Pittsburgh Taco Festival
2875 Railroad St., Strip District. pghtacofest.com
Tacos are always worth celebrating, and on Sat., Sept. 14, the Pittsburgh Taco Festival returns to the Stacks at 3 Crossings for a “flavorful fiesta.” Touted as Pittsburgh’s original celebration of “the finest hand food known to man,” this year’s day-long taco fest brings together more than 25 food trucks serving “a variety of mouth-watering tacos and authentic Hispanic dishes,” live music and salsa lessons, kid’s activities, an art market, and more. Tickets start at $13 and can be purchased online. Part of the proceeds benefit the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation and Casa San Jose.Velum Fermentation x Greenhouse Cooperative
2120 Jane St., South Side. velumfermentation.com
Pittsburgh has more plants to forage than you’d think, and Greenhouse Co-op is partnering with Velum Fermentation to help you find them. The brewery hosts Forage Fest on Sat., Sept. 14 from 5-8 p.m., offering classes and workshops, a line-up of vendors, and raffles, all focused on “sustainability, community, and plants.” Guests are invited to bring their plants and extra pots to share and propagate with other festgoers or can buy plants on-site. This year’s event will include a fall/winter clothing and food drive. Attendance is free.Pittsburgh Food Policy Council
Multiple locations. pittsburghfoodpolicy.org
On Sat., Sept. 14, explore the region’s farms and community gardens at the latest Pittsburgh Urban Farm Tour. Presented by the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, Grow Pittsburgh, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, and Chatham University’s Food Studies Program, the event invites participants on self-guided tours of 14 sites highlighting “the importance of local food systems, sustainability, and community engagement.”Family-friendly tours offer engagement for kids, opportunities to meet farmers, gardeners, and community leaders, and “an inside look at farming techniques” and the “crucial contributions” urban farms make across Pittsburgh. Locations include the Garfield Community Farm, Hazelwood Community Garden, Homewood’s Oasis Farm & Fishery, the Healthy Food Center Garden at West Penn Hospital, and more. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, beginning at $5 with a suggested donation of $15, and can be purchased through Eventbrite. Proceeds from the Farm Tour benefit participating sites and the Urban Growers Scholarship Fund.
Pittsburgh County Fair
603 W. North Ave., North Side. fermentpittsburgh.com
On Sun., Sept. 15 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Allegheny Commons Park West transforms into “an urban agricultural celebration of handmade, homegrown, fermented and more" for the Pittsburgh County Fair. The event, co-hosted by Ferment Pittsburgh, Grow Pittsburgh, and the City of Pittsburgh, brings the county fair to the city with all-ages activities and demonstrations including grape-stomping, worm-composting, sorghum pressing with woolgathering, and more. Enjoy live music, and local food and drinks from The Pickled Chef, JL Kennedy Meats, Happy Day Dessert Factory, and Allegheny City Brewing.Whip up your best recipe for an apple pie bake-off, enter the best tomato in Pittsburgh contest, or hype your homegrown fruit and veggies in a plant variety show. Follow the County Fair’s event page or Facebook for up-to-date information.
Braddock Public House
1211 Braddock Ave., Braddock. instagram.com/braddockpublichouse
Braddock Public House, the second venture from Braddock-based Brew Gentlemen, soft-opened on Sept. 4, with a grand opening to take place on Sat., Sept. 21. Taking over the former Superior Motors space, the new restaurant is described as “a modern brewpub in a multi-use historic building,” and will offer a “total” beverage line-up as well as lunch and dinner. According to an Instagram post, Brew Gentlemen beers are on tap alongside other local craft beers, wine, cocktails, and mocktails. Food menus consist of “classic Pittsburgh dishes with a Hawaiian-Japanese influence (think: pierogi and gyoza)," all priced under $20. Check the Public House Instagram account for current hours and offerings. Reservations can be made online.Brown Bear Bread Co.
400 Ninth St. Ste. C, New Brighton. brownbearbread.co
Brown Bear Bread Co. opened its first storefront on Sept. 5 in New Brighton. Launched in Mt. Oliver last year, the woman-owned bakery will offer fresh artisan bread such as sourdough, as well as pastries, desserts like cinnamon coffee cakes, and other goodies. The new location is now open Thu.-Sun. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with a grand opening party planned for later this fall.
Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream
Multiple locations. millieshomemade.com
Millie’s launched a Harvest collection of four flavors celebrating “all of the deliciousness that this season has to offer.” Concord Grape Sorbet, made with pureed Concord grapes and “a hint of sugar,” arrives as the fruit reaches peak season. Sweet Corn Ice Cream offers a “velvety, buttery-smooth scoop” made from grass-grazed dairy and a puree of golden sweet corn. A traditional PSL flavor combines pureed pumpkin and warm spices for a “velvety-luxe coffee break.” Caramel Apple Dumpling returns, swirling apple pie filling and vanilla ice cream into “one perfect scoop.” All four Harvest flavors are available at Millie’s scoop shops for September.La Gourmandine
116 Meyran Ave., Oakland. lagourmandinebakery.com
Fancy French pastries are coming to Oakland as La Gourmandine expands. The Pittsburgh Business Times reports that the bakery (and three-time winner of Best Desserts in CP’s Best of PGH Readers’ Poll) will open its fifth location in 2025 at Forbes Ave. and Meyran Ave. Co-owner Fabien Moreau says he plans to “tinker with the menu a bit” to meet the demand of the neighborhood’s tech employees, university students, and hospital workers, with baked goods initially delivered from La Gourmandine’s Hazelwood kitchen. Opened on Butler St. in 2010, the French bakery also operates Downtown and Mt. Lebanon locations.Hunger Action Month
September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide effort established in 2008 by Feeding America to raise awareness and spur action to end hunger and food insecurity. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services estimates that 1.7 million Pennsylvanians experience food insecurity, an issue that recently hit a new high in the Pittsburgh area. Local organizations offer several ways to help. 412 Food Rescue found that transportation, mobility, and proximity to resources were all major barriers to food access. In 2016, the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit launched Food Rescue Hero, a “DoorDash for good” that mobilizes volunteer drivers through a rideshare-style app. Volunteer drivers deliver food directly to doorsteps, often transporting surplus food from businesses and eliminating food waste. Individuals and groups can sign up to make home deliveries and donate food or cash through 412 Food Rescue’s website.
WTAE announced a Project Hunger Telethon. Viewers can give to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank online, and partners 84 Lumber and Nemacolin will match donations up to $50,000. Clearview Federal Credit Union also launched a fundraiser matching Food Bank donations up to $10,000. The Food Bank offers tips on starting a fundraiser to support neighbors facing food insecurity and other ways to get involved.
Spork
5430 Penn Ave., Garfield. sporkpittsburgh.com
Spork in Garfield will temporarily close on Sept. 21 to reopen as a new concept: One by Spork. “With many memories, ups and downs, and many celebrations, it is a bittersweet goodbye,” read the Instagram post from the fine dining restaurant, which launched as a small-plates venue in 2016. The post added, “with years of developing skill sets, diligently studying, and hours of research and development, we are confident to open a concept we have always dreamt of.”The new venture will feature multi-course tasting menus and one large communal table; no reopening date has been set yet.
LeVia Trattoria
5336 Butler St., Lawrenceville. leviapgh.square.site
LeVia Trattoria announced its permanent closure. Owners of the Italian restaurant wrote in a letter posted to Facebook that they would not be renewing their lease and that Sat., Sept. 28 will be the last day for LeVia.“We started this small family venture almost four years ago in the middle of the covid pandemic,” the letter reads. “Through this time, we developed many loyal customers and friends and we are so appreciative of you all.”
According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, the restaurant was opened in 2021 by brothers Anthony and Christopher Castine who named it after their late grandmother. The building at 5336 Butler St. also recently changed ownership in a large sale of the street’s commercial properties, as reported by the Business Times.
