INGOOD TASTE
Candid conversations with the dining scene’s most engaging chefs
Edward Lilliock, Executive Chef,
Mindful Brewing Company
Mindful Brewing Company
3759 Library Rd., Pittsburgh;
412.668.3857, mindfulbrewing.com
On the Menu:
The artful menu is locally sourced and fresh
to create a variety of dishes including the
Butternut Squash Pizza, a Salted Caramel
Apple Burger, a Sustainable Salmon BLT,
steaks made with grass-fed beef, and fried
chicken using naturally raised poultry.
Appetizers feature a house-made hummus,
pierogies and nachos. Gluten-free and vegan
options are also available, while all featured
menu items are rotated using seasonal,
regionally farmed ingredients. There are 70
rotating taps, craft cocktails and seven wine
taps poured fresh daily.
Why did you become a chef?
My mom and dad, Carol and Bill,
cooked at home, but as a teenager I
worked in a restaurant as a busboy
and dishwasher so I was always
watching the cooks on the line and looked up to
them in a way. One day one of the cooks injured his
hand and I was thrown on the line. From that point
on, I realized it was something I was passionate
about.
Q A
What led you to work for the organization?
I had been cooking for around 12 or 13 years,
seven of which were spent as a sous chef or
kitchen manager at various restaurants around
Pittsburgh. I started as a kitchen manager at 99
Bottles in Carnegie around five years ago under
the ownership of Dustin Jones. Nick Jones (no
relation), one of our brewers, who was the bar
manager at 99 at the time, was a good friend and
previous co-worker at Molly Brannigan’s. Dustin
often talked about the idea of opening a brewery
and restaurant. When the time came for him and
Jeff Sorbara to open Mindful Brewing Company, I
made the transition to be their executive chef.
Who has influenced your cooking the most?
At my first full-time cooking job in Arizona (where
I’m a native), I worked under a man named Rich,
who would eventually