When in Pittsburgh, eat like the Italians do

Papa J's Michael Troiani (right) at the open pizza station.

Food evokes memories, and sparks culinary pleasures to varying degrees for all of us. Some people go the extra mile to link their food to their roots.

In his memoir Taste: My Life Through Food, released late last year, actor Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada, Margin Call, Captain America: The First Avenger...) wrote: “I mean, if you can’t eat and enjoy food, how are you going to enjoy everything else?”

An Italian American, Tucci describes his family’s prandial conversations and shares several family recipes, including one for Italian staple ragu sauce, in the book. He also describes how in his battle with cancer, and during the harrowing treatment, it wasn’t death he feared as much as the loss of appetite and taste.

Tucci and his family aren't alone in their obsession for preserving the taste of Italian-American food, of course.

Just like the Tucci family, the Troiani family from Pittsburgh has a long tradition with food. Their family’s restaurant Papa J’s is at the Strip District, an old wholesale-food neighbourhood close to downtown. Michael Troiani helms the expansive restaurant which has clearly demarcated sections for the bar, seating, and a brightly lit area where chefs are busy making pizzas and putting them in ovens behind.

On the day of my visit, Michael was behind the gelatos counter, giving samples of gelatos in spoons to two boys and their father. Only after unhurried conversations over flavours of Blood Orange, Fiori di Latte, Lemon Sorbet and more, did the family decide what they wanted (Blood Orange and Cherry scoops) and Michael scooped it out in cups.

“We have been in the business for over 40 years at various locations,” he said. But the Troiani family has been in the Strip District since the 1930s when Michael’s grandfather immigrated from Italy and started living in the Hill District overlooking the Strip District.  “My father, Julius B. Troiani, was the youngest of 12 children and he helped his father sell produce in this neighbourhood.”

From selling produce to a flourishing real estate enterprise and running restaurants that were ahead of their time, Julius lived the American dream. When the first Papa J’s opened in 1988 in Carnegie, they offered white pizza, a novelty at that time. The restaurant was a huge success and remained so until the historic building in which it was located caught fire in 2018 and was gutted.  The current location is at the Twin Plaza, one of the several buildings owned by the family.  Michael grew up working in the family restaurant business and is now the only one out of his seven siblings to continue the legacy.

At Papa J’s, the pizzas are prepared in Roman style that isn’t common in Pittsburgh. “It’s made from high-hydration dough that is shaped two days before and rested for one day before being dropped into custom pans and baked on a 700 degree-stone.”

There are some all-time favourites like the Chicken Piccata and Wedding Soup, a soup made with green veggies and meat. “Most of the recipes I have learnt are from either my parents, the people around me or from my mistakes,” Michael laughs. “We learn from all mistakes, and not just the happy ones.”

The ingredients are either sourced locally or from Italy. “For instance, we source the Amarena cherries from Italy where they are prepared in exactly the same way for hundred years. Some of the chesses are also from Italy. It depends on the dish which should have the best ingredients.”

The pastas are hand-made, dried and served at the table as well as sold in packets for retail. One of Michael’s favourite pastas is the radiatori pasta, named after the old-fashioned radiators, which is especially good for thick sauces. “When we were small kids, all the family members would play bingo and I remember the bingo chips were these radiatori pasta prepared at home.”

Papa J's in Pittsburgh

The gelatos, Michael said, were the newest entrants at Papa J’s. Their gelato machines whip the gelato without any bases or mixes and is a smooth dense product with no air. Almost no one leaves the restaurant without getting at least one or two scoops of gelatos.

It's not always easy preserving old recipes in a new land and newer culinary landscape, where ingredients can be hard to find or taste different depending on where they are grown and how.

“I am fortunate to be connected with my grandfather’s town, Navelli, that’s located in the mountain plains south of L’Aquila," says Michael. "Every year, the town hosts a festival of garbanzo beans and saffron which celebrates the harvesting of the beans. Incidentally, the high-grade saffron grown in Navelli is sought after by chefs to add in their Milanese risottos. When I go there, I am the only one amongst all the women in town who handpick the saffron and dry the beans on the ground. I have learnt a lot there.”

Food is also about lessons in traditions. Something that Michael and others like him have been learning over the years.