Locally produced food, drink focus of Farm to Table tasting
Carlee Webb and her husband, Kevin, produce wines using only Pennsylvania ingredients.
Tony Carbonara is marketing his restaurant’s locally produced sauces.
Josh Clark of 1st Generation Farms and Tom Higgins of Fresh Fix talk about their local products.
Michelle Wright is a major advocate for the importance of honeybees.
Eat, drink and be local.
That’s the message of Farm to Table Pittsburgh, a component of the Pathways to SmartCare Wellness Program offered by Scott Township-based American HealthCare Group Inc.
“It’s educating people where their food comes from, what questions to ask about the sources of their food and how to connect people to local food,” Liz Canche, the company’s director of wellness services, explained.
The Mt. Lebanon native was on hand to greet those who attended Farm to Table’s Happy Hour event on Friday at the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District. Visitors had the opportunity to taste a wide variety of food and beverages while learning about the benefits of the offerings.
For example, Nick Brango of East End Brewing Co. talked about the commitment that founder Scott Smith, a Mt. Lebanon resident, has put toward environmental considerations.
“We only have one Dumpster on site, which we rarely use,” Brango said. “We recycle everything we can, and even the water we use, we recycle it through a thing at our brewery that heats it and cleans it all out.”
Regarding the brewery’s owner, Brango added: “He could have easily taken the easy way out, and thrown it all away and not worried about it.”
Bringing a selection of pasta sauces to the event was Peters Township resident Tony Carbonara, who has been in business for 25 years with Carbonara Ristorante on Mt. Lebanon Boulevard.
“These are all GMO-free, gluten-free sauces,” he said. “This year we decided to jar it, and right now, we’re just trying to get people to try it, to taste it.”
Visitors also could try a tasty potato salad at the display of Upper St. Clair-based Fresh Fix.
“We provide meal kits. That includes recipes and all the ingredients you need to cook a meal yourself,” co-owner Tom Higgins explained. “I believe we’re the only local brand in Pittsburgh that provides local ingredients.
“One of our owners is actually a dietitian, so we do focus on healthy foods,” he said. “It’s good for the entire family.”
Fresh Fix delivers, as does Butler County-based 1st Generation Farms, which is part of a Community Supported Agriculture program. Participants can buy a share of the CSA and have fresh meats delivered each month.
“It’s all grass-fed, non-GMO, pasture-based,” Josh Lark of Saxonburg said about the chicken, pork, beef and spring lamb products that are brought to homes. “All we ask people to do is leave a cooler out, and we’ll drop the meat in there, and you guys can enjoy it for that month.”
Also traveling south for the event, from Hermitage, was Carlee Webb, who runs Webb Winery with her husband, Kevin.
“We’re designated as PA Preferred because we do use all Pennsylvania produce,” she said about the recognition program by the state Department of Agriculture.
For a particularly informative display, visitors could talk with beekeeper Michelle Wright, who told what goes into making a pound of honey.
“It takes 768 bees to collect this much honey,” the Ross Township resident said. “Two million flowers are tapped to make this much honey, and the bees have to fly the equivalent of twice around the world just for this one pound of honey. So they really do an amazing thing.”
Wright, a television journalist, became interested in honeybees after doing reports on their diminishing numbers. She markets honey and beeswax lotion branded as The Wright Stuff.
“Bees pollinate a third of everything that we eat, and if you think about your favorite fruits and vegetables, chances are a honeybee is to thank for that,” Wright said.
More local food and beverage will be available for tasting at Farm to Table’s Harvest Tasting, scheduled for Nov. 21 at the Waterfront in Homestead.
“That’s really an opportunity for Pittsburghers to get to know farmers to access local food for their Thanksgiving feast, or learn about what they can do for Hanukah or Christmas meals,” Kanche said.
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