‘Hidden gems’: EAT@Pitt works to showcase local, immigrant-owned restaurants

With chain restaurants continuing to pop up in Oakland, students may feel bored with a lack of diverse food options. EAT@Pitt — where “EAT” stands for equitable, authentic and transnational — introduces students to local, immigrant-owned restaurants. 

“There’s a lot of hidden gems, and there’s a little bit of everything in Pittsburgh,” Jackie Honkus, president of EAT@Pitt, said. “You just have to look for it.” 

EAT@Pitt meets once a month and provides resources to students on their blog that showcase new restaurants to try, according to Honkus, a senior marketing and digital media major. Created in 2020, Honkus said EAT@Pitt continues to emphasize the importance of locally owned-businesses and educate themselves on the “melting pot of cultures” that exist within Pittsburgh through food. 

“These locally owned businesses, whether they’re restaurants or not, are the building blocks of our community,” Honkus said. “Without these small businesses, it wouldn’t be Pittsburgh. Everyone’s unique story and history are really what makes all the different communities and neighborhoods within Pittsburgh such a special place.” 

Not only does this organization offer the opportunity to try “a little bit of everything,” but it also gives students the opportunity to speak with small-business owners and learn about international cultures. Honkus said sitting down and interviewing restaurant owners is one of her “favorite parts.” 

“We’ve really talked to people from all walks of life from all corners of the world,” Honkus said. “They get to talk about their experience with making Pittsburgh their home, while also sharing their culture within.” 

Honkus said on the organization’s most recent trip, they spoke with the owner of Kiin Lao & Thai Eatery in Squirrel Hill. One of the owners, Nor, traveled to Thailand and Laos to study their cuisines so he could authentically bring them back to Pittsburgh. 

“Just hearing about his culture and his passions, and that can be said about all of the people that we’ve interviewed, it’s just really amazing,” Honkus said.

Sapna Chokshi, a sophomore computational biology major, is the publicity chair for EAT@Pitt, where she helps run the club’s social media and engages in community outreach. She said it’s “inspiring” to watch restaurant owners spread their culture and traditional food to people who may not have had it yet. 

“A lot of the time, [they] are trying to bring a whole new culture, a whole new food demographic, to a neighborhood that’s never really had it before,” Chokshi said. 

Chokshi also favors speaking with restaurant owners and recalled her visit to Arepittas, a family-owned Venezuelan restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh. This stuck out to Chokshi because learning about the cuisine’s background intrigued her.

“We were talking to the owner about the [Arepa Susana], and he told us the whole history of that particular dish, and how it was named after someone they really love,” Chokshi said. “That helped them create the restaurant when they came to Pittsburgh, and it was just like a homage to her. 

Honkus said the organization brings together “a lot of people that normally wouldn’t interact,” such as students with different academic years, majors and career paths. For Honkus, getting to sit down, eat and become friends with the other club members over a meal is “amazing.”

At their monthly meetings, EAT@Pitt provides cultural information for that month’s restaurant spotlight. Attendance is not mandatory for members, and the club encourages anyone interested to attend.

“It’s a really cool mix of all grades, everyone’s really interested in trying new cultures and trying new foods and exploring the city,” Chokshi said. “It creates a great atmosphere when we go out to these restaurants.” 

Mariska Goswami, a sophomore computational biology major, is a new member of the club. Goswami said she decided to join the club because of its relaxed nature as well as the opportunities it provided. 

“I think a lot of clubs at Pitt are pretty professional, or there’s something about them that you do for another reason than to just meet people and make memories,” Goswami says., “EAT@Pitt is one of those clubs that is low commitment … I like that you can still be involved, but you don’t necessarily have to go to every meeting. You can go as often or as little as you want.”

Goswami said to attend the restaurant trips, members must pay $5, but if they write about their experience on EAT@Pitt’s blog, they get their $5 back. Goswami said by attending these trips, EAT@Pitt provided her with new perspectives on local restaurants that she had never imagined before.

“I’ve been to [Kiin Lao] before with my family, but I had never spoken with the owner, who had so many interesting stories to tell us,” Goswami said. “I think that is probably what makes the club more unique than I originally thought it was. It’s not just a group of people that eats at Pittsburgh restaurants together and reviews them, because although that’s already cool, meeting the owners is such an interesting experience that not a lot of people get when they go to a restaurant.” 

Honkus said the club is open to anyone and added that it’s very laid back. She emphasized the importance of organizations such as EAT@Pitt when it comes to bringing awareness to the different food options throughout the city. 

“There’s a lot more out there in Pittsburgh than just Oakland,” Honkus said. “All you have to do is go out and explore it, and really experience something special because it’s here. All you have to do is get out there to try it.”