Always Summer Herbs is a local, woman-owned family business whose mission it is to provide our clients with the highest quality herb and vegetable plants, herbal products and teas, and personal, one-on-one, customer service to ensure that your gardening and overall life experiences, large or small, are a huge success. Our goal is to make it easier for you to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the road less traveled.

In Zelfa’s words: Pittsburgers are a special type of people, they work hard and don’t fall for phony gimmicks nor do they settle for less and that is what The Baklava Company is all about. The Baklava Company offers Pittsburgers something real and honest, something homemade and reminiscent of family traditions. Our pastries are made with real ingredients, premium choice nuts and fruits, delicate rose water, clarified butter and lots of love. Although this company is new, our family recipes and traditions have served Pittsburgh for over 40 years with chef Mikhail Khalil at Khalil’s restaurant on Baum Blvd. in Shadyside. The Khalil family has always prided themselves by offering Pittsburgh the best in quality and now The Baklava Company continues that tradition of serving Pittsburgh the excellence they deserve.

The Baklava Company offers a delicate type of baklava made with a light rosewater, orange blossom water and lemon syrup that is slightly drizzled along with rendered butter that is rich and elegant, but not overbearing. The baklava pastries are made with the highest quality premium nuts and fruits and with many different authentic varieties, such as hazelnut, almond, walnut, pistachio, cashew, pecan, mixed nuts and fruits. We also specialize in mamool, which are rose water cookies made with semolina and stuffed with choice nuts. Made fresh, you can either pick up individual pieces or gift boxes, or place a custom order that would be waiting for you at our Public Market booth. Our pastries are great for Holiday Gifts, Corporate Meetings, Weddings, Parties, and Appreciation Gifts.

Contact Zelfa at 724-759-9989 for custom orders!

In Chris’s words:
I am a Pittsburgh native and have lived here my entire life. I have been drawing and doodling as long as I can remember. My notebooks and text books in grade school and high school were filled with little drawings and sketches.

While in college I came up with the idea of drawing collages in the shape of a larger image, and filling them in with smaller images to tell a story. My first major collage was drawn on the wall of the Acacia House at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstowncampus in 1998. As I drew it, I anticipated the artwork to be temporary since the University typically painted the walls of the dorms each year, but I am proud to say that 10-years later the collage is still there. The University, at no request of mine, has taken upon themselves to paint around it for over 10-years.

Recently, I have been doing a lot more drawing again, and I love it! I love being able to sit down with a clean sheet of paper, and with just me, my mind, and a pen, be able to create something truly unique that many people can enjoy.

Each original collage is drawn freehand with fine, black art pens on high quality bond. The entire processes takes approximately 3 months elapsed time and 60 to 70 hours of drawing time. It’s just me, a pen and a piece of paper.

My favorite media is pen and ink. Collages have always interested me. I like being able to hide things in plain sight. I like to be able to tell an in depth story through smaller images, in the shape of the overall and prominent image. I like to draw pieces that make people think, intrigue the viewers mind, and hold attention. I don’t want people just to look and think “That’s kind of neat.” I want people to be to be infatuated and feel like they must pick it up and hold it to find all the images; and laugh and point as they do it. I want the viewer to think “this is greatest artwork I have ever seen.” The sole purpose of me drawing a collage is for the “wow factor.” So be sure to look close because you never know what you may find.

Chris’s Favorite thing about the strip:
I love “The Strip” because the Strip helps to define Pittsburgh. If you think of 10-things about Pittsburgh, I’m sure The Strip will be on your list. The Strip is the “ebay” of our town. If you want to find something neat, or cool Pittsburghers go to the strip. I also love the open market feel, and the immense about of blue-collar commerce. Pittsburghers selling and buying from Pittsburghers.

Contact Chris at:
412-527-1697
xinsirhc@yahoo.com

The farms that make up Clarion River Organics (CRO) are predominantly Amish. CRO farms include Sam Byler’s River View Diary, Greener Pastures CSA, Hidden Valley Farm, Food From the Earth CSA and Rippling Brook Farm – just to name a few!

Our cured meats are made and aged using traditional methods. All of our products are locally sourced. The Crested Duck will be selling locally raised, natural rare meats including bison, elk, venison, goat, rabbit, ducks, geese and game birds. They will also be making charcuterie goods from those meats like smoked bison pate, lamb bacon, and ginger orange duck galantines.

Their story: Terry’s grandmother passed down her secret recipe to Terry for her pierogies that originated in Poland. Jan tried these pierogies and fell in love with them because they were a taste from home.

Jan enjoyed the pierogies so much that in the summer of 2001, Jan invited his sister Gosia to come from Poland for a visit. WhenGosia got here, she, Terry, and Terry’s family decided to make pierogies for a hobby. Never realizing that their hobby could make them some money also while doing something they enjoyed too.

Gosia had a fun and eventful time here in America but she returned to Poland after her visit

In 2001 Jan and Terry began making those tasty pierogies and then took them Ligonier farmers markets, in the first day of trying to sell at farmers markets they sold 30 dozen pierogies in just a few hours. They got rave reviews and to their surprise and delight, sold 90 dozen by the end of the farmers markets season.

In the summer of 2006 they took their pierogies to the Pittsburgh farmers markets. The following year the Pittsburgh farmers market contacted Jan and Terry and requested that they return as vendors. Their pierogies were a big hit! Word of mouth had spread and people were requesting their pierogies.

Since those beginnings they did not expect at the farmers market, Gosia’s Pierogies has continued to expand and change, but their delicious authentic pierogies haven’t changed!

What are pierogies? They are the Polish version of filled dumplings. For us, they are always sautéed in butter, and served with finely chopped fried onions and maybe a dollop of sour cream.

If you are familiar with the amount of time and effort that goes into pierogie making, then you will appreciate what the staff at Gosia’s does. It is easy to see that love goes into every tender pinch and the wonderful authentic taste proves this.

Jenn’s Jems is a mother-daughter team consisting of Debbie Maier Jacknin and Jenn Orefice.  When Jenn was 14, we decided to turn their hobby into a business, creating Jenn’s Jems. We have been in business for over 8 years and our line includes one of a kind jewelry, hand knit and crocheted items, a skill Debbie learned from her mother.  The knit and crochet items include head bands, hats, scarves, and Debbie’s personal favorite – a market bag.  They are a stylish way to reduce plastic waste.

We enjoy making unique jewelry so that our customers get something that is truly special!  One of our favorite things to do is create jewelry to match a specific outfit.  We have created jewelry for weddings, Bat Mitzvahs, christenings, proms, and other occasions.

We are very excited about the opening of the public market.  Once again, Pittsburgh was declared to be a most livable city.  The strip district is one of the great things about Pittsburgh.  Pittsburghers have been working for many years to make the public market and flea market a reality and it is this type of hard work and dedication makes Pittsburgh such a wonderful city.

You can contact Jenns Jems at:

JennsJemsJewelry.etsy.com

debo1960@aol.com

412-427-5500

Jenn’s Jems also carries a line of janie bags: purses, pillows, and other accessories made from materials like antique Japanese silk. Jenn’s Jems also carries handspun and dyed yarns from Pucker Brush Farm.