INGOOD TASTE
Candid conversations with the dining scene’s most engaging chefs
Cheryl Tacka and Dave Sgro, Co-Owners and
Chefs, Slate Bistro
Slate Bistro
28 Donati Road, Bethel Park; 412.833.7000,
slatebistro.com
On the Menu:
Chef-owned, house-made, seasonally
directed American and Italian cuisine
with a twist (and gluten-free options if
requested).
Q A
Describe Slate Bistro.
C.T.: Slate is a bistro that offers
delicious food in an open and
airy place with a patio. We also
have an upstairs, and we are
BYOB!
D.S.: It’s quaint and we’re in a new building.
We’ve been open for five years, and for the past
two years we watched a man rebuild this place.
Cheryl kept joking she wanted to move here
from our old place next door—and her dream
came true. We’re here!
What led you to open Slate Bistro?
C.T.: We worked together at Piccolina’s
Restaurant in Upper St. Clair for seven years.
I kept nagging him that we should open a
restaurant. We had both owned restaurants
prior to Piccolina’s and I owned a B&B in
Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. But, we
wanted to do it together. The circumstances
led us to open up Slate. And it was a clean slate
for the both of us. Our menu was constantly
going to change, so that’s how we decided on
its name, Slate.
D.S.: I actually grew up in the restaurant
business. My family owned Sgro’s Restaurant
on Campbells Run Road. I‘ve been in and
around the restaurant business all of my life.
How do you decide on the menu?
C.T.: We change it seasonally and it’s a very
small menu on purpose. We have 15-20
entrees, four or five salads and appetizers, and
change it every three months. We have favorites
people will not let us take off the menu, such as
our stuffed peppers—and Dave’s background
is Italian so the peppers are amazing. We do
scratch, with fresh ingredients: steaks, pork
chops, seafood, pasta… and adding our flare
to it. We definitely keep it homemade and
simple. We’re BYOB and have lockers for our
customers to store their wine.
D.S.: Cheryl is incredible when it comes to
desserts. Everything is touched by Cheryl and
me. Everything is homemade. Being a nice,
clean restaurant, we try to keep prices as fair
as we can. And the feedback we have for our
BYOB is that everyone loves it. We do a stem
charge and they can bring what they want. We
bought lockers from a school that was closing,
and customers call ahead so we can chill their
wine for them and it’s ready. We’ll also go to the
liquor store for them, too. Makes it fun. Little
ideas that catch on quick.
Who has influenced your
cooking the most?
C.T.: Although I didn’t get into medical school,
I still work with a knife. It’s kind of a fluke.
I went to University of Massachusetts for
science, but I worked in the kitchen.
D.S.: I grew up in the kitchen at Sgro’s
Restaurant. My father Joseph, who was a chef,
would go into work early in the morning to set
up for lunch. I would see him turning on all
the equipment and he would make me a little
breakfast. He would let me clean a piece of
chicken or cut the pepper.
Cheryl Tacka and Dave Sgro, Co-Owners and Chefs,
Slate Bistro.
What is your favorite dish to
prepare at Slate?
C.T.: Dave has a knack for making every dish
look so artistic. He makes the stuffed peppers
and stuffed meatball that are my favorites.
Dave makes Rotello with puff pastry, spinach,
prosciutto, and mozzarella—so delicious.
D.S.: Cheryl makes an amazing coconut cream
pie. She bakes me a German Chocolate Cake
for my birthday every year. She’s the best at
creating desserts.
What is your favorite go-to ingredient?
C.T.: Butter, salt and pepper. I make all of our
desserts and finishing sauces with butter—no
margarine.
D.S.: Butter, and—even though it might seem
like an odd answer—boiling water. We don’t
precook anything and the hot water has to be
ready.
What kitchen tool can’t you live without?
C.T.: I go crazy if I don’t have my tongs.
D.S.: The first chef I worked for bought me
a meat fork. I’ve had it 35 years. That’s very
personal and no one can touch it. It’s where all
the magic comes from.
What advice can you share
with a novice?
C.T.: Have consistency and don’t let somebody
else run your business.
D.S.: You have to treat your staff and team with
respect and be good to them. We cook for our
staff and provide a meal for them. n
—Reese Randall
Grilled shrimp with tomato, basil, pine nuts and feta.
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