Pittsburgh has the perfect mix of ingredients for Guy Fieri.
“There are multiple reasons I chose Pittsburgh,” Fieri told the Tribune-Review about plans to open American Kitchen + Bar this year inside Live! Casino Pittsburgh, which will open before Thanksgiving at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. “It’s an All-American city, a blue-collar town. Pittsburgh loves family, sports and traditions. And that’s everything I am.”
An Emmy-award winning chef, restaurateur, New York Times best-selling author and television personality, Fieri was born in Ohio, grew up in California, but has fond memories of the City of Champions.
He recalled visiting his dad’s cousin Tom Ramsay – Fieri’s middle name is Ramsay — and his wife Jodi in Pittsburgh.
“I remember as a kid going to (the former) Three Rivers Stadium (on the North Side) and watching (Hall of Fame first baseman) Willie Stargell,” Fieri said. “And I’d wear my Pirates hat all the time. Pittsburgh is the real deal.”
The city is also home to the nemesis of Fieri’s favorite NFL team – the Oakland Raiders, which formed a storied rivalry with the Steelers from the 1970s.
Fieri has been the ‘Burgh on several occasions to film episodes of his Food Network show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” He has visited the Dor-Stop Restaurant in Dormont, Nadine’s on the South Side, the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox, Kelly O’s in the Strip District and Ross, Crystal on Penn, Lo Bello’s in Coraopolis and Big Jim’s in the Run in Greenfield.
He said Kelly O’s has the best haluski.
And Big Jim’s?
“In the Run? Of course I remember,” Fieri said. “Places like Big Jim’s are what Pittsburgh is all about. They are about family and great food. They aren’t fancy. Big Jim’s is in a dilapidated building on the corner. But like all of the Triple D visits, it has personality and attitude. That is what Triple D is all about — being true to who you are. And the characters in these places can tell you the history of that area. You get what I call the 360-degree experience in these places. They are legit.”
From the Big Jim’s episode: “The signature veal Parmesan sandwich nearly matches the width of Guy’s head, which Guy deemed ‘ridiculous.’”
Changing with the times
Fieri said he has altered the Triple D format to do the series at his home. Restaurants send him a recipe and his sons help him make the meal and assist with the filming.
He also is finishing up shooting the Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games.”
On a recent visit to Pittsburgh for his father’s 70th birthday with family, Fieri said he noticed something different about the city.
“Pittsburgh has grown up in the food world,” he said. “You will always have places like Big Jim’s in the Run, but now you have the next level.”
Pittsburgh inspired
Fieri said this newest restaurant will have specific dishes reflective of Pittsburgh. No two of his places are the same from the décor to the menu.
“We personalize each space,” he said. “This one will definitely have Pittsburgh sports memorabilia and some other swagger of the area, as well as a little bit of Guy’s style.”
This isn’t his first collaboration with The Cordish Companies, a Baltimore, Md.-based real estate development and entertainment operating company.
“The Cordish group is like no other,” Fieri said. “They are determined, and they have the drive to be successful. They do it first class the first time, and they don’t miss a beat. They get it.”
He said he looks at the partnership as it’s his music, but he is letting them play the tune. He hands off the microphone to the Cordish Companies, who make the words sing to still be representative of Fieri but also have some Pittsburgh voices.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh is a $150 million, gaming, dining and entertainment destination that will occupy 100,000 square feet. The attraction will feature 750 slots and approximately 30 live-action table games, plus a FanDuel Sportsbook, a sports-betting platform.
He said he chose a casino setting because he attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where one of his sons recently graduated.
“I love the casino atmosphere,” he said. “It is fun, and it’s entertaining, and it gives people hope. What a blast for everybody to be enjoying great food at a casino.”
More than a meal
When the pandemic started in March, Fieri called a meeting of his team known as “knuckle sandwich” and said they had to do something to help establishments that were suffering.
He started a Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.
“I knew that some of these places were going to die on the vine,” he said. “They were losing so much money. We talked about buying gift certificates, but decided we needed to do more than that.”
He said he reached out to the presidents of companies associated with making an impact on the restaurant industry such as Uber Eats and Pepsi. He made a video asking for help. His wife thought he was crazy, but he wanted to do something.
“When someone gives me lemons, I make limoncello,” said Fieri. “As I was driving to my ranch, I got a call that the president of Pepsi wanted to talk to me about donating $1 million. I still get goose bumps talking about it.”
And then he received $2 million from Uber Eats.
“It was like fireworks were going off,” he said. “We raised $24 million. I did what I think every restaurant owner would do. The people in this business support each other. I hope this brings attention to all of these restaurants and inspires people to order takeout and support these places. So many of them live on the edge.”
