Still Quarantining

Welcome to week 672 of the worldwide pandemic! When this whole thing started, I thought I may finally have some time to get back to blogging a little bit and keep some readers engaged, boy was I wrong.  Opening a new restaurant in February has proven to be a bit of a challenge when we were forced to shut down only 6 weeks into getting up and running.  We (just me in the kitchen and one person out front) remained open for take-out 6 days/week.  Between producing an entire menu solo and homeschooling, I figured Mondays would be a good time to add virtual cooking classes with phipps conservatory because, why not? We also developed a bread program at the restaurant, so all bread is baked in-house daily.  Spello is now, thankfully, open for dining and we added lunches on the weekends.  So, Tuesday-Sunday I am at the restaurant, and every Monday we host the virtual cooking classes from the comfort of our home kitchen.  My wife, Emily, has also joined the Spello team as our pastry chef, opened her own baking company, Butter Bakery, and has assisted Amelia, Gracie, and me in our online classes.  We’ve been keeping busy, and honestly, it’s been pretty great for the most part.  The uncertainty of how much longer we have to go is a bit concerning, but I’d like to think we are making the best of it and staying positive.

So why am I sharing all of this with you, you ask?  Shameless plugs of course! Anyone in the Pittsburgh area, I encourage you to help support Spello and keep us afloat while we navigate through these challenging times. Come in for dinner, order take-out, buy gift-cards, keep posted for our new catering menu that is being released soon.  Order some pastries and sweets from Butter Bakery (can also be shipped!) Anyone outside of the area, join me through Phipps for virtual classes every Monday, the classes are from 5:00-6:30 where we cook together and end up with a home cooked Italian meal as a reward.  If you are interested in a private virtual class, email me and I’ll see where I can fit you in! Enjoy food, friends, & life!