Stay up-to-date on what’s coming, going, and changing in the Northside business community with The Northside Chronicle’s monthly Northside Business Briefs. This month’s briefs feature 40 North at City of Asylum’s Alphabet City, the East Allegheny Community Council, The Pittsburgh Project, and ShadoBeni.

By Ashlee Green

Photo: ShadoBeni serves vegan Trinidadian street food every Friday at the Northside Farmers Market in Allegheny Commons East. A storefront on Brighton Road in Allegheny City Central is in the works.

City of Asylum announces new restaurant 40 North at Alphabet City

Prepare your tastebuds for 40 North, a new restaurant which will open this summer at City of Asylum’s Alphabet City venue.

Filling the space that the former Brugge on North left when it closed in 2020, 40 North—located at the intersection of 40 W. North Avenue and Reddour Street—will spotlight the talents of Executive Chef Bethany Zozula and Beverage Director Sam Suter, both formerly of Ace Hotel’s Whitfield. City of Asylum’s Executive Director Andrés Franco explained in a press release that the restaurant’s name is both the spot’s actual address as well as a reference to Pittsburgh’s latitudinal position on the globe.

According to the press release, the 40 North menu will serve as a “storytelling platform,” with “recipes built on early childhood memories of California, the woods of Pennsylvania, lessons from chefs, moments with friends, and the power of food as medicine.” Wines that are “eclectic and approachable,” cocktails inspired by the menu, and beers showcasing local brewers will also be featured. A complete non-alcoholic cocktail list is planned as well.

Get the latest updates from the restaurant by following them on Instagram at @40northpgh.

East Allegheny Community Council kicks off ‘First Freitag’ on East Ohio Street

Starting June 4, 2021, the East Allegheny Community Council (EACC) is kicking off “First Freitag,” a sidewalk sale and celebration held on the first Friday of every month throughout the summer on East Ohio Street. The goal of the event series, according to EACC board member at-large Al Grasso, is “to increase foot traffic and vibrancy in our neighborhood.” 

Next to the Northside Farmers Market in Allegheny Commons Park East and spanning from Cedar Avenue to East Street, First Freitag will feature more than 30 local businesses and vendors, including The Government Center, Farmer’s Daughter Flowers, Bistro To Go, Artists Image Resource (AIR), Siempre Algo, Allegheny City Brewing, Laverty Jewelers, 412 Apothecary, Annex, Sweet Time General Store, Legends Eatery, The Coop Chicken and Waffles, Fig & Ash, East Street Beer, Union Fitness, and The Nest.
Guests can look forward to food, music, shopping, games, and prizes from 3:30 to 8 p.m. You can find out more information via Facebook.

The Pittsburgh Project names new executive director

Northsider Roderick “Rick” Mason Jr. has been named the new executive director of The Pittsburgh Project.

Rick, originally from Randallstown, Md., has spent the last 13 years working at various levels within the organization, including an after-school teacher, leadership development coordinator, assistant director of service and leadership, and director of youth and families. Prior to his work with The Pittsburgh Project, he served as the college outreach coordinator for The Pittsburgh Promise and helped to create the performing arts department at the Urban Impact Foundation as a ministry associate. Rick has a bachelor’s of science degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and in 2019, received a certificate in Church Planting and Revitalization from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

According to a press release, Rick “embodies the values that drive The Pittsburgh Project,” including his focus on youth, community, and service, and his commitment to the organization and what it stands for. He will “take the helm of The Pittsburgh Project as it enters a rigorous strategic planning process designed to both bring the organization into its next chapter and enhance its work.”

In his biography for The Pittsburgh Project, Rick writes:

“I don’t believe that the road ahead will be an easy one for The Pittsburgh Project, but I do feel confident that success will only be possible through the unified strengths of the board, staff, community members, and funders who must work together as the body of Christ towards the vision of The Pittsburgh Project…”

ShadoBeni sells vegan Trinidadian street food at Northside Farmers Market, prepares to open storefront

Northsiders will soon be able to enjoy ShadoBeni’s vegan Trinidadian street food in a storefront setting.

The eatery, named for how the popular Trinidadian plant chadon beni—or culantro—is pronounced in Trinidad, is anticipated to open this fall on Brighton Road in Allegheny City Central across the street from the Zone One Police Station. Until then, though, you can grab their food at the Northside Farmers Market, held on Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m. in Allegheny Commons Park East. The entrance is at the intersection of Cedar Avenue and East Ohio Street.

ShadoBeni’s heat-and-serve meals are available for pre-order at www.shadobeni412.com. Selections vary by the week and include pelau, “the dish you find at every Trini family event,” according to owners Ulric Joseph and Jennie Canning on the ShadoBeni Facebook page. Pelau is made with rice, pigeon peas, and vegetables simmered in coconut milk.

“The color and flavor come from a distinctly Trini technique of burning sugar in the pot before cooking the rice,” the owners explain in a Facebook post. Other dishes include bhaji rice with sea moss gel, creole tempeh with calypso rice, and green banana salad.
For updates on where to find ShadoBeni pop-ups, visit https://www.facebook.com/shadobeni412 or follow @shadobeni412 on Instagram.