Pews and Brews

THE CHURCH BREW WORKS PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Inside a former Catholic church in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, you won’t find wine on the altar. Instead, you’ll find brewing tanks filled with Celestial Gold, a German-style pilsner, and Pious Monk Dunkel, a ruby-hued dark lager. Housed inside a deconsecrated church that opened its doors to worshippers around the turn of the 20th century, Pittsburgh’s The Church Brew Works has become a destination for craft brew fans. The building became available after various churches merged into a new parish. In 1996, owner Sean Casey bought it, filling the space with beer-making equipment and opening a kitchen. Food options include specialties like the Kobe Cheesesteak and Lobster Mac and Cheese. On a cool autumn day, order the seven-onion soup made with Pious Monk Dunkel, which has had a spot on the food menu since the day the place opened. 3525 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201, 412/688-8200, churchbrew.com —

Gracie Wilson

It’s easy to embrace the fall season in Findlay! Get active and take a scenic hike where you’ll be surrounded by the beauty of changing leaves. Indulge in pumpkin picking and fresh apple cider at local farms, or get lost in a corn maze for a dose of family fun. Stroll through the shops downtown and unwind with an autumn ale from a local brewery. There are endless ways to enjoy fall in Findlay! VisitFindlay.com

Foodie Find

Flavors of the world merge at Warda Patisserie on Midtown Detroit’s trendy Alexandrine Street.

is James Beard Award-winning destination is where Warda Bouguettaya, who grew up learning to cook in her mother’s Algerian kitchen, creates savories and sweets re ective of her travels in the Middle East, Asia and France.

Bouguettaya, who moved to Detroit in 2004, got her start selling Algerian desserts at Detroit’s venerable Eastern Market while dreaming of opening an Algerian restaurant. ose dreams changed a er studying at Restaurant-École Institut Paul Bocuse in Shanghai, founded by famed French chef Paul Bocuse. Embracing French pastry techniques and Asian and Algerian ingredients, along with what can be sourced locally, Bouguettaya creates winning combinations. In 2022, she won the James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef award, and Food & Wine named her one of the 10 Best New Chefs in America that same year.

Her stylish patisserie is lled with o erings such as makrouds, which Bouguettaya describes as a traditional Algerian and Tunisian pastry made using semolina our with such llings as orange blossom water, cinnamon and clovespiced date paste dipped in an orange blossom syrup; and Koh Lanta, a tropical tart made with pineapple, salted lime curd and coconut frangipane baked in a sweet dough.

Savories include her Persian torta — pu pastry stu ed with roasted sweet potatoes, baharat spices and goat cheese — quiches and gluten-free pastries.

If the weather is nice, enjoy your treats outside at the sidewalk cafe. To get a rst crack at the selection of what’s available on any given day, be sure to visit early. 70 W. Alexandrine St., Detroit, Michigan 48201, 313/262-6977, wardapatisserie-midtown.square.site

Jane Simon Ammeson