In this episode, chef Todd Cassell, executive chef of The Vault Taproom, goes up against Alekka Sweeny, private chef and owner of Chef Alekka.
Chef Todd Cassell // Vault Taproom
Chef Todd moved to Pittsburgh to be closer to his family. He has a hands on approach to cooking and loves the camaraderie of the kitchen staff at the Vault Taproom.
FOLLOW: @thevaulttaproom and @chef_todd_damn_it
Chef Todd’s Choice Charity: The Mission Continues
The Mission Continues empowers veterans to transform their community through the use of skills obtained while serving. Veterans volunteer with nonprofit partners and community leaders to improve educational resources, tackle food insecurity, foster neighborhood identity and more.
Chef Alekka Sweeny // Chef Alekka
Chef Alekka grew up in Upper Saint Clair and started cooking bread for family meals 25 years ago. She created Chef Alekka to assist busy families with meal preparation, creating dinners to reheat and eat.
FOLLOW: @chefalekkapgh and @chef.alekka
Chef Alekka’s Choice Charity: Common Threads
Common Threads is a national nonprofit group that provides families cooking and nutrition education to encourage healthy habits that contribute to overall wellness and equip under-resourced communities with information to make affordable, nutritious, and appealing food choices wherever they live, work, learn, and play.
The Farmers Market Cooperative of East Liberty
The Farmers Market Cooperative of East Liberty is a permanent, indoor farmers’ market. The Cooperative is open every Saturday, year-round from 5 a.m. to noon. The Farmers Market Cooperative is located in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It is one of the only sources of locally grown meet and produce during the winter months.
[Learn more about the history of Pittsburgh’s oldest farmers market.]
The Challenge: Thrill of the Grill
Create a three-course meal with ingredients from The Farmers Market Cooperative.
- Mushroom
- Pineapple
- Something from J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand
Surprise ingredient: Something hard on the outside, something soft on the inside
The Judges
Chef Todd and chef Alekka have 45 minutes to create an appetizer, entree and dessert for the judges.
The judging panel:
- Host Dave Forman
- Brianna White, author of “Breelicious Bites”
- Jess Iacullo, creator of Hungry Jess, Big City
Want to see who wins?
You can stream the full episode of Plate It, Pittsburgh! (and all of our other shows) for free on the Very Local channel. The Very Local channel is available on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV. Click here for details on how to get the channel.
Looking for more Very Local Pittsburgh eats?
Looking for some neighborhood eats? Let Ed Bailey and Day Bracey help you find your next favorite neighborhood brewery. Ed and Day are the hosts of the Drinking Partners Podcast and the hosts of our very Pittsburgh show Ed and Day in the ‘Burgh. If you are headed to the East Liberty Farmers Coop, be sure to check out Ed and Day’s Guide to Larimer for suggestions on where to find coffee and cocktails.