By Briana White
With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to start thinking about festivities, family and most importantly, food! While some view cooking as relaxing, for others it causes stress, especially if you have to prepare for a large number of people. These caterers offer holiday meal services to ease the load, and all of them are Black, Indigenous or people of color in the Pittsburgh area.
From a private chef to corporate caterers, and everything in between, these culinary professionals are here to make your holidays a little more merry and bright, no matter if you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or Festivus.
1. Chef Jae & Co.
Jae Smith is a personal chef who has been operating for more than seven years. Her Heat & Eat holiday meals are curated to make you feel like she prepared the dishes in your home. Her centerpiece offering includes Classic Herb Prime Rib, Southern Green Beans, Macaroni & Cheese and Parsnip Puree. Food for four to six people is $600, and for eight to 10 people it’s $1,000. You also can order à la carte. Seafood Stuffed Salmon, Wild Mushroom Risotto and Lemon Olive Oil Cake are also on the menu. Additionally, Chef Jae offers beautiful tablescapes that include chargers, dinnerware, florals and more for $30 per person. Visit her website to receive updates and find order forms or contact her via email.
2. Café NikkiP
Café NikkiP can jazz up your holiday party with specialty party tray catering offerings. About a year ago, Nicole Porterfield-Miller started her journey into the culinary world. In 2022, she graduated from Catapult’s Culinary Cohort program and purchased her first brick-and-mortar location. Construction is still underway, but Café Nikki P is available now for catering. In addition to party trays, Nikki offers breakfast, lunch, holiday brunch, office parties and candy confections. With prices starting at just $8, she’s budget-friendly.
3. Beyond Blessed Catering
Beyond Blessed Catering is actually three women, Melvena S. Daniels, Deanna Smith and Toshia Butler, all from the Hill District. The 5-year-old business started out doing pop-up shops. They pride themselves on using some of their earnings to do community service projects such as book bag giveaways and free dinners. Some of their specialties include six-cheese mac & cheese, seafood lasagna and gumbo. For the holidays they offer full-service packages for $250 that feed up to 10 people. Meat options include turkey, cajun chicken, ham, salmon and pot roast. Side options include stuffing, cabbage and sweet potatoes. And don’t forget dessert. Order by Dec. 15. 412-689-4602
4. Taqueria Acosta
If you’re looking for a Latin-inspired holiday season, Taqueria Acosta is the caterer for you. They offer a variety of taco parties and dinners; pick two proteins for the tacos from the list of Red Chile Chicken, Green Chile Pork, Carne Asada, Beef Barbacoa, Ceviche or San Diego Fish. The tortillas, rice, beans and salsa accoutrements complete the meal. Prices range from $15-$20 a person. Order by emailing Chris Acosta or by calling 412-218-4565.
5. CobblerWorld
If you have the food covered and need a sweet ending, check out CobblerWorld. Terina Hicks has been baking since she was 14 years old and CobblerWorld specializes in nostalgic and unique desserts. The business is located Downtown at 1059 Penn Ave. Hicks offers an array of cakes such as pavlova, banana pudding, pineapple upside down and carrot cake, just to name a few. She also sells pies, cheesecakes, cookies, and of course cobblers. A dozen cookies start at just $15. Call the shop to place your order at 412-403-2158.
Pittsburgh native Briana “Bree” White is an avid traveler and best friends with a 20-pound Fox Terrier named Murphy. She is also the founder of the blog Breelicious Bites, where she chronicles her journey all over the city of black and gold to taste what local eateries have to offer and share her thoughts about everything from the magnificent to the mundane.