Square Café returns to Regent Square
Square Café has come full circle. After leaving Regent Square for East Liberty in the summer of 2020, Square Café has opened a second spot in its old neighborhood.
Dubbed Square One, the new eatery occupies the former My Goodness space at 1137 S. Braddock Ave., which was the original site of Square Café. Square One offers a carryout and quick-dine format, where patrons order and pay at the counter. Hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
“My Goodness has had a great run, but with the pandemic, we were seeing and hearing a longing to have a Square concept back in Regent Square from our neighbors and friends,” owner Sherree Goldstein says. “We decided to go back to basics — square one, so to speak. We’ve always listened to our customers’ needs. We are so excited to be back to our roots in this amazing neighborhood.”
The menu features a variety of Square Cafe favorites such as the Breakfast Burrito, Brussels Sprout Hash, Corned Beef Hash and the BALTO (bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato sandwich). Square One will also feature its own unique menu items, such as biscuits and biscuit sandwiches. Fresh deli sandwiches and daily soup specials will also be available.
Commonplace Coffee supports the National Opera House
On Saturday, April 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Commonplace Coffee at 5827 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill will host a pop-up market in support of the National Opera House, a nonprofit organization working to restore a historic building at 7101 Apple St. in Homewood. The goal is for the site to become a museum and an artistic hub.
The event will feature architectural illustrations from Buildings By Shane, vegan Latinx food from Disfrutar, totes from MF Bags, stained glass and artwork from 1 Fly Chicken, a meet and greet with the opera house team, live music from Brad Yoder, houseplants from The Grimm Botanist and a curated reading list from Riverstone Books.
Bae Bae’s Kitchen launching cocktail program, dinner service
Bae Bae’s Kitchen, a Korean comfort food spot at 951 Liberty Ave. Downtown, is planning a cocktail program and will offer dinner service in the late spring or early summer.
To help finance the project, owner Edward Lai launched a crowdfunding campaign through Honeycomb Credit, a Pittsburgh-based community capital loan platform.
Celebrate Pittsburgh’s food heritage at the IACP conference
Celebrity chefs, cookbook authors and other culinary entrepreneurs will gather in Pittsburgh from April 22-24 for the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference at the Omni William Penn Hotel Downtown.
In 1978, a group of cooking school owners and instructors, including Julia Child, Nathalie Dupree, Jacques Pépin, Martin Yan and Anne Willan, created the organization (formerly named the Association of Cooking Schools), and in the process, they laid a foundation for food culture in America and beyond.
The 2022 conference, Welcome Back to the Family Table: A Pittsburgh Melting Pot, will be open to the public to allow food fans to learn about industry trends, build essential skills for success in their enterprises, meet their favorite cookbook authors and gain inspiration and resources for their culinary interests. Speakers include Andrew Zimmern, Toni Tipton-Martin, Food & Wine’s Kelsey Youngman and more.
On Saturday, April 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., attendees can meet authors and watch live cooking demos at the Cookbook Expo. Tickets are $25. That program will be followed by The Gilded Age Dinner to support the organization from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets to the five-course meal are $150 per person and benefit educational programs.
All tickets may be purchased online. Click on the Register for Optional Events tab. To purchase a table and for more information on the event experience, send an email to Lisa Hecht.