096 Taste Of The Draft, Hometown Coffee, and Curry That Smokes

Food can be fun, but it can also be a funding engine, and Pittsburgh’s NFL Draft week is about to prove it. We sit down with Ann Marie Krautheim, CEO of GENYOUth, to unpack how Taste Of The Draft turns a night of great bites, Steelers pride, and live entertainment into real support for kids who need breakfast to start the school day ready to learn. If you care about Pittsburgh, school meals, or smarter ways to fight food insecurity, this conversation hits home fast. 

Caleb from Cravings With Caleb shares a hometown coffee recommendation and an unexpectedly craveable detail: sweet oak syrup, a warm, woodsy addition that changes how you think about a coffee order. 

Chef Missy Terrell walks us through Jamaican curry chicken with coconut rice, a stovetop, weeknight-friendly recipe built on bold spice, smart technique, and comfort you can share with friends and family. 

Subscribe for more Pittsburgh food stories, share this with a friend who loves draft week, and leave a review to help more people find the show. What part are you most curious about: the charity impact, oak syrup coffee, or the curry method?

Transcript

Taste of the Draft and GENYOUth Mission

Doug 0:01

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. What happens when you pair the NFL with some of the best food and drink in Pittsburgh? Turns out, some really great philanthropy. We're talking with the nonprofit GEN YOUth, the force behind taste of the draft. Have you ever tried oak syrup in your coffee? And I do mean oak like oak tree. We get an education and more from one of our newest collaborators, Caleb of Cravings with Caleb. And later in the show, if you like a weeknight meal that is packed with flavor and easy to execute, we've got one. Chef Missy Terrell gives us a walkthrough of her Jamaican curry chicken. And bonus, you don't even turn on the oven. All that ahead, stay tuned. The Pittsburgh Dish is supported by Chef Alekka. Find out more about her latest endeavor, a culinary tour, happening April 2027. Check out her Instagram at Chef Alekka PGH to learn more and book your spot. Now on to the show. And if you're a local Pittsburger like me, it seems like the NFL draft is on everyone's mind here coming into April 2026. One of the events catching my attention is Taste of the Draft. And we were able to catch up with Ann Marie Krautheim of the nonprofit Gen Youth to learn more. Ann Marie Krautheim, thank you so much for joining us on The Pittsburgh Dish. You are the CEO of a nonprofit Gen Youth who is behind what I think of as an exciting event coming up here in Pittsburgh, Taste of the Draft. Welcome to the show.

Ann Marie 1:52

Yeah, thank you. It's a pleasure to be with you.

Doug 1:55

Ann Marie, for folks that are not familiar with your organization, Gen Youth, could you tell us a little bit about your mission and the work that you all do regarding, you know, food, insecurity, and hunger in the school system?

Ann Marie 2:10

Certainly. Our mission is to ensure that school children thrive through good nutrition and activity. We primarily provide grants to schools across the country, all 50 states, to increase access to healthy school meals, especially breakfast, and also provide opportunities for children to be physically active before, during, and after the school day. We know when students start their day well-nourished, they are fueled and ready to learn. There's great research that shows that they do better not only, you know, for their health and well-being, but also in the classroom. So we're just really excited to be bringing our Taste of the Draft event to Pittsburgh. Um, and we can talk about how that's going to specifically benefit children in the Pittsburgh market.

Doug 2:59

Yes, yes. I'd love to hear a little bit more about that. I I did want to add too, do I understand that you and your organization both do Taste of the Draft? The 91st draft is about to happen as we record here in Pittsburgh. And you also do something called Taste of the NFL. Is that right?

Ann Marie 3:16

Yes. Uh the taste of the NFL, it happens the day before the Super Bowl each year in the host city of the game. And it's a great way to create food, football. And at the end of the day, it's all about philanthropy. Um, so similar to what we're doing in Pittsburgh, all net proceeds from the taste of the NFL uh come back to Gen Youth, the organization that I lead, and we give those to schools across the country to help end student hunger. In Pittsburgh, this will leave our second uh taste of the draft event. We did our first event in Green Bay last year. The Packers loved what they saw at Super Bowl. They said, let's bring it to Green Bay. So we piloted the event there. It was a wonderful way to kick off draft week and celebrate the community, showcase flavors from the region, um, bring players you know, fans love and you know want to interact with and engage with directly. And then for drafts, specifically our event, um, all net proceeds stay in that market and help increase access to school breakfast. Um, sadly, many students in this country qualify for free or reduced price school breakfast, but there's barriers that get in the way, uh, such as lack of time to get to the cafeteria and sadly stigma. All kids eat lunch in the cafeteria.

Doug 4:37

Yes.

Ann Marie 4:37

But kids feel like if they go to the cafeteria for breakfast, it signals to their friends and you know teachers that they don't have food at home. So our grants provide grab and go school meal equipment. Really brings that healthy school meal right where the kids are coming into the school building. They can grab and go and it overcomes those uh time and stigma hurdles.

Doug 4:57

Oh, that's so terrific. And I love that you brought up the point that the event and the work that's happening here during Taste of the Draft stays in the region. Do you have any idea, you know, the impact, you know, how many kids or how many schools that touches?

Ann Marie 5:11

Yeah, yeah. And I think, you know, importantly, one in five children in southwestern Pennsylvania wakes up every day wondering where their next meal will come from. And for those students, school meals are really a lifeline. For many, it's the only meal, healthy meals on most days. So, with the work we're doing with Taste of the Draft in Pittsburgh, as you said, it's the 91st draft. We've committed to support 91 local schools throughout Western Pennsylvania. So we will provide grants to um 91 schools. It will uh benefit more than 50,000 students.

Doug 5:49

Wow.

Ann Marie 5:49

And it'll increase access to 13 million school meals. So we're really thrilled that you know, we're leveraging this moment in time. The NFL is one of our founding partners. Um, we work with all 32 club teams, and the Steelers have been a great partner. Uh, but this will leave an impact long after the draft leaves Pittsburgh, knowing that children are going to be starting their day well-nourished, you know, get rid of those hurdles that get in the way of their breakfast. Um, they'll start their day ready to learn.

Doug 6:18

Anne-Marie, such great work.

Ann Marie 6:19

Physical activity is also part of our work. We're also giving each of those 91 schools a flag and school um resource. It's used by PE teachers, it comes with curriculum. Um, we know that boys and girls love it. It gets kids excited about being physically active and builds camaraderie with their peers. So we're going to be shoring them up on the nutrition side and then also giving them opportunities to build some excitement and engagement through their physical education program.

Doug 6:45

On the activity side, how great. Yes. You know, you're getting me excited, and you mentioned the Steelers being a great partner. So why don't we move to the event itself? Taste of the draft is helping to open up our moment here for the 91st draft. It's happening on April 22nd at the tower at PNC Plaza. Uh, when I last looked at some of the details, I think I saw the up to say 20 restaurants and chefs, and you know, there's food and drink. Uh locally, I've seen some of my favorites. Dianois is is on that list, uh, the Speckled Egg, Palm Palm, and also from the drink side, I noticed Cadence and Wiggle Whiskey. Um, who else is attending in terms of you know, the who's who? I think we have maybe a celebrity chef, maybe some NFL players themselves.

Ann Marie 7:32

We do, we do. And there'll be some surprise and delight moments along the way for guests. Um, but as you said, uh taste of the draft, it's presented by PNC Bank. They have generally stepped up to be the presenting sponsor of the event and not only provided a cash contribution to advance our mission, but opened up their doors, literally. Uh so the event will be held at their office um at the tower at PNC Plaza. Uh, we are grateful to the support of PNC Bank, who is our presenting sponsor, as well as WabTech Corporation, our premier sponsor, and our collaboration with the Steelers and Visit Pittsburgh in really making this event possible. And we have Andrew Zimmern, uh, who is a globally renowned chef, author, television celebrity. He will be our host and he does travel with us for all of our Super Bowl Taste of the NFL events as well. And then we will be featuring the cultural diversity and tradition um in Pittsburgh's neighborhoods and food scene by featuring the best bites from more than 20 restaurants. And you named you named some of those, but who could have an event in Pittsburgh without uh the Primanti Brothers um sandwich? So they will be there. The original Oyster House is another one. They'll be featuring their crab bites, uh, Common Plea, again, it's Pittsburgh. We have to have pierogies on the menu. The Speckled Egg is bringing their fried chicken biscuit. Um, we also even have mini arepas from Arapitas. Um, we have the um Chengdu Gourmet, Ritual House.

Doug 9:07

Yes.

Ann Marie 9:08

Yes. So really we tried to just get a diversity because we know there's such great cultural and traditional um foods in the Pittsburgh market. Uh we've really been working hard to um make sure all those are brought to life. And then we also have Eat n Park. You know, they're they're a great Pennsylvania favorite um who will be there. Uh Cohen Markets will be there, Turner Dairy and um some other favorites along the way. We also will have a cookie table. So again, it's Pittsburgh. People outside of Pittsburgh don't really understand the cookie table. So while it's not a wedding, we still we felt like we needed a cookie table.

Doug 9:42

Listen, you're doing the right thing. Yeah, you're doing the right thing here.

Ann Marie 9:46

Yes, yes, yes. So come for your cookies and nothing else. And then we have great players coming. You know, Steelers are they have you have you know followers, not you know, diehard followers, not only in Pennsylvania, but really around the world. Um and we're gonna have some of the we'll have 20 Pittsburgh players, Steelers players with us. I'll just name a few of those. We have um Marquise Pouncey, some are alumni, some are current. Um we have Larry Brown, Lewis Lips, uh Will Howard, who um joined the Steelers last year. He was the Ohio State national championship quarterback, Jack Sawyer, um, also newer with the Steelers, but you know, a fantastic player. So we're we're really excited. And and guests will not only get to sample all these great foods, but the players will be right there. Every guest will get a football that has an autograph panel on it. They can get their signatures of their players. Many who are foodies want the signatures of the chefs also. So it can be used for any of those. But it's really going to be um, you know, we have a big couple bands playing, we have some Irish step dancers coming. Um, we have the steel line who will be there, and just some other moments throughout the evening that people will enjoy and and celebrate the spirit of Pittsburgh.

Doug 10:57

Uh, what an incredible time. And thank you so much for all of this excitement that's coming our way. Uh, why don't we remind listeners too? They can find tickets uh at a couple of different places that I've noticed. It's uh tastofthenfl.com. Uh also on Visit Pittsburgh, there are some links. And I believe tickets are still available.

Ann Marie 11:18

They are, yeah. They're uh yes, through Ticketmaster, but um either taste of the NFL.com or visitpittsburgh will take you to those links and you can buy tickets. And I think it's important to remember um, again, the net proceeds from this event do go back to end hunger uh for students in western Pennsylvania. So while it's a celebration of food and football and fun, um, it's really about leaving a lasting impact for children in the community.

Doug 11:45

Yes. Thank you so much for that. And Ann Marie, we should also say if folks want to get to learn a little bit more about your organization, I believe the website is genyoutnow.org.

Ann Marie 11:57

Correct. It's gen like generation, genyoutnow.org. And um, yes, would love to share more about our work, the impact we're making, and uh it, you know, it really takes a village. Um, schools are budgets are tight, they're there are a safety net for kids, and we want to bring all the support we can to the schools in western Pennsylvania and then through our work throughout the year across the country.

Doug 12:22

Ann Marie Krautheim, CEO of Gen Youth, thank you so much for all of the good work your organization is doing. Thanks for bringing us taste of the draft to Pittsburgh, and thanks for being on The Pittsburgh Dish.

Ann Marie 12:35

Thank you. We look forward to being in uh Pittsburgh in just a few weeks, and um I we we look forward to celebrating the city.

Doug 12:43

Thanks so much. Up next, do you have a favorite hometown coffee spot? And are they serving up an oak-flavored creation? We get a recommendation from one of our newest contributors, Caleb, of Cravings with Caleb on Instagram. Caleb, I know that you're always out and about locally finding some of the best coffee spots, but I know you hail a little further from here. You grew up in Indiana, is that right? Yes, Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Caleb 13:14

That's always important to clarify. Right. Yeah. Home of IUP, home of IUP, Jimmy Stewart. Yep.

Doug 13:20

I'm wondering if uh you've discovered any favorite coffee spot back in your hometown.

Caleb 13:27

I mean, there's so many great ones. We grew up on Common Place, okay, which I was so lucky to do a collaboration with this past fall. They are awesome there. They have their main location, the OG, is in Indiana, but they have many sprinkled throughout Pittsburgh now. So they have South Side, they have I always want to say it's like technically Garfield, but I always want to say it's like East Liberty, one in the north side. There's so many sprinkled about. But they started in Indiana. Yeah, that's the OG.

Doug 14:00

I did not know that.

Caleb 14:02

Yeah, they had a roaster like in the actual store. Oh they're super cool. And Commonplace has grown so much, they supply the beans to so many places in Pittsburgh. Like um, Cafe Conmigo, I know, uses them. A lot of like different like li ttle breakfast spots. I know. Oh, uh 350 bakery. Yes. Yeah. They have a good breakfast sandwich. Oh my gosh. So good. Going up the carrot cake.

Doug 14:28

I don't know how to describe. Are they in Allentown or they're just up the hill from South Side?

Caleb 14:32

Yeah, I was gonna say it's like very top of the hill, Southside, I would say. Yeah. Yeah.

Doug 14:37

All right, before we go waxing poetic on 350 and great breakfast sandwiches, I want to bring us back to Common Place. And when you think about it, or when you go home and visit, are there some drinks or a particular beverage that's kind of a go-to for you when you visit the OG commonplace? The sweet oak syrup is my favorite.

Caleb 14:56

Wait, wait, wait. Sweet oak. Like the tree. Yes. Okay. Correct. I need to know more. That was also part of my collaboration with them. They hadn't done cold foam before, and as you know, I'm a big cold foam guy. You are known for that. Yes. Yeah. We made a cold foam together, like in their headquarters, and then that kind of translated to my pop-up there. Um, but the base was the sweet oak syrup, which is what I always get there. It's like I want to say a little bit vanilla-y, but it has almost like a warmth to it, like woodsy. Let's go back to that. So when you say the word woodsy, yeah. It's like a campfire. Oh yeah. I like the warm and toasty time, warm and toasty. I think that's very fun.

Doug 15:40

Yeah, I want to try it. It sounds amazing. Like my brain wants to go to maple syrup, but I'm sure it's it's not. I wouldn't say it's maple-y.

Caleb 15:47

Not at all. The word woodsy is okay in my brain. Yeah. Yeah. Um, it's great. And they have um amazing breakfast sandwiches, a great turkey sandwich that's grab and go. Oh my gosh. And they have Cholula hot sauce packets always to go, which is very important. What you need. What you need.

Doug 16:04

All right. Yeah. Well, you have educated me and probably many others about the OG of commonplace coffee because they've been around for so long. I actually thought they were like a Pittsburgh brand.

Caleb 16:15

I think they've been there, I think they just celebrated their 20th anniversary.

Doug 16:18

Yeah, congratulations.

Caleb 16:20

I know, that's so sick.

Jamaican Curry Chicken On The Stove

Doug 16:21

What a good collab and a great place to stop when you're heading back home. Yeah. Caleb, thank you so much for being on the Pittsburgh Dish. Thank you for having me. We're excited to hear more from Caleb on future episodes. Meantime, you can give him a follow on Instagram at Cravings with Caleb. Now, if a stovetop weeknight dinner full of flavor is right up your alley, then we've got one. Chef Missy Terrell is back to talk us through her Jamaican curry chicken with coconut rice. Missy, you're working in a lot of commercial kitchens now, making, you know, big quantity things, lots of recipes. I always like to know when you have a day off, what's maybe a simpler dish that you make at home for yourself or your son Tug? What's something that comes to mind?

Missy 17:11

My kids honestly um adore Jamaican curry. Oh. Jamaican curry chicken specifically.

Doug 17:21

That sounds good. And I don't even know what's in it.

Missy 17:23

It is. It it really is. Um, it's a filling dish, very different from Indian curry. Okay. But my kids love it. If I've done it in a catering and I don't bring some home, my kids throw tantrums.

Doug 17:39

They're upset with you.

Missy 17:40

Yes, they are. Yeah, very much so. Um Jamaican curry is very different than Indian curry in several ways. One is that you take chicken, any parts of the chicken, really, and um you season it. I season it with a jerk seasoning. Um and you can get that in any store that you like. Um, and there is a wet uh jerk and it the name of that uh brand is Walker's Wood, jerk seasoning. You find it in lots of places. I think I've seen that. Yes, it's a it's a little jar. And so I put that wet seasoning and dry seasoning on chicken. Again, any cuts of the chicken you like. If you are a chef and you're chefing it up and you like to break chicken down, which I I do at home for my kids, and I cover it with the dry jerk and the wet jerk, and then I take pieces of onion, white or yellow, red, and I put that in there. I put thyme in there, I put um tomato chunks in there, a medium dice. Now, for those that are not a fresh tomato? A fresh tomato for those that are not um culinary folks, I say a medium dice. So that's your like in between your dime and nickel size bits of tomato in there. And then I put a little bit of scotch bonnet.

Doug 19:11

Oh, bring in a little heat.

Missy 19:13

Yes, just a little. You don't need a lot, and I dice that down, and then I put that in with the raw chicken, and I really mix that up and allow that to marinate overnight.

Doug 19:23

Okay.

Missy 19:24

The next day, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is where it gets awesome. Folks, you have to take some of that jerk. Okay, yeah, yeah. I now I'm gonna get in trouble for this one, and I know some people say turmeric, some people say turmeric. You take a little bit of those both and you get them in a in a Dutch pot and you put it in there, heat it at about 350 and you let it burn. Now, some people are gonna say, Missy, why are you letting it burn? Because in traditional Jamaican cooking, they allow that curry season to burn before they add anything. So even when I teach my students, if they cough at the smell or the smoke that's coming off of it, that's how you know it's ready to move. Okay. Okay.

Doug 20:12

I have questions for a heavy bottom Dutch uh pot on the stove. Correct. And have you put you've put in the the turmeric, uh, some of the jerk seasoning? The dry. The dry seasoning. Correct. Any oil or fat? Not until not yet. Not yet. Until it starts to smoke. Correct.

Missy 20:30

When you cough it. When you cough. Got it. Because when I was learning it, yeah, I was smelling it and I coughed and I was like, Your stuff is burning.

Doug 20:40

Mm-hmm.

Missy 20:40

And they're like, Yes.

Doug 20:42

It's really blooming.

Missy 20:43

Correct.

Doug 20:44

Yeah.

Missy 20:44

Correct. Then I put a little bit of coconut oil. The solid coconut oil that's in the jar. Yes. I put that in the pot and I turn the heat down just a little. Okay. I mean, now I'm going from 350 to 325. Okay. I put a little oil in there and you will see it, and that's canola oil, um, avocado, whatever oil you have. And you will watch that smoke stop and your house is gonna smell amazing. When that oil and those uh dry seasonings have heated and then began to combine, I'm gonna put that chicken that's marinated overnight down in there. Got it. You put in the amount that's the size of your pot, and then you put a little bit of water on it. Put the lid on it when that closes. It's doing what I consider to be a combination between the dry and the wet. So you're you're getting a little sizzle on it for color and texture, but it's really breaking down from the inside and tenderizing with that steam component. Correct. So you leave that in there and you let it go. Every now and again, you're gonna lift that lid and you're gonna stir it, right? And we're gonna leave that go for a little bit. Now, with my rice, I can take either white rice or brown rice, whatever your rice is of choice, your preference, jasmine, it doesn't matter. Um, and you are gonna put the amount of water you would with your rice. However, you're going to take that amount of water and you're gonna cut that in half.

Doug 22:21

Okay.

Missy 22:21

The other half is coconut milk.

Doug 22:24

Oh, yes.

Missy 22:26

And you're gonna put some thyme in there. So good. Maybe, maybe a quarter teaspoon of salt.

Caleb 22:34

Okay.

Missy 22:34

That's it. And as you see, it's not a very unhealthy dish because you're not using a lot of salts, a lot of um lards or things that that some do in some cultures. But for me, um, when the rice is done and it's plated, to be able to take that chicken and put it on there, um, and you will see that when when the chicken is cooking, um, it may simmer down some. Add a little bit of water in that.

Doug 23:02

If it gets too dry, correct.

Missy 23:03

Because what you're creating then is what they call gravy.

Doug 23:06

Yes.

Missy 23:07

Yes. So you're literally putting that on uh the rice on your plate, and then you're adding those chicken and things. You can remove the thyme. Um, and if you put rosemary in it, that's your choice. But to have a solid, stable meal like that, that's very flavorful, it's healthy, it's not fried, um, though there is a little bit of oil, and and people like it. It is a cultural meal. I have seen Jamaican culture use every bit of that chicken. I mean every bit where the carcass is left. But for those that are not culinarians, it's an easy meal, not very difficult, that you could have at any day of the week if you want to impress people. I love doing that to impress people. It sounds delicious. It is delicious. It it re it really is delicious, and it is one of my favorites to have with friends and family because it's togetherness. Yeah. It's because you took the time.

Doug 24:07

It sounds like an amazing dish and probably some of the best bites. I can see why it's a family favorite.

Missy 24:13

Yes. Now, your house is gonna smell amazing, so crack a window just a little bit because all of those flavors are the smell is gonna take over your home. Yeah, but it's it's an incredibly beautiful smell. It's amazing, really is.

Doug 24:27

Chef Missy, thank you so much for this recipe. You're welcome. Thanks for being on the Pittsburgh Dish. Absolutely. Chef Missy Terrell is the proprietor of Tug Butter Catering. You can find her cooking at Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, and you can follow her on Instagram at Missy She. If you enjoyed the show, consider buying us a coffee for this episode or supporting the show monthly. You can find links to those options at the bottom of our show description. And if you want to follow my own food adventures, you can find me on social media at Doug Cooking. That's our show for this week. Thanks again to all of our guests and contributors, and to Kevin Solecki of Carnegie Accordion Company for providing the music to our show. We'll be back again next week with another fresh episode. Stay tuned.