to Fulton andmaybe expanded a little bit more
or differently, any big lessonsor new things that you've kind
of brought into your business?
Mike (20:18):
Always learning.
You know there's always littlethings I'm big on just try to
get 1% better every day, yeah,so a lot of times it's just
little new strategies or littletricks that you know what I mean
.
It's not even culinary.
Doug (20:31):
A lot of times it's more business related for me, Well,
there's all those things that wedon't think about when we open
a business, and because we liketo cook or we like the food part
, that's the easy part, so it'severything else that I have to
sharpen up on.
Mike (20:45):
Oh my gosh, Even here, me too the podcast all of it.
Doug (20:48):
Right, you're always learning.
Yeah Well, you had hinted atthis earlier.
I would love to talk a littlebit more about your culinary
career before Family Table and Iknow you don't want to drop
names culinary career beforeFamily Table and I know you
don't want to drop names, that'syeah A lot of time in the
private sector?
Mike (21:07):
Yeah, a family that has their name all over the city,
you know.
So I'll just say that.
But I would travel with themand it was just great,
phenomenal family all the wayaround.
Doug (21:14):
Did you go to culinary school?
I did, I went to Pennsylvania,culinary you did.
Mike (21:19):
Ended up, I was personal chef for the founders of the
culinary school.
Oh my goodness, yeah, Greatpeople too.
I mean I just love them todeath.
But yeah, it was with them forquite a while.
Doug (21:30):
Okay, so from the culinary school, let me just track this.
So you went to PA Culinary andthen when did you then connect
with your family that you workedfor Like six?
Mike (21:40):
months after I graduated, right after you got out Like 98,
yeah.
Doug (21:43):
And can I just ask a little bit about the type of
work you were asked to do?
Was it private, like familycooking?
Yeah, exactly.
Did you ever do big events?
Yeah, we'd have parties orsomething.
Yeah, we would do.
Yeah, oh my gosh Was it justyou, or did you have a staff
then, or?
Mike (21:59):
not a lot of times.
Bring my son yeah, um, he wouldbe my helper there, oh my gosh,
and he helps me.
He's probably my biggest helperwith the business now, my son
tyler, um, but he does a lot ofyou know, not in the kitchen a
ton with me.
It's all the other stuff, youknow, website stuff, uh-huh,
just my person I can bounceideas off of and I know I'm
going to get an honest, honestanswer from the kids yeah, right
(22:23):
right, and he's 27 now, so yeah, Well, that's great, and to
have someone in your back pocketfor technology is always a good
.
Doug (22:30):
Yeah, absolutely.
I was looking at the websitewas great too, and I know that
your social handle has beenpretty solid.
So, whatever he's doing ormaybe you're doing it now
yourself- it's a team effort.
Mike (22:41):
It's really working out.
Doug (22:42):
So, after culinary school and working for your private
family, were there any otherexperiences that really shaped
what you're doing today?
Mike (22:50):
I was the exec chef at Children's Hospital for a
company called MorrisonManagement.
Okay, so ultimately you'restill serving families, and so I
think it's something that'salways come full circle in my
career is just the serving of afamily, um.
So, whether it was sick kidsand their families there, or you
(23:12):
know, an individual family, orbouncing around from each family
one day a week, it just alwayscomes back to wanting people to
have that, that comfort and theease of having a good meal with
little effort.
So good, hi, this is ChefMichael Harding with Family
(23:32):
Table and you're listening toThe Pittsburgh Dish.
Doug (23:36):
Based on even the name Family Table.
Do you have a large family ordid you come from a large family
?
Mike (23:43):
My immediate family when I was a kid was just my brother
and I and my mom and dad.
But even when we were busy withgoing to baseball games or
whatever it was activity that wewere in at that time, it was
always dinner on the tablebefore we went, and sometimes it
might have been hot dogs andbaked beans, but my mom always
made sure that dinner was therefor us.
And it's just something I'veseen as I've gotten older, and
(24:07):
it was a problem for my wife andI when our kids were younger.
Was that going to soccer orthis, that I was working 10, 12
plus hours a day and by the timeI got home it's like, oh, what
are we doing for dinner?
Doug (24:19):
Yeah, so like the last person you're taking care of,
right, right.
Mike (24:23):
And it was just one of those things that if I'm having
issues, I'm sure others are.
So that was the thought offamily table was in the back of
our minds for probably 20 yearsnow, and it was just timing we
finally my kids are older and Ididn't have as many restraints,
and so it was like, okay, let'sdo this.
Doug (24:46):
I mean, I'm thinking about this as you're talking and we
also sat down as a family allthe time and it really was no
matter if you're having hot dogsand baked beans or steak and
lobster, I don't know.
It is that time to commune andcheck in and there's something
about that convivial over foodconversation.
You tend to open up more forsome reason, especially with
(25:07):
your kids or whatever.
Mike (25:09):
It's just such a special time, yeah, and it's time,
you'll never get back, andthat's something I tell young
parents, like don't blink youknow, so if we can help families
get that, it's truly a treasureand it's, I'd like to say, we
sell time as much as we sellfood, so, and that's way more
valuable, super valuable.
You know, that's the mostvaluable thing we have.
(25:31):
And if you don't have to do theplanning and shopping and you
can have that type of a qualitymeal in front of you without
doing the heavy lifting, I thinkit's a win.
Doug (25:41):
I love it.
As we're talking here, I amthinking a little bit about the
food.
Have you had anyone approachyou because they want, like meal
prepping or like you know alittle bit more, a sportier diet
or a vegetarian diet?
Do you have some options likethat, or has that happened yet?
Mike (25:57):
So we do have options pretty much to fit every diet.
We are in the process.
It's going to be called FT Fit,so it's going to be a lighter
line streamlined to healthieroptions coming out as well, too,
real soon.
How we market that is we makemeal planning a little more
simple.
Yeah, so if you buy a la carte,six chicken breasts or whatever
(26:20):
and some sides yeah, it's aneasy, divvy it up yourself.
We don't actually package themup right now you're not doing it
like that yet, not yet.
Um, it's something we'relooking into doing.
Some lunches and individuallunches, you know, come uh, fall
.
It's always an evolution andit's ultimately what the
customers want.
Doug (26:41):
If you ask, I'll do my best to make it happen.
So you are amenable to hearingout some requests and seeing
what you can do to accommodatethose Absolutely.
Mike (26:47):
I always take requests, so good, just had somebody say hey
, can you do yogurt parfaits?
Sure.
I'm sure they'll pop up soonerthan you think and they probably
travel well, right?
So, yeah, I mean whatever, Ijust want to solve problems, and
having a nourishing, healthydinner or meals in general on
the go is so valuable, becausemost of the time you don't think
(27:09):
about, oh, I'm hungry, and thenyou're going to make bad
decisions at the drive-throughor we all do it, right.
So this just simplifies things.
It takes one item out of yourbucket of things you have to do
on the day.
And it just like I said, itgives you time to do something
else that you'd rather do.
Doug (27:28):
I always say I have a certain amount of capacity in my
brain and the energy for theday, and by 6 or 7 pm it's
pretty low.
Mike (27:35):
Right.
Doug (27:38):
I do want to jump around a little bit to when you were
coming up in your culinarycareer and then moved into
private chefing for a family.
Did you have any speciality orany dishes that you really loved
to make.
Mike (27:50):
So, yeah, all the comfort food is what really speaks to me
, what you were drawn to, right,right, a great plate of you
know, pot roast and mashedpotatoes and veggies, and you
know what I mean.
It's comforting, that's what Iwant, yeah.
Doug (28:03):
I mean, you could put a good meatloaf in front of me
every night of the week and I'dprobably be okay.
Mike (28:07):
And that's what I've found is like you know, the wealthy
people I've cooked for I mean,they don't always want to sit
down to surf and turf type ofdeal they want a good meatloaf,
or you know things like that.
They they yearn for the comfortfood.
So that was something thatspoke to me as well, was it's
not, it's for everyone you don'thave to go over the top, you
don't have.
yeah, you just do it right andput like a lot of love into it,
(28:30):
and that's going to come throughevery time.
Everything is done well yeahexactly.
Doug (28:35):
It also makes me want to jump back to family.
You mentioned that getting tothe table was important.
What was food and cooking likegrowing up?
Mike (28:44):
Yeah, I mean I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, you did
, helping my mom or my dadcooked a lot too, and my
grandmother and aunt, you know,always trying to help out and
pick up little things, and I sawthe love they put into it you
know whether it was somethingthat was, you know, a family
recipe or something that was aquick throw together.
It was.
It was intended to nourish andshow love, and I think it's just
(29:07):
a.
It's a love language.
It really is, of course.
Doug (29:10):
And how old do you think you were when you started
helping out?
Mike (29:13):
Seven, eight I think I wanted to be a chef around nine.
You did.
Yeah, If I couldn't be a probaseball player that was my
fallback.
I'd watch cooking shows andsuch.
I'd watch cartoons.
It's just something I wasalways drawn to.
Doug (29:31):
You're so lucky to have something that you knew early on
.
So many people don't, I don'tknow what?
Mike (29:37):
they had a little detour you know, but, um, I found my
way back.
So did you grow up in thepittsburgh area?
I grew up in craft and Iactually live in the house I
grew up in you do yeah, I'm bornyinzer oh well, that's perfect.
Doug (29:51):
We love that here.
And a little bit more aboutfamily food.
Was there, uh, like anycultural heritage, that kind of
crept in there, like anyparticular dishes that you
recall?
I?
Mike (30:01):
always remember, like my parents like doing stuffed
cabbage rolls and things likethat.
My grandmother's roast beef yes, you know it was something that
was a staple, for we go up fordinner and roast beef and love
it, you know.
Doug (30:13):
So, yeah, yeah, just simple things like that I can
kind of tell you've carried someof that through to the current
menu.
Mike (30:19):
Oh for sure, yeah and I try to give credit with the
names, like you know mom's macand cheese, or you know graham's
roast beef you're not justsaying that no, it's important
for folks to know if they lookat your website, because you're
saying you're bringing mom'smeals to the table and you
really are right.
And on the back of our, our vanit says mom inspired, chef
(30:39):
prepared.
Yes, yeah, that's what wereally go for?
Doug (30:42):
oh, I don't think that could be any better.
Thanks, perfect, perfect.
All right, michael, so you'rebringing mom and grandma's
dishes to people today.
What's on the horizon?
I know you hinted at a couplethings, so do you have anything
upcoming or any goals ahead forthe business?
Mike (30:59):
Yeah, like I said, we're going to roll out a subscription
model and then the fit line,but ultimately, like I said, we
want to continue to grow and Ithink this is an issue in every
city in the country.
Everywhere you go, people don'thave time.
So ultimately, we would like toperfect it here and try to get
in other markets at some pointas the long-term plan.
(31:21):
We're not there yet and we'regoing to just continue to build
on what we're doing and just tryto get a little bit better
every day.
Doug (31:28):
You did remind me.
You mentioned it earlier, but Ijust want to kind of hit the
point again too.
What is the delivery radius?
You're operating out of Fulton,which is over on the north side
, and you reside in the Craftonarea, but where can folks have
your food maybe?
Mike (31:42):
like the farthest reaches.
We get up to north.
We get up to Freedom, okay,yeah.
East to Ottoman Roeville, oh,wow, okay.
West to Oakdale, yeah, andsouth.
We get down to Cannonsburg,okay, and then everything that's
a pretty wide swath yeah, ifyou want our food.
We try to make sure we can getit to you.
Karen (32:00):
Oh, my goodness.
Mike (32:00):
And then we have pickups too, okay, and we're happy to
strategically meet somewhere.
If you're a little like I, havepeople that come in from
Murrysville oh yeah, meals, andso I appreciate them coming in
and driving all that way in.
Yes, so it probably still issuch a time saver for them.
Oh, and that's what they said.
It's the.
It's such a game changer.
(32:21):
You know, their kids are realyoung and going in all these
different directions and theyjust, yeah, don't have time to
sit down, and it really is agame changer for them.
I love it.
Doug (32:32):
All right, if folks haven't found you yet, could you
remind us of your website andyour social handles, how folks
can find and follow you?
Mike (32:39):
Yeah, website is familytablepghcom.
Okay, our handles for likeFacebook, family table, pgh, and
it's for Instagram and such.
Doug (32:51):
So I've seen you on.
I'm always on Instagram, sothat's where I've seen you guys.
But you guys do Instagram andFacebook right.
We have Twitter too, okay, or?
Mike (32:57):
X, yeah, yeah, whatever it is, whatever it is, today.
Doug (32:59):
Oh my goodness.
All right, Michael, I alwayshave an ending question.
The name of the show is ThePittsburgh Dish.
What's the best dish you'veeaten this past week?
Mike (33:11):
Oh, hands down.
Pizza Lupo.
Oh yeah, in Lawrenceville, inLawrenceville, unbelievable.
Is that a go-to spot it hasbecome.
Yeah, yeah, they do it reallywell.
It's just good qualityingredients.
Even when I was standing therewaiting for our order, I can
(33:38):
relate to the love that they putin to the finishing touches of
a pie A little fresh gratedParmesan.
Reggiano, a little sprinkle oforegano.
Those little touches make allthe difference and I can relate.
We always try to add thoselittle finishing touches to our
dishes.
So places that go above andbeyond like that I can relate to
and I can appreciate and I'llalways be a customer.
Yes.
Doug (33:54):
Pizza Lupo best bite of the week Great, I've had it.
It's delicious.
They're kind of on my list.
I mean, there's so many goodpizza places.
Mike (34:01):
They're getting better.
Oh my gosh.
Doug (34:03):
We had Ironborn and Gus Franco up in Natrona Heights,
Again very different styles butvery good, and they're pizza
buddies, my son, we're alwaysgood for you, know, let's get a
slice somewhere.
Mike (34:13):
But very good, and they're pizza buddies, my son, we're
always good for you know, let'sget a slice somewhere.
Doug (34:15):
Well, that's all if you can't get to the table, right,
yeah, one more little bonusquestion.
So, when you're talking aboutPizza Lupo doing the finishes
and that's important to you whenI get a family table meal and
it might be like something Ihave to heat and plate up, do
you give me any direction on howto plate or finish?
Is that in there?
Mike (34:35):
So we have a qr code on all of our labels that are like
our heating instructions.
Okay, so very detailed in that,um, but I try to.
I try to make it as a finishedproduct as possible?
Doug (34:44):
you're not telling me to sprinkle parsley at the end.
No, no, no, let's not do that.
Mike (34:48):
It's done, okay, yeah, so you know, say we um have, uh,
you know, flank steak you knowgo flank, or grilled petite
tenderloin.
I mean, I'm going to slice itfor you.
It's going to get finishingsalt and some fresh cracked
pepper and some fresh herbs overtop.
So I mean it'd be great withoutthat, but that just takes it to
the next level.
(35:08):
It's that 1%.
Doug (35:09):
So you're taking really as far to the table as you can
with the preparation.
Mike (35:14):
I don't want you to have to do much of anything other
than put it on your plate andeat it.
That sounds perfect.
Doug (35:20):
Chef Michael Harding.
Thank you so much for your timetoday and thanks for being on
the Pittsburgh Dish.
Thanks for having me here.
I appreciate it.
If you're interested inexperiencing Family Table for
yourself, chef Mike was generousenough to leave us a discount
code for our Pittsburgh Dishlisteners.
Just visit their website atfamilytablepghcom and use code
(35:42):
DISH20 to get 20% off your firstorder.
That's code D-I-S-H 20.
If you are looking for a diningout experience that feels
almost like a secret, KarenHoang sheds a light on the
multi-course omakase tasting atMola.
Hey everybody, we're joinedtoday with Karen Huang, a
(36:03):
content creator andself-professed foodie of
Pittsburgh.
Karen, when you are going outto eat, is there ever a dish or
a place?
You go and you order somethingand you're like, oh my gosh,
this is so good, but I feel likeit's almost a secret.
It's sort of underrated orunder the radar.
Any place come to mind.
Karen (36:22):
Yeah, so I recently went to Mola and everyone knows about
Mola, but in East Liberty yes,in East Liberty, yes that's
correct, their OG location.
And what people don't realizeabout mola is that you can get
omakase there.
Um, it's not really advertisedon their website but there is a
very small sign picture.
(36:44):
What have you on their menu instore that you look for um and
you call.
So what you do?
You have to pick up the phone,you have to give them a call,
you have to make a reservationand there's multiple tiers of
omakase you can get.
Doug (36:55):
Okay, and when we say this just for listeners that aren't
familiar multi-course bites?
Karen (37:01):
Yeah, basically in Japanese it means like it's like
chef's choice almost.
So the chef will make dishesbased on their expertise and
also what's seasonal and what'sfresh and what's available.
So you really never know whatyou're getting.
But that's part of the fun.
Doug (37:15):
Yes, so this is as you described it.
It's almost like under theradar.
Because you need to know it'sthere, you need to call ahead,
you need to pick your level ofexperience and and tell us about
a couple of the bites you hadLike.
Do you recall like what thechef brought out in your last
visit?
Karen (37:33):
Yeah.
So we chose kind of like thestarter, like least expensive
tier, and it came with so muchfood like that's all you need
and what it comes with is atleast 13 courses plus apps, plus
dessert, and you get the choiceof either Wagyu or Uni for one
of the courses.
So we ended up with 16.
(37:55):
It was so funny because one ofmy friends, anand, was like in
the middle.
He's like, oh, I need to ordermore food, so you ordered like
some bao buns for himself.
And then later he's like Iregret doing this.
Doug (38:04):
This was so much food.
Oh my gosh.
Karen (38:06):
Yeah, so, um, one of the standouts for sure is a torch
salmon belly, so it's so fun.
If you go on my Instagram andlook at the video, they'll
actually torch all of themexcept for one.
Bring it out and torch it infront of you wow yeah, it's
super fun.
Uh, it's like dinner and a showI love that.
Doug (38:24):
This is like their version of flambe exactly.
Karen (38:27):
And then we had this wagyu hand roll that we got
towards the end.
That was amazing oh and thenone other thing I really really
love.
They had this black sesame montblanc cake and I let my friend
luke try it, because he nevertried like black sesame before
and he was like wait, this is sogood.
Can I have a second bite?
Doug (38:44):
and say that again black sesame, mont blanc, it's so good
if you like black sesame.
Karen (38:50):
You will like that and you're calling it a cake.
Is this a sweet?
Doug (38:52):
it is a sweet yeah, it's a dessert, yeah everyone chose
like.
Karen (38:55):
I think everyone else chose like you know, like yuzu
cheesecake or matcha cheesecake,which are delicious in their
own rights yeah but I was like Idon't know what this is.
I'm adventurous, I'm gonna tryit, and I regretted nothing all
right.
Doug (39:07):
So this is the omakase tasting at mola in east liberty
that's's right.
Highly recommended.
Karen (39:14):
Definitely.
Doug (39:14):
Karen, thank you so much for this recommendation and
thanks for being on ThePittsburgh Dish.
Thanks for having me.
You can follow Karen onInstagram at karen.
hoang.
If you enjoyed the show,consider buying us a coffee for
this episode or supporting theshow monthly.
You can find links to thoseoptions at the bottom of our
(39:40):
show description and if you wantto follow my own food
adventures, you can find me onsocial media at DougCooking.
That's our show for this week.
Thanks again to all of ourguests and contributors and to
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,love the idea of getting back to
the family dinner table, butwith less of the time and effort
it takes to get there.
Chef Michael Harding and hisfamily may have just the
solution for you with FamilyTable, looking for those
underrated dining outexperiences that are still super
(00:24):
impressive.
Karen Hoang stops by to shine alight on Mola.
But first up, if you appreciatetasty bites and sips for a good
cause, all served up by localPittsburgh celebrities, then you
need to know about Recipe forHope.
So, hey, everybody, we'retalking with Bonny Diver.
(00:44):
You might know her from thelocal radio, but I know her from
another great event Recipe forHope.
Bonny, thanks so much forjoining us on The Pittsburgh
Dish.
Bonny (00:52):
Hey, thanks for calling.
This is great, Doug.
Doug (00:55):
Yeah, we have kind of a big event coming up.
It's one of your Kind of a bigwait, wait, wait what do you
mean?
Bonny (01:00):
kind of a big, kind of a big.
It is a big event.
The biggest event of the year.
Doug (01:04):
It is we should probably clue some of our listeners in
who might be a little in thedark, Bonny.
So you have this charity calledHair Peace Charities, a piece
spelled P-E-A-C-E.
Can you tell our listeners alittle bit why you helped
establish that charity?
Bonny (01:20):
Sure I had.
I came down with breast cancer22 years ago when I was 46,
found it quite by surprise.
I had mammograms every year,never showed up.
I was like, wait, what is thislump?
And then they confirmed it.
Went through all my treatmentsand because I'm on the radio and
people generally know my name,my doctors, you know, are like
(01:44):
requesting songs every time Icame in for a treatment.
It was hilarious, but but it iscute, you know.
But they said you know, hey,people know who you are.
We need somebody to help getfunding for people to buy wigs
when they're going throughchemotherapy.
And cancer is expensive, youknow.
You have to pay for co-pays,time off of work, deductibles,
(02:06):
all that kind of stuff.
It's very expensive.
And then to be able to pay yourrent and to go out and buy a
wig can be very difficult and itfeels so much kind of selfish
and superficial but that you gotto wipe that out of your head
and say, no, it is veryimportant to regain something
that cancer tries to take away.
So that's how it started.
(02:28):
My doctor said, well, you needto do this.
And I said, well, if not me,then who?
And so that's how Hair Peacestarted then 21 years ago, and
we've been helping women andgirls with all types of cancer
in western Pennsylvania, withhair loss from chemotherapy and
thousands and thousands alongthe way.
Last year, 500 women that Italked to and we'll have even
(02:51):
more this year that will callrequesting the funding and we'll
help them out.
So not only do we help with thefunding to pay for the wig, but
we also have support, andsometimes those phone calls that
I have with the ladies arethings they don't necessarily
are comfortable with talking towith their family, and because
I'm a survivor, I get it andI've been doing this for such a
(03:14):
long time.
I can help them to navigate,get grounded, think of some good
questions for their doctors andsome things to think about to
encourage them.
That's always my goal.
Doug (03:23):
Wow, such incredible work, Bonny.
Thank you so much for all ofthat.
And then, along with thecharity, you established some
fundraisers and the one thatwe're talking about, Recipe for
Hope.
Am I correct that this is the20th year for Recipe for Hope?
Yeah, this is yeah, 20 years.
Bonny (03:41):
Recipe for Hope.
I know it's hard to provide andmake sure that it's successful
(04:06):
and He'll let me know when I'mdone.
So it's been a great fundraiser.
People come, have a great time,support it and that's how we
raise our money to help out.
And so every year we keep ongoing until it's time to say no,
but it's like it's going.
Doug (04:22):
It's working out.
I have to say and I you knowI'm so um, I feel so fortunate.
You asked me three years ago tobe part of it and to let our
folks in on it If they haven'tseen you.
You've reached out to all ofyour friends in the radio and TV
landscape here in Pittsburgh.
They all come in you.
You pair them up with a localchef or home cook.
I have been with Ron Smileyfrom KDKA, our local weatherman,
(04:45):
and we serve a tasty thatworked out pretty good for you
guys it did.
We did pretty well, and thenit's not just food, but it's
also some drinks.
I think we've had localwineries or meateries, and so
folks that attend they get towalk around, meet all of these
local celebrities, personalities.
They get all these great bitesand sips.
So, Bonny, just out ofcuriosity I know me and Ron are
(05:06):
there how many stations arethere for folks?
Bonny (05:10):
Yeah, we have 15 tables of food, which includes
appetizers, main dishes,desserts, and then we judge on
that.
We have judges that come infrom Pittsburgh Magazine and
others and it is on presentation, hospitality, taste and then
the grand prize.
So we have the perfect plateawards for it.
So everybody really ups theirgame on great food and it's a
(05:33):
lot of fun.
Doug (05:34):
So good, I'm taking notes.
Keep me honest.
There's raffles and otherthings throughout the night,
right?
Bonny (05:41):
Yeah, yeah.
So once you buy your ticket,for the ticket for the event it
takes, it covers the food, itcovers your drinks.
We have an open bar.
We have the celebrity bartender.
They compete for the top tips,so they're trying to do
different things to get tips andthen they get an award.
And David Highfield has reallybeen involved in that in the
past.
(06:01):
This year you know we'll seehow it goes.
They're really up in their game.
But you walk around and get thedifferent, you know bites of
food and and it's nice becausethe celebrities are right there
that you see on TV or here onthe radio and you get a chance
to say hello to them, talk tothem for a few minutes and they
serve you the food.
And everybody's wearing theiraprons and just down to earth
(06:24):
having fun and again competingfor the perfect plate award
which you have acquired becausewe're so fantastic.
Ron Smiley, I mean I justpaired you guys together because
I always say like, who needs,who wants to come?
Who needs a chef?
And then I kind of put thesethings together and so I paired
you guys up and it worked outpretty well.
So I keep putting you backevery year together, you guys
(06:46):
have a good time, but we're goodwith it, yeah.
Ron's a pescatarian, which isnot a Presbyterian but a
Presbyterian, you know.
So, yeah, he's a pescatarian,and so you accommodate to that,
and so it's.
If you're a pescatarian, great.
If you're not, it's stillreally good.
Now can you tell us about thefood that you're making this
(07:06):
year, because I saw it and I'mlike dying.
Doug (07:09):
Yeah, I'll give you a little primer.
And then, I think we're also onKDKA next week and I'll show a
little bit more.
But I'm kind of channeling alobster mac and cheese, but kind
of in a more German twist.
Bonny (07:26):
So I'll leave it at that.
Yeah, all good stuff.
I'm just, my eyes are rollingin the back of my head I can't
wait.
And so it's funny becausesomeone said to me you know it's
so fun to come and try allthese different foods because
they're things I've never triedbefore.
But you guys up your gamebecause you know you want to
present your best and that'swhat we have some of the best
food.
Doug (07:43):
We really do and it's really some of the best folks.
I mean I consider myself a homecook, but there are chefs there
.
I mean I've seen Bill Fullerand other folks from the area,
so you are up against somecompetition and it just makes
for a really fun evening.
Let me just recap a little bitfor our listeners to Bonnie
we're talking about recipe forhope, your big event.
(08:07):
It happens on Friday, August22nd, at the Mayernik Center
right off of Camp Horn Road.
It's really close and folks canstill find tickets on your
website, which is hairpeace.
org Again, piece being P-E-A-C-Eand it's under events.
Bonny (08:19):
Yeah, they are, and the other thing we're doing is we
put together a cookbook fromsome of the recipes from the
past 20 years.
So you can go on the websitewhen you buy your ticket for the
event.
There's a place to also order acookbook and we'll have them
there at the event for you topick up.
$20 for the book.
There's 150 recipes.
Doug (08:41):
I love this.
I had no idea I'm going toprobably get a book, for sure.
Bonny (08:44):
Yeah, so it's fun.
And then we have the auction.
You know the auction is great.
We have a live auction, whichis really cool with trips and
vacations and one of a kindthings, and then, uh, we have
the silent auction and then theraffle, where you can, you know,
just put your little tags andinto the bags and get some cool
things.
That way you know all thestandard stuff like that the
(09:05):
50-50 and everything.
Yeah, like I said, once you buyyour ticket, you don't have to
buy your drinks, you don't haveto pay for anything else.
Just bring your credit card soyou can do the auction.
Doug (09:15):
Yeah, well, we love it.
Bonny, again, we're lookingforward to it.
I know I will be there for sureFriday August 22nd at the
Mayernik Center.
This is Recipe for Hope.
It benefits Hair PeaceCharities and Bonny Diver.
Thank you again.
So much for all you do andthanks for being on The
Pittsburgh Dish.
Bonny (09:32):
Thank you for inviting me .
I appreciate it.
Doug (09:35):
Up next.
If you like the idea of gettingthe family back to the dinner
table, our next guest has thesolution.
Chef Michael Harding, alongwith his family, including his
son, daughter, wife, even thein-laws, all work to take the
time and toil out of a greatfamily meal experience.
Let's learn a little bit moreabout Family Table.
(09:58):
Thank you so much for comingover and for being on the show.
Appreciate being here, Thankyou.
Would you take a moment tointroduce yourself to our
listeners and what you havegoing on right now in the world
of food.
Mike (10:11):
Yeah, my name is Mike Harding.
I'm the chef and owner ofFamily Table.
We're a meal delivery service,serve the whole greater
Pittsburgh area and basically wetry to recreate what mom would
do back in the day for mybrother and I.
Yes, and just to put simple,healthy, wholesome meals in
(10:31):
front of families and just havethem sit and enjoy each other's
company over a good meal.
I think it's a lost art thatpeople just are so busy anymore
that they don't get around justto sit and enjoy a meal with
each other.
That's right, and I thinkthat's when all the good
conversations, you know, tend tohappen.
And so you know that's that'swhat we want to recreate, and
(10:56):
and just get families back tothe dinner table.
Doug (10:58):
I love that this is the overarching goal of what you're
doing right, yeah, that's,that's the thing.
Mike (11:03):
We just want to get families reconnected and, uh,
it's the best time to do it.
You know you're not going tohave as the same conversations
you would if you're out at arestaurant, right.
So we call them the horrorstatistics.
You know, those things dropdrastically when, when families
eat together, specifically athome, and uh, so we want to
eliminate that shopping,prepping, cooking and cleaning
(11:26):
up part.
You know, pop it in the ovenand everything's family style.
So we don't want people to sitdown to like a TV dinner, so we
want to have everybody, you know, serving out of the stuff
that's on the table.
So yeah.
Doug (11:38):
So, mike, if someone hasn't ordered from you all yet
or seen your website, tell us alittle bit more about the dishes
and how they arrive.
Am I, am I cooking anything, oris it kind of like heat and
serve?
Mike (11:51):
yeah, heat and serve, oh wow.
Yeah, there's a couple items wehave that are like a take and
bake, yes, but um other thanthat, it's a heat and serve.
Takes about a half hour to havea full dinner on your table,
and, but I'm not cutting I'm notprepping none of it and I like
your idea.
Doug (12:07):
I'm not shopping, which is kind of what we get with some
of like the delivery servicesthat give you a meal kit, right,
but I'm not making that meal,you know from scratch and, and
the best part is, if you pop itin the oven and your house is
going to smell like you, likeyou cooked all day right, right.
Mike (12:22):
So that's part of it too, that we we try to put a lot of
thought into the, the wholething and um, having not only
the flavor and the time saverbut the.
You know the smells, the.
You know this is mom's cooking.
This is mom's cooking, even ifmom didn't cook this way and a
lot of the recipes are based onour family recipes and things
like that.
Even like some things, like wedo bulgogi and you wouldn't
(12:45):
think like okay, but like mybrother and I and my dad took
taekwondo.
Yes, long story short, the guythat owned the taekwondo studio
would have these little cookouts.
And that's how we got introducedto bulgogi, so there's a story
behind everything that we, youknow so.
Doug (13:03):
Thank you for that.
Yeah, a story behind everythingthat we, you know.
So thank you for that.
Yeah, so if I'm looking at themenu, why don't you tell our
listeners what are some dishes,maybe the top sellers, or some
things that you have broughtfrom your family?
Mike (13:15):
yeah, just classic comfort food, um meatloaf, gravy,
mashed potatoes can't go wrong.
Pot roast, our, our Italianstuff always goes well, we're
Asian.
Doug (13:27):
You have stuffed shells on your menu.
Mike (13:28):
Yeah, we have stuffed shells coming up and we do
lasagna and chicken, parm and alot of the marsalas and picadas
and things like that.
That.
They're all winners for us.
Doug (13:37):
Oh my gosh yes.
Mike (13:39):
But yeah, we just.
The first ingredient ineverything is always love,
though, so that's the thing Iwant to really come through is
you know, I want people to knowthat we're cooking with our
heart and feel like they're partof the family.
Doug (13:50):
Yeah, and it's not too hard to put it together to the
final table then.
Mike (13:55):
No, you really are just kind of heating a few things,
explaining a few things.
Doug (13:59):
Perfect.
I wanted to ask a little bitmore about the business.
Since it is a delivery service,can you just give us the high
level, how that works?
Do I have to subscribe?
Do I have to buy a full meal Ifsomebody's interested?
Mike (14:15):
Everything's on our website.
There's not a subscriptionright now, just keep ordering.
We've not a subscription rightnow.
Okay it's if, just keepordering.
But we've had a lot ofcustomers say hey, we're just so
busy that we forget, or we justwant food to show up, they want
to sign up, they want to signup.
Doug (14:29):
Oh, that's great.
Mike (14:30):
We're in the process of putting that together.
We hope to have that by thisfall.
Um, so that's coming.
Doug (14:37):
And is it a rotating menu?
Do you change it a little bitthen?
Mike (14:40):
week over week, yeah, so the two days to remember with us
are Monday and Thursday.
I think we're the only mealdelivery that does twice a week,
okay, so Monday and Thursdayare the days to remember.
Every Monday we change our menu.
The first thing you'll see isour family favorites.
Those change every Monday.
Then we always have leanproteins and things of that
(15:00):
nature and those alternate alittle bit like our beefs and
pork.
We'll rotate those, always havelike a baked salmon, always
have grilled chicken, and thenyou can a la carte.
There's all kinds of differentsides that get rotated out and
yeah.
I mean, we always have dessert,some sort of dessert, and we
always have salads and breakfastsandwiches.
Doug (15:20):
I was gonna say, didn't I see a breakfast sandwich or
something, so it's really anymeal.
Mike (15:24):
Yeah, it could be breakfast, lunch, dinner for
sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, we focuson dinner, but we have options
for everything so, mike, whenwe're talking about like sort of
your audience, you know we'rethinking families at the table.
Doug (15:36):
I mean, is that your target audience, sort of like
the working family, or do youfind any other sort of
situations that folks areordering and you're like, oh,
that wasn't necessarily thedemographic I initially thought?
Mike (15:47):
Yeah, we have a lot of busy professionals.
We have a lot of adult childrenwho purchase meals for their
senior parents because theydon't want them to have to do
the heavy lifting of cooking andsuch anymore and they just want
them to have good, nourishingmeals without going through all
(16:10):
the work.
Doug (16:11):
So that's a big demographic for us and I guess
if you have an aging parent youdon't want them to be turning on
all of the burners and stuff.
This might make it all a littleeasier.
Mike (16:21):
It's definitely a little safer and, like I said, it takes
away that heavy work for them.
Doug (16:26):
Right All the shopping.
Mike (16:27):
Right and shopping, and you know so if they're maybe not
as mobile and such that it's agood way to make sure they
they're eating properly andgetting what they need.
Doug (16:39):
You know it's so interesting I really wouldn't
have thought about buying orgifting meals for, like, an
aging parent.
Mike (16:46):
Yeah, there's a ton of reasons to gift meals.
New babies, birthday gifts oh,you do this.
Yeah, we do this.
We get a lot of business thisway One-offs people buy meals
for somebody for their birthday.
Sympathy, a lot of sympathygifts.
There's countless reasons.
Doug (17:04):
Michael, you're blowing my mind To gift meals.
Mike (17:07):
So, yeah, it's a gift that , like I said, it's going to
save them time.
Doug (17:12):
It's going to nourish them .
Mike (17:13):
They're going to feel the love from you and from us.
Doug (17:16):
You do this right now.
We do it now so somebody couldgo on the website and order a
meal, but send it to somebodyelse.
Mike (17:22):
Absolutely All right.
Yeah, we get people from allover the country that will
Google us and then, you know,send a meal to whoever's in the
area.
Doug (17:30):
Yeah, maybe they don't live here anymore.
Right, right, okay, right, buttheir loved ones or friends, do.
Mike (17:35):
Yeah, how interesting.
And it's the modern way to takethat casserole to the grieving
family member, or friend orneighbor and not have to do that
.
You know cooking and such.
It's just ordered from us.
We'll even put a note on thebag or card in the bag for you.
Doug (17:54):
And, yeah, you don't even have to do anything but order it
.
I think that this, to me, is somuch better than sending
flowers.
I agree, all right.
And how long has family tablebeen in production?
When did it all get?
Mike (18:10):
started, so I incorporated in 2018.
I was with a I can't say names,but a high-end Pittsburgh
family as a private chef andwhen they passed away, this was
the long-term plan.
So initially I started out justas a personal chef service
until we found a kitchen that wewanted to get in and then
(18:32):
finally found Fulton Commonswhen they were up and ready.
And then 21, we startedOperating down in Fulton Commons
.
Doug (18:39):
Yeah, Fulton Commons, and we've had some folks on this
show that also operate out ofthere.
If folks don't know, they'reover on the north side.
I think technically it'sManchester and it's a beautiful
facility, kind of kosher spaceup top for just working, but
then the whole bottom floor isthis really lovely industrial
kitchen and you have a space andyou have storage and all those
(19:00):
things and it's a great startfor for all of us.
Mike (19:03):
Um, and you can, there's room to grow and expand there as
well.
So that's kind of where I'm atat this point is.
I've picked up a little morespace down there, but ultimately
, you know, we want to be in ourown space at some point yeah.
Yeah, for sure.
Doug (19:16):
I?
I'm just thinking about someother friends of the show.
So we met Artie Pitt of Artie'sHot Sauce and he operates, or
he did operate, down there, andthen Healthy Heartbeets.
That's Julian and Hong Ching.
Mike (19:27):
So you have some of my friends you're seeing, probably
in your space All the time.
Yeah, Dustin and Brittany.
Oh, that's right.
Oh, 77 Club.
Doug (19:35):
Yeah, 77 Club's there.
I think when they were on theshow they were not.
Maybe I'm not sure I don't knowif they were in Fulton yet I
don't think they were a littlebit before.
Well, that's great, it's suchagain sort of back to the
Pittsburgh feel.
It's such a great space andthen it's such a great
networking opportunity for allof you the community it's.
Mike (19:52):
It's a great community and you just learn from each other.
We're all in a similar boat, soit's it's good to bounce ideas
off each other and pick up newthings you know, whenever you
can to help your business.
Doug (20:04):
I do wonder, you know, since you started in 2018 and
then you moved to Fulton andmaybe expanded a little bit more
or differently, any big lessonsor new things that you've kind
of brought into your business?
Mike (20:18):
Always learning.
You know there's always littlethings I'm big on just try to
get 1% better every day, yeah,so a lot of times it's just
little new strategies or littletricks that you know what I mean
.
It's not even culinary.
Doug (20:31):
A lot of times it's more business related for me, Well,
there's all those things that wedon't think about when we open
a business, and because we liketo cook or we like the food part
, that's the easy part, so it'severything else that I have to
sharpen up on.
Mike (20:45):
Oh my gosh, Even here, me too the podcast all of it.
Doug (20:48):
Right, you're always learning.
Yeah Well, you had hinted atthis earlier.
I would love to talk a littlebit more about your culinary
career before Family Table and Iknow you don't want to drop
names culinary career beforeFamily Table and I know you
don't want to drop names, that'syeah A lot of time in the
private sector?
Mike (21:07):
Yeah, a family that has their name all over the city,
you know.
So I'll just say that.
But I would travel with themand it was just great,
phenomenal family all the wayaround.
Doug (21:14):
Did you go to culinary school?
I did, I went to Pennsylvania,culinary you did.
Mike (21:19):
Ended up, I was personal chef for the founders of the
culinary school.
Oh my goodness, yeah, Greatpeople too.
I mean I just love them todeath.
But yeah, it was with them forquite a while.
Doug (21:30):
Okay, so from the culinary school, let me just track this.
So you went to PA Culinary andthen when did you then connect
with your family that you workedfor Like six?
Mike (21:40):
months after I graduated, right after you got out Like 98,
yeah.
Doug (21:43):
And can I just ask a little bit about the type of
work you were asked to do?
Was it private, like familycooking?
Yeah, exactly.
Did you ever do big events?
Yeah, we'd have parties orsomething.
Yeah, we would do.
Yeah, oh my gosh Was it justyou, or did you have a staff
then, or?
Mike (21:59):
not a lot of times.
Bring my son yeah, um, he wouldbe my helper there, oh my gosh,
and he helps me.
He's probably my biggest helperwith the business now, my son
tyler, um, but he does a lot ofyou know, not in the kitchen a
ton with me.
It's all the other stuff, youknow, website stuff, uh-huh,
just my person I can bounceideas off of and I know I'm
going to get an honest, honestanswer from the kids yeah, right
(22:23):
right, and he's 27 now, so yeah, Well, that's great, and to
have someone in your back pocketfor technology is always a good
.
Doug (22:30):
Yeah, absolutely.
I was looking at the websitewas great too, and I know that
your social handle has beenpretty solid.
So, whatever he's doing ormaybe you're doing it now
yourself- it's a team effort.
Mike (22:41):
It's really working out.
Doug (22:42):
So, after culinary school and working for your private
family, were there any otherexperiences that really shaped
what you're doing today?
Mike (22:50):
I was the exec chef at Children's Hospital for a
company called MorrisonManagement.
Okay, so ultimately you'restill serving families, and so I
think it's something that'salways come full circle in my
career is just the serving of afamily, um.
So, whether it was sick kidsand their families there, or you
(23:12):
know, an individual family, orbouncing around from each family
one day a week, it just alwayscomes back to wanting people to
have that, that comfort and theease of having a good meal with
little effort.
So good, hi, this is ChefMichael Harding with Family
(23:32):
Table and you're listening toThe Pittsburgh Dish.
Doug (23:36):
Based on even the name Family Table.
Do you have a large family ordid you come from a large family
?
Mike (23:43):
My immediate family when I was a kid was just my brother
and I and my mom and dad.
But even when we were busy withgoing to baseball games or
whatever it was activity that wewere in at that time, it was
always dinner on the tablebefore we went, and sometimes it
might have been hot dogs andbaked beans, but my mom always
made sure that dinner was therefor us.
And it's just something I'veseen as I've gotten older, and
(24:07):
it was a problem for my wife andI when our kids were younger.
Was that going to soccer orthis, that I was working 10, 12
plus hours a day and by the timeI got home it's like, oh, what
are we doing for dinner?
Doug (24:19):
Yeah, so like the last person you're taking care of,
right, right.
Mike (24:23):
And it was just one of those things that if I'm having
issues, I'm sure others are.
So that was the thought offamily table was in the back of
our minds for probably 20 yearsnow, and it was just timing we
finally my kids are older and Ididn't have as many restraints,
and so it was like, okay, let'sdo this.
Doug (24:46):
I mean, I'm thinking about this as you're talking and we
also sat down as a family allthe time and it really was no
matter if you're having hot dogsand baked beans or steak and
lobster, I don't know.
It is that time to commune andcheck in and there's something
about that convivial over foodconversation.
You tend to open up more forsome reason, especially with
(25:07):
your kids or whatever.
Mike (25:09):
It's just such a special time, yeah, and it's time,
you'll never get back, andthat's something I tell young
parents, like don't blink youknow, so if we can help families
get that, it's truly a treasureand it's, I'd like to say, we
sell time as much as we sellfood, so, and that's way more
valuable, super valuable.
You know, that's the mostvaluable thing we have.
(25:31):
And if you don't have to do theplanning and shopping and you
can have that type of a qualitymeal in front of you without
doing the heavy lifting, I thinkit's a win.
Doug (25:41):
I love it.
As we're talking here, I amthinking a little bit about the
food.
Have you had anyone approachyou because they want, like meal
prepping or like you know alittle bit more, a sportier diet
or a vegetarian diet?
Do you have some options likethat, or has that happened yet?
Mike (25:57):
So we do have options pretty much to fit every diet.
We are in the process.
It's going to be called FT Fit,so it's going to be a lighter
line streamlined to healthieroptions coming out as well, too,
real soon.
How we market that is we makemeal planning a little more
simple.
Yeah, so if you buy a la carte,six chicken breasts or whatever
(26:20):
and some sides yeah, it's aneasy, divvy it up yourself.
We don't actually package themup right now you're not doing it
like that yet, not yet.
Um, it's something we'relooking into doing.
Some lunches and individuallunches, you know, come uh, fall
.
It's always an evolution andit's ultimately what the
customers want.
Doug (26:41):
If you ask, I'll do my best to make it happen.
So you are amenable to hearingout some requests and seeing
what you can do to accommodatethose Absolutely.
Mike (26:47):
I always take requests, so good, just had somebody say hey
, can you do yogurt parfaits?
Sure.
I'm sure they'll pop up soonerthan you think and they probably
travel well, right?
So, yeah, I mean whatever, Ijust want to solve problems, and
having a nourishing, healthydinner or meals in general on
the go is so valuable, becausemost of the time you don't think
(27:09):
about, oh, I'm hungry, and thenyou're going to make bad
decisions at the drive-throughor we all do it, right.
So this just simplifies things.
It takes one item out of yourbucket of things you have to do
on the day.
And it just like I said, itgives you time to do something
else that you'd rather do.
Doug (27:28):
I always say I have a certain amount of capacity in my
brain and the energy for theday, and by 6 or 7 pm it's
pretty low.
Mike (27:35):
Right.
Doug (27:38):
I do want to jump around a little bit to when you were
coming up in your culinarycareer and then moved into
private chefing for a family.
Did you have any speciality orany dishes that you really loved
to make.
Mike (27:50):
So, yeah, all the comfort food is what really speaks to me
, what you were drawn to, right,right, a great plate of you
know, pot roast and mashedpotatoes and veggies, and you
know what I mean.
It's comforting, that's what Iwant, yeah.
Doug (28:03):
I mean, you could put a good meatloaf in front of me
every night of the week and I'dprobably be okay.
Mike (28:07):
And that's what I've found is like you know, the wealthy
people I've cooked for I mean,they don't always want to sit
down to surf and turf type ofdeal they want a good meatloaf,
or you know things like that.
They they yearn for the comfortfood.
So that was something thatspoke to me as well, was it's
not, it's for everyone you don'thave to go over the top, you
don't have.
yeah, you just do it right andput like a lot of love into it,
(28:30):
and that's going to come throughevery time.
Everything is done well yeahexactly.
Doug (28:35):
It also makes me want to jump back to family.
You mentioned that getting tothe table was important.
What was food and cooking likegrowing up?
Mike (28:44):
Yeah, I mean I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, you did
, helping my mom or my dadcooked a lot too, and my
grandmother and aunt, you know,always trying to help out and
pick up little things, and I sawthe love they put into it you
know whether it was somethingthat was, you know, a family
recipe or something that was aquick throw together.
It was.
It was intended to nourish andshow love, and I think it's just
(29:07):
a.
It's a love language.
It really is, of course.
Doug (29:10):
And how old do you think you were when you started
helping out?
Mike (29:13):
Seven, eight I think I wanted to be a chef around nine.
You did.
Yeah, If I couldn't be a probaseball player that was my
fallback.
I'd watch cooking shows andsuch.
I'd watch cartoons.
It's just something I wasalways drawn to.
Doug (29:31):
You're so lucky to have something that you knew early on
.
So many people don't, I don'tknow what?
Mike (29:37):
they had a little detour you know, but, um, I found my
way back.
So did you grow up in thepittsburgh area?
I grew up in craft and Iactually live in the house I
grew up in you do yeah, I'm bornyinzer oh well, that's perfect.
Doug (29:51):
We love that here.
And a little bit more aboutfamily food.
Was there, uh, like anycultural heritage, that kind of
crept in there, like anyparticular dishes that you
recall?
I?
Mike (30:01):
always remember, like my parents like doing stuffed
cabbage rolls and things likethat.
My grandmother's roast beef yes, you know it was something that
was a staple, for we go up fordinner and roast beef and love
it, you know.
Doug (30:13):
So, yeah, yeah, just simple things like that I can
kind of tell you've carried someof that through to the current
menu.
Mike (30:19):
Oh for sure, yeah and I try to give credit with the
names, like you know mom's macand cheese, or you know graham's
roast beef you're not justsaying that no, it's important
for folks to know if they lookat your website, because you're
saying you're bringing mom'smeals to the table and you
really are right.
And on the back of our, our vanit says mom inspired, chef
(30:39):
prepared.
Yes, yeah, that's what wereally go for?
Doug (30:42):
oh, I don't think that could be any better.
Thanks, perfect, perfect.
All right, michael, so you'rebringing mom and grandma's
dishes to people today.
What's on the horizon?
I know you hinted at a couplethings, so do you have anything
upcoming or any goals ahead forthe business?
Mike (30:59):
Yeah, like I said, we're going to roll out a subscription
model and then the fit line,but ultimately, like I said, we
want to continue to grow and Ithink this is an issue in every
city in the country.
Everywhere you go, people don'thave time.
So ultimately, we would like toperfect it here and try to get
in other markets at some pointas the long-term plan.
(31:21):
We're not there yet and we'regoing to just continue to build
on what we're doing and just tryto get a little bit better
every day.
Doug (31:28):
You did remind me.
You mentioned it earlier, but Ijust want to kind of hit the
point again too.
What is the delivery radius?
You're operating out of Fulton,which is over on the north side
, and you reside in the Craftonarea, but where can folks have
your food maybe?
Mike (31:42):
like the farthest reaches.
We get up to north.
We get up to Freedom, okay,yeah.
East to Ottoman Roeville, oh,wow, okay.
West to Oakdale, yeah, andsouth.
We get down to Cannonsburg,okay, and then everything that's
a pretty wide swath yeah, ifyou want our food.
We try to make sure we can getit to you.
Karen (32:00):
Oh, my goodness.
Mike (32:00):
And then we have pickups too, okay, and we're happy to
strategically meet somewhere.
If you're a little like I, havepeople that come in from
Murrysville oh yeah, meals, andso I appreciate them coming in
and driving all that way in.
Yes, so it probably still issuch a time saver for them.
Oh, and that's what they said.
It's the.
It's such a game changer.
(32:21):
You know, their kids are realyoung and going in all these
different directions and theyjust, yeah, don't have time to
sit down, and it really is agame changer for them.
I love it.
Doug (32:32):
All right, if folks haven't found you yet, could you
remind us of your website andyour social handles, how folks
can find and follow you?
Mike (32:39):
Yeah, website is familytablepghcom.
Okay, our handles for likeFacebook, family table, pgh, and
it's for Instagram and such.
Doug (32:51):
So I've seen you on.
I'm always on Instagram, sothat's where I've seen you guys.
But you guys do Instagram andFacebook right.
We have Twitter too, okay, or?
Mike (32:57):
X, yeah, yeah, whatever it is, whatever it is, today.
Doug (32:59):
Oh my goodness.
All right, Michael, I alwayshave an ending question.
The name of the show is ThePittsburgh Dish.
What's the best dish you'veeaten this past week?
Mike (33:11):
Oh, hands down.
Pizza Lupo.
Oh yeah, in Lawrenceville, inLawrenceville, unbelievable.
Is that a go-to spot it hasbecome.
Yeah, yeah, they do it reallywell.
It's just good qualityingredients.
Even when I was standing therewaiting for our order, I can
(33:38):
relate to the love that they putin to the finishing touches of
a pie A little fresh gratedParmesan.
Reggiano, a little sprinkle oforegano.
Those little touches make allthe difference and I can relate.
We always try to add thoselittle finishing touches to our
dishes.
So places that go above andbeyond like that I can relate to
and I can appreciate and I'llalways be a customer.
Yes.
Doug (33:54):
Pizza Lupo best bite of the week Great, I've had it.
It's delicious.
They're kind of on my list.
I mean, there's so many goodpizza places.
Mike (34:01):
They're getting better.
Oh my gosh.
Doug (34:03):
We had Ironborn and Gus Franco up in Natrona Heights,
Again very different styles butvery good, and they're pizza
buddies, my son, we're alwaysgood for you, know, let's get a
slice somewhere.
Mike (34:13):
But very good, and they're pizza buddies, my son, we're
always good for you know, let'sget a slice somewhere.
Doug (34:15):
Well, that's all if you can't get to the table, right,
yeah, one more little bonusquestion.
So, when you're talking aboutPizza Lupo doing the finishes
and that's important to you whenI get a family table meal and
it might be like something Ihave to heat and plate up, do
you give me any direction on howto plate or finish?
Is that in there?
Mike (34:35):
So we have a qr code on all of our labels that are like
our heating instructions.
Okay, so very detailed in that,um, but I try to.
I try to make it as a finishedproduct as possible?
Doug (34:44):
you're not telling me to sprinkle parsley at the end.
No, no, no, let's not do that.
Mike (34:48):
It's done, okay, yeah, so you know, say we um have, uh,
you know, flank steak you knowgo flank, or grilled petite
tenderloin.
I mean, I'm going to slice itfor you.
It's going to get finishingsalt and some fresh cracked
pepper and some fresh herbs overtop.
So I mean it'd be great withoutthat, but that just takes it to
the next level.
(35:08):
It's that 1%.
Doug (35:09):
So you're taking really as far to the table as you can
with the preparation.
Mike (35:14):
I don't want you to have to do much of anything other
than put it on your plate andeat it.
That sounds perfect.
Doug (35:20):
Chef Michael Harding.
Thank you so much for your timetoday and thanks for being on
the Pittsburgh Dish.
Thanks for having me here.
I appreciate it.
If you're interested inexperiencing Family Table for
yourself, chef Mike was generousenough to leave us a discount
code for our Pittsburgh Dishlisteners.
Just visit their website atfamilytablepghcom and use code
(35:42):
DISH20 to get 20% off your firstorder.
That's code D-I-S-H 20.
If you are looking for a diningout experience that feels
almost like a secret, KarenHoang sheds a light on the
multi-course omakase tasting atMola.
Hey everybody, we're joinedtoday with Karen Huang, a
(36:03):
content creator andself-professed foodie of
Pittsburgh.
Karen, when you are going outto eat, is there ever a dish or
a place?
You go and you order somethingand you're like, oh my gosh,
this is so good, but I feel likeit's almost a secret.
It's sort of underrated orunder the radar.
Any place come to mind.
Karen (36:22):
Yeah, so I recently went to Mola and everyone knows about
Mola, but in East Liberty yes,in East Liberty, yes that's
correct, their OG location.
And what people don't realizeabout mola is that you can get
omakase there.
Um, it's not really advertisedon their website but there is a
very small sign picture.
(36:44):
What have you on their menu instore that you look for um and
you call.
So what you do?
You have to pick up the phone,you have to give them a call,
you have to make a reservationand there's multiple tiers of
omakase you can get.
Doug (36:55):
Okay, and when we say this just for listeners that aren't
familiar multi-course bites?
Karen (37:01):
Yeah, basically in Japanese it means like it's like
chef's choice almost.
So the chef will make dishesbased on their expertise and
also what's seasonal and what'sfresh and what's available.
So you really never know whatyou're getting.
But that's part of the fun.
Doug (37:15):
Yes, so this is as you described it.
It's almost like under theradar.
Because you need to know it'sthere, you need to call ahead,
you need to pick your level ofexperience and and tell us about
a couple of the bites you hadLike.
Do you recall like what thechef brought out in your last
visit?
Karen (37:33):
Yeah.
So we chose kind of like thestarter, like least expensive
tier, and it came with so muchfood like that's all you need
and what it comes with is atleast 13 courses plus apps, plus
dessert, and you get the choiceof either Wagyu or Uni for one
of the courses.
So we ended up with 16.
(37:55):
It was so funny because one ofmy friends, anand, was like in
the middle.
He's like, oh, I need to ordermore food, so you ordered like
some bao buns for himself.
And then later he's like Iregret doing this.
Doug (38:04):
This was so much food.
Oh my gosh.
Karen (38:06):
Yeah, so, um, one of the standouts for sure is a torch
salmon belly, so it's so fun.
If you go on my Instagram andlook at the video, they'll
actually torch all of themexcept for one.
Bring it out and torch it infront of you wow yeah, it's
super fun.
Uh, it's like dinner and a showI love that.
Doug (38:24):
This is like their version of flambe exactly.
Karen (38:27):
And then we had this wagyu hand roll that we got
towards the end.
That was amazing oh and thenone other thing I really really
love.
They had this black sesame montblanc cake and I let my friend
luke try it, because he nevertried like black sesame before
and he was like wait, this is sogood.
Can I have a second bite?
Doug (38:44):
and say that again black sesame, mont blanc, it's so good
if you like black sesame.
Karen (38:50):
You will like that and you're calling it a cake.
Is this a sweet?
Doug (38:52):
it is a sweet yeah, it's a dessert, yeah everyone chose
like.
Karen (38:55):
I think everyone else chose like you know, like yuzu
cheesecake or matcha cheesecake,which are delicious in their
own rights yeah but I was like Idon't know what this is.
I'm adventurous, I'm gonna tryit, and I regretted nothing all
right.
Doug (39:07):
So this is the omakase tasting at mola in east liberty
that's's right.
Highly recommended.
Karen (39:14):
Definitely.
Doug (39:14):
Karen, thank you so much for this recommendation and
thanks for being on ThePittsburgh Dish.
Thanks for having me.
You can follow Karen onInstagram at karen.
hoang.
If you enjoyed the show,consider buying us a coffee for
this episode or supporting theshow monthly.
You can find links to thoseoptions at the bottom of our
(39:40):
show description and if you wantto follow my own food
adventures, you can find me onsocial media at DougCooking.
That's our show for this week.
Thanks again to all of ourguests and contributors and to
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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