Rib, wine, soul food festivals, other tasty events in September
Just because summer is coming to the end doesn’t mean there’s not still plenty of upcoming outdoor food festivals and other experiences in and around the city. Here’s where you can enjoy a taste of Pittsburgh heading into fall.
Rib Fest
Labor Day means barbecue, and what’s better than having your choice of a dozen of the country’s top rib-makers to choose from? Rib Fest returns to the North Shore for five days of mouth-watering fun and football over Labor Day weekend.
Started in 1990 at Three Rivers Stadium, the annual fest has grown to the point of filling all of Art Rooney Avenue with ribs vendors, festival foods and beverages, rides and games. There also is plenty of live music, including a free concert at 9 p.m. Friday at Acrisure Stadium Gate A with The Clarks, The Shins at Stage AE (tickets $49.50-$55) on Saturday, a DJ battle on Sunday and Billy Price on Monday.
As in years past, this year’s vendors include local favorite Bad Azz BBQ, which was the 2021 People’s Choice Award winner, and a host of other regional and national barbecue companies.
New this year is the Farm to Table farmers market featuring locally grown produce from 10 local farms and food businesses, a Jim Beam “Backyard BBQ Experience” and a cornhole tournament.
Rib fest patrons also are welcome to tour the stadium’s FedEx Great Hall to view Steelers memorabilia and Hall of Fame lockers, after which they can pick up a jersey at the Steelers Pro Shop.
The festival runs from noon until the end of the Pitt-WVU game on Thursday, noon-11 p.m. Friday-Sunday and noon-9 p.m. Monday. You can find a full schedule of events at www.acrisurestadium.com/ribfest/.
Wine tent
Family House Polo has been drawing thousands of spectators for almost 40 years with its professional polo match, vintage car show and one-of-a-kind tailgates. The 39th event to benefit patients and families who travel to Pittsburgh for medical care will feature a first-ever tented VIP wine experience.
The idea comes courtesy of Michael Volpatt of Volpatt Construction, who grew up in Pittsburgh and whose mother, Sharon, used to volunteer for the event at Hartwood Acres in Hampton and Indiana townships. “I wanted to get involved and give back to the community.”
Along with entry to the Sept. 10 polo match, ticket holders will enjoy tastings from more than a half-dozen premier Sonoma wineries and markets Volpatt has worked with over the years at Big Bottom Market, his gourmet market and deli in Guerneville, Calif. They include Big Bottom Bubbles made from a Russian River Valley chardonnay, an Albarino from Marimar Estate Vineyards and Winery, a rosé and TNT pinot from Paul Mathew Vineyards, and a sauvignon blanc from Lambert Bridge’s Bevill Vineyard.
Because nothing complements wine like cured meats and cheeses, Aspinwall-based EZPZ Gatherings will provide a selection of cheese and charcuterie that pair perfectly with the varietals poured in the VIP tent.
Tickets are $125 for general admission with VIP wine and can be purchased on Showclix.com (search “family house polo”).
Soul food festival
Some of Pittsburgh’s best makers of barbecue, sweet potato pie and other soul foods will gather in Market Square, Downtown, Friday-Sunday for the third annual A Soulful Taste of the Burgh. Established in 2019, the food fest celebrates the long history of Black food service pioneers and entrepreneurs, including Benjamin Richard, who in 1788 owned the first Black butcher shop on Third Avenue in Downtown.
Participants include local favorites African Cuisine, Leon’s Caribbean Restaurant, Vicky’s Soul Grill and a host of other ethnic food vendors. The free festival, sponsored by Stop the Violence Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, also includes three days of live music on a stage at Third Avenue and Market Street. Other attractions include a barbecue contest, craft vendors and cultural activities.
It runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Info: stoptheviolencepgh.com.
Mushroom walk
The Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club is hosting its annual Gary Lincoff Mushroom Foray at The Lodge at North Park on Sept. 24. This is the 22nd edition of the guided morning mushroom walk. The workshop also includes afternoon presentations by guest mycologists Alan and Arleen Bessette and Stephen Russell and others, a cooking demo and a potluck mushroom feast. There also will be a mushroom display, raffle and merchandise sales. It costs $50 for WPMC members, $70 for nonmembers (which includes a 2022-23 membership) and $30 for students with ID and kids ages 11-18. Kids 10 and under free. Registration is required at www.pamushroomclub.org/lincoffforay.
Labor Day giveback
Union Forge Vodka, Pennsylvania’s oldest vodka, is teaming up with local restaurants and bars this weekend to help support Feeding America, an organization dedicated to feeding the hungry through food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. The distillery will donate $1 from the sale of every Union Forge-featured cocktail sold at partnering bars to the nonprofit “to counter the pressure of rising costs and declining donations due to current inflation.”
At Sienna Mercato, you can give to the cause via its Forged Signature, a sky blue concoction of Forge vodka, lemon juice, basil simple syrup and blue curacao. Other participants include Pizzaiolo Primo, Scarpaci’s, Blend Bar, Scratch & Co., Sly Fox Brew Pub, St. Clair Social Club, the Warren Bar & Burrow and Tiki Lounge, which will feature a blackberry mint mule.
The promotion runs Friday through Monday.
A taste of Ukraine
The parish of Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church is hosting its annual Ukrainian Food Festival in Carnegie on Sept. 9-10, with both eat-in or takeout options.
The menu includes favorites such as pierogies, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa, halushki, borscht and items from the grill. There also will be Ukrainian pastries, and festivalgoers can also participate in a basket raffle.
Hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. both days at 220 Mansfield Blvd. There will be seating both inside the parish hall and outside under tents; phone orders on the day of the event can be placed at 412-276-9718. For a complete menu, visit orthodoxcarnegie.org.
Taco fest
The Original Pittsburgh Taco Festival returns next week, bringing together more than two dozen food trucks, street vendors and restaurants to celebrate everyone’s favorite hand food — tacos.
Vendors will gather at The Strip District Terminal at 21st and Smallman streets in the Strip District on Sept. 10, offering tacos, pupusas, empanadas and other treats, along with specialty drinks, beer and liquor. There also is live music and entertainment.
General admission to the fest, which runs from 12:30-7 p.m., cost $10 in advance at etix.com (search “taco festival”) or $15 at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. There also are Gold and Silver packages that include a T-shirt and raffle ticket for an upcharge. The price does not include food. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corp. and Latin American Union.