105 Mike Godlewski of EYV Restaurant

What happens when a chef builds an entire menu where vegetables are the main event, and then commits to it night after night, season after season? Chef-owner Mike Godlewski joins us from EYV Restaurant (Eat Your Veggies) to explain how vegetables become the star of the plate through classical technique, fearless creativity, and a clear point of view he calls “the steakhouse of vegetables.”Mike breaks down the thinking behind dishes like his cabbage pastrami, plus the practical realities of cooking hyper-seasonal produce in Pittsburgh when ramps are fleeting, rhubarb arrives late, and winter means brassicas are what nature gives you. We get into local sourcing with farms and collectives like Three Rivers Grown, and why EYV chose an all-electric induction line for efficiency, precision, and keeping a small open kitchen comfortable.We learn how a menu can stay fresh without becoming chaos, why EYV leans on a three-course prix fixe in the dining room, and how the open-kitchen chef’s counter turns service into something closer to a dinner party. If you care about farm-to-table dining, vegetable-forward cooking, or the behind-the-scenes craft of running a small restaurant, this conversation will leave you hungry and smarter. Subscribe, share this with a Pittsburgh food lover, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Support the show