You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone (as Joni Mitchell sang).
Many beloved foods once enjoyed throughout the Pittsburgh region are no longer available. They’re missed and still talked about. But some live on in new iterations — or DIY versions.
We spoke to some Southwestern Pennsylvanians about the flashback foods and treats that are lodged in their memories.
Where Isaly’s used to be
Chuck Blackburn longs for the days of homemade meals and ice cream treats from Isaly’s.
“I sometimes ate three meals a day over there,” recalled Blackburn. A retired pharmacist from Tarentum, he is founder of Blackburn’s Pharmacy — located across the street from the long-closed, empty Isaly’s building on Corbet Street that he once patronized.
The Isaly’s chain put chipped chopped ham, Klondike bars and Skyscraper ice cream cones on the menu — and the food map regionally — establishing itself as a Pittsburgh food legend for decades.
Blackburn, 87, misses his favorite soup — homemade clam chowder made every Friday.
He said he misses the culinary camaraderie surrounding Isaly’s.
“It was just down-home cookin’ and the owner just had a knack for people, food they liked. And the Isaly’s ice cream confections were extremely popular,” Blackburn said.
The prime of Isaly’s ran from the 1940s through the 1970s with almost 400 stores across Pennsylvania. The Tarentum location closed in 1987.
“I was sad when they closed here in Tarentum. Everyone was,” Blackburn said.
The fading Isaly’s wording on the building’s exterior is all that remains, a reminder to Blackburn when he gazes across the street from his pharmacy.
“I wish somebody would paint that sign properly. It’s a real reminder of the heyday of Tarentum,” he said.
Many iconic foods available in the Pittsburgh region are now just memories. But Isaly’s is poised to make a comeback: A new Isaly’s deli and ice cream parlor is set to open this year in the heart of the Strip District.
Co-owners Jim and Leslee Conroy, a husband and wife team, have owned Isaly’s LLC since 2015.
“We want to stay as close to the original Isaly’s footprint as possible and honor the tradition of the family recipes,” Conroy said. “There are so many memories people have of Isaly’s and we want to create more memories.”
The new Isaly’s shop is scheduled to open this summer at 2111 Penn Ave.
“It will be a modern-day Isaly’s store offering all the classics that people love. It will truly be a taste of history,” Conroy said.
“As a kid growing up in Blawnox in the 1960s, I have fond memories of going to the Isaly’s store that was located in the Fox Chapel Plaza,” Conroy said.
The timeless Tic Toc Restaurant
Lifelong Pittsburgher Nina Mulé Lyons can thank her late mother for giving her distinctive dining memories at Kaufmann’s in Downtown Pittsburgh.
She remember her mother, Josephine Mulé, announcing impending lunches with: “ ‘I’m taking you to the Tic Toc.’ It was so exciting for a kid.”
Lyons recalls the art deco interior with modern, clean lines located inside the department store. She recalled donning her dressiest dress to dine out.
First located on the ground floor behind the men’s department, the Tic Toc restaurant opened in 1955. The name was a nod to the Kaufmann’s clock at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Smithfield, a meeting place and landmark.
“Having those finger sandwiches — similar to a high tea — I thought I was so fancy,” Lyons said. “It was a rite of passage to dine there.”
Lyons returned to lunch at the Tic Toc during the 1990s when she had jury duty at county courthouse down the street.
“I can’t recall what I ordered, but it felt great to be there again. It was a big memory for me. It was after my mother had passed away,” Lyons said.
The Kaufmann’s became a Macy’s in 2005 and the Tic Toc Restaurant remained. It closed in 2015 when Macy’s shut down that location.
Another meal Lyons wishes she could eat again was served at the popular chain of highway restaurants across America.
Lyons’ childhood birthday tradition was celebrating and dining at the former Howard Johnson’s along McKnight Road.
“My favorite dish was the Tom Turkey, a special plate for kids with stuffing, corn and stuffing. But when I grew up, we would get the fried clams,” said Lyons, a retired director of student life at Community College of Allegheny County. “To this day I miss them. Nobody has them that good.”
During the late 1980s, Lyons made a special drive to Oakland to feast on fried clams at the Howard Johnson’s on Halket Street, long since closed.
She’s still clamoring for clams.
“It was a special trip to go there. Anything for a fried clam,” she said. “I’ve gone on websites and there are other people out there who want the clams. They should’ve put out frozen clams or something.”
Making Pittsburgh favorites in foreign territory
Sharon Herbster grew up in an Italian family in Washington Township.
After 73 years of enjoying Pittsburgh-classic foods like chipped ham, Lenten fish fries, and kielbasi and sauerkraut, Sharon and her husband, Russ, have found themselves in a bit of a food desert — North Carolina.
They moved to King, N.C., five years ago.
“Chipped ham does not exist here,” lamented Herbster. “We tried to buy it when we moved here and they just stared at me. I tried to explain it. It didn’t work.”
The Herbsters, married 58 years, found that settling into a Southern lifestyle has forced them to get creative with ways to enjoy their fave Western Pennsylvania foods.
“I have to make my own Italian wedding soup, chipped ham and all of the foods we loved from Pittsburgh,” she said.
And getting fish on a dish during Lent has been problematic for the Catholic couple.
“We searched and searched for a church, fire hall or organization that does these, but only found one,” she said. “We finally found one Catholic church but they only offer three fish fry events during Lent.” (North Carolina, like many Southern states, has a Catholic population of around 10%, compared to Pennsylvania’s roughly 25%.)
The couple, who met at Duquesne University, both remembered enjoying Tom Tucker Mint Ginger Ale on special occasions.
Tom Tucker was a staple soft drink in Western Pennsylvania. As documented by the Heinz History Center, the Southern-style mint-flavored ginger ale debuted during the 1920s and was manufactured at Keystone Bottling and Supply.
“It had a greenish tint to it, instead of the amber color of ginger ale,” said Russ.
Sharon takes a DIY approach to duplicating the chipped ham made famous by Isaly’s. She uses shaved ham and makes her own barbeque sauce for sandwiches.
“I’m lucky,” said Russ, “because Sharon makes Pittsburgh food like sauerkraut and kielbasi, and I love her wedding soup and lasagna.”
Charles Chips forever
Sandy Spagnola of Leechburg had a crunchy childhood snack that she’s still missing: Charles Chips.
“We called them Charlie Chips. My grandma always had them when we visited,” said Spagnola.
The chips were made famous by home delivery nationwide. The original Charles Chips factory was in the Pennsylvania town of Mountville in Lancaster County.
Spagnola said sharing the chips with her mother and grandmother made for special girl-time memories.
“They were light, crispy and not greasy,” Spagnola said.
Though the days of a Charles Chips delivery driver showing up at your door is long gone (that ended during the 1980s), you can still get your chip fix by ordering a distinctive can of Charles Chips online for $39, plus shipping.
“I’ve considered ordering some but I don’t need that many chips tempting me everyday,” Spagnola added.
The Turkey Devonshire
Attorney John Ferreira of Fox Chapel, 67, moved from Massachusetts to Pittsburgh during the 1980s. He quickly found what would become his favorite sandwich: the Turkey Devonshire.
It became his go-to meal after a fellow attorney recommended the hearty sandwich at the Smithfield Cafe in Downtown, which operated for 80 years before closing in 2012.
The Devonshire is a hot, open-faced sandwich created by noted chef Frank Blandi during the 1930s. Blandi’s sandwich debuted at the Stratford, a club in Shadyside, and was named after Devonshire Street, which was one block away.
“It was turkey, bacon, a cheese sauce, broiled and on top of good piece of bread,” Ferreira said. “It’s been many, many years since I’ve had one.”
Fans of the sandwich, however, can take a trip down memory lane by heading to South Craig Street in Oakland and visiting the Union Grill. Chef Victor Tome has created a Turkey Devonshire so true to the original that it’s been featured on the Food Network’s “Taste of America” and “Delicious Destinations with Andrew Zimmern” on the Travel Channel.
“Today, we are recognized as the Pittsburgh restaurant that is most faithfully carrying on the tradition of the Turkey Devonshire,” the restaurant says on its website. It’s one of the top-selling items at Union Grill, an Oakland institution founded in 1994.
