The Fork and The Road, LLC

Spring 2012 Tours

Homestead / Lawrenceville / Meyersdale / Pittsburgh - 7 weeks ago - Mary

The Fork and The Road does not like winter. Not at all. So, now that the holidays are over . . . hope yours were fantastic . . .The Fork is getting snuggled up under blankets and working on the Spring tours.  I am working with Karen Novak at McGinnis Sisters to plan some amazing wine and cheese tours, driving around finding new hidden stops for a Steel Mill themed culinary tour and thinking hard about a chocolate tour.

 So stay tuned for more info in the next few weeks. If you have specific questions, feel free to give me a call at 412.576.1755.

Happy 2012 to everyone and I hope it is filled with good health, happiness and kindness in your world.  xo

So many great places, so little time.

Belle Vernon / Homestead / Laurel Highlands / Ligonier / PA / Pittsburgh / Westmoreland County - 4 months ago - Mary

Sorry for the long gap since the last post.  A few new fall tours and some charter tours were underway and things got crazy.

Let me tell you about some of the many wonderful people and stops from recent trips.

First of all,  my tours are pretty informal, so by the end of the day, my guests feel like old friends to me.  This really is one of the best parts of the tours.  The people are just the best.  Just had to say this.

Second, the stops are great ( or I wouldn’t have selected them in the first place ) but the owners of the businesses or the docents at the museums or the managers at the stores . . or whoever welcomes us . . .really do make each tour special.  These are hard working folks who have a real passion for what they do.  And they want to share their enthusiasm.  I am truly honored that they are wiling to share their time and expertise with my tours.

Okay, so if you missed the tours this fall, I’ll give you a few places to visit on your own. The Compass Inn Museum in Laughlintown is just a treasure.  If you go, which you should, please ask for Jim Koontz (see his photo above.)  Jim is the innkeeper there, and he continually delights my groups with his knowledge  of the inn and of much, much more. During the holidays, The Compass Inn does candlelight tours. The small gift shop is a real gem, too.  Check out the MANdles (man candles) and the books of word trivia.  THE BEST.

While you are in the Ligonier area, stop at Connections Cafe for lunch.  Sharon Detar, the owner, once worked for a vegetarian restaurant and her attention to healthy and fresh really shows.  Try her curried chicken salad and the white chocolate raspberry tart.

If you’re  out in the Mon Valley, take a drive through Belle Vernon to visit Melanie Patterson at the Good Ol’ Days House. You can usually find Melanie in her store across the street, and if you’re lucky, she’ll give you a quick tour of the bed and breakfast across the street.  Melanie carries lots of old time candy and also sells some delicious Gene and Boots ice cream.

For some delicious food that is close to the Burgh, drive on over to the Tin Front Cafe in Homestead.  The lovingly prepared vegetarian food is a treat.  Ask for Ellie, Daniel or David to fill you in on the history of the building. And then mozy over to Judy’s cookware store next door.

The next sunny autumn day, take a few hours and visit some of these real gems right in our backyard!

 

Soup, strudel and cookies in West Homestead

Homestead / Philadelphia / Uncategorized - 1 year ago - Mary

In the name of research for my upcoming Tastings classes at the Pittsburgh Public Market, I have been investigating all of the  amazing ethnic food in Pittsburgh’s little boroughs and suburbs.  Great for my taste buds and bad for the zippers and buttons on my clothing.  Yikes. This has to stop!  Today’s adventure took me to the Bulgarian-Macedonian Center in the old steel mill town of West Homestead.

Already a fan of their homemade soup sales, called Soup Sega ( Sega means now in Bulgarian,) today I branched out into the Center’s Gyuvech (beef stew)  and their Banitza ( little cheese filled strudels) and I also went home with a jar of Lutenica, a creamy roasted pepper spread.  The Saturday soup sales are so popular, that now the soups are sold  on Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10AM until 1PM, too.  I had the privilege of meeting with board president Pat Penka French, who told me that this group is the oldest Bulgarian organization in the United States.  They’re celebrating their 80th anniversary this year. We’re lucky to have people like Pat who work tirelessly, as volunteers, to continue these ethnic traditions for future generations. The Center is filled with memorabilia, musical instruments, costumes and other Bulgarian items, so while you are waiting for you soup ( it’s take-out), you can admire the items in the beautiful display cases. Customers can purchase Bulgarian pottery (I bought a mug, ) books and other gifts, too.

Upcoming events at the center include Password Love, an exhibition of paintings by Bulgarian artist, Georgi Petrov on November 11 and their annual fall concert at the Carnegie Library Music Hall in Homestead on November 20.  For more info or to RSVP, call 412.461.6188 or visit their website. I love this place!  Please visit. You will be hooked, too.

On my way back toward the Homestead Grays bridge, I made a quick turn into Nancy B’s Bakery to pick up a few of the city’s best chocolate chip cookies (according to Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2010 poll) for the drive home, hoping that another ten minutes on the exercise bike will help to burn off just a few of those calories. ( I think even two hours on that bike wouldn’t burn off the calories from those giant, soft cookies.)

If you are visiting the  Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area museum (which is very cool, by the way) in the historic Bost Building , a stop at these two foodie down the road is a must.