The Inimitable Chef Chuck

Corporate Executive Chef, Site Author
chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com

Chef Chuck Kerber is a graduate of The Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management. With over 20 years of cooking experience, the Chef has broad experience that includes time at various hotels, restaurants and other private establishments.

Chef Kerber is the owner and Executive Chef of Chaz Catering LLC, and specializes in all types of gatherings as well as nutritional coaching. His clients include private individuals, professional sports figures, and corporate entities. The Chef focuses on the importance of cooking fresh, unprocessed foods high in nutrition; essential for overall health and longevity of life. Chef Kerber currently works in the city of Pittsburgh as a Corporate Executive Chef.

Katie Chivers, Assistant Editor, Food Writer
katielane@pittsburghhotplate.com

Like most people, my life pretty much revolves around food. I don’t just mean in the “Oh, these vitamins and minerals are giving me energy” way. I mean, at any given moment, I am plotting and planning and anxiously awaiting my next awesome meal. In spite of this enthusiasm, I do not spend much time in the kitchen. I believe meals are events, ones to be shared with many friends and sometimes a bottle of wine. I grew up not too far from here, in a small town close to Weirton, WV. I may not remember my teachers’ names or what my bedroom looked like, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that Pizza Hut’s phone number is 737-2470 and Drovers Inn (home of the BEST hot wings ever) is 737-0188. I studied at Bethany College, and then I moved up here to the BIG CITY. I’ve been working at a rad place called Euphoria Post for the past four years. For that same amount of time, I’ve been bouncing from neighborhood to neighborhood, taking advantage of all of the great cuisine and nightlife this city has to offer. In addition to eating and drinking things, I also like to look at things (books, movies, trees) and listen to things (loud music, the voices in my head.) I like to explore. I am simply here to take it all in. Enjoy.

Jeff Zoet, Beer Aficionado and Contributor
jeffzoet@pittsburghhotplate.com

I love trying new things. I have an ever-growing passion for sampling as many new ethnic cuisines as possible. But I’m passionate about something even more than food…beer. I love beer. Now I’m not talking about that watered down, cheap ingredients, mass produced “beer” that you see on tap at most bars. I’m talking about the stuff that people have a passion about creating, and they are willing to take chances and introduce flavors and ideas to get people to step out of the norm, and try something new…and in most cases — delicious! Pittsburgh has helped open my eyes to a larger world of smaller distributors with endless ideas on creating beer.

A quick back story — I grew up on a hog farm in Holland, Michigan. I loved living the rural life, but felt like I couldn’t experience new things there. I moved to Pittsburgh for college and ended up staying here as I began my career as a Visual Effects & Motion Graphics artist, as well as start my own portrait photography business. The longer I lived in Pittsburgh, the more I noticed that there was something here for everyone. If I wanted to try German, Indian, Chinese, Greek, and Japanese food all within a week, there were plenty of places to do that around the city. That spilled over into beer. I noticed that my options had quickly grown, and I embarked on a journey to sample as many different types of beers as I could find. So please join me on this continuing quest, as I explore the many establishments of Pittsburgh that know how to appreciate good beer.