Thank you all for making the 2017 tour and tasting event such a wild success! The weather was perfect and the comments throughout the event were extremely positive! I continue to get requests for the tapas recipes and compliments on the wine pairings. Look for these pairings and recipes on the Allegheny West website soon!
The tour was made extra special this year with the addition of Thaw Mansion and Emmanuel Episcopal Church. The history, lore and beauty of these two properties cannot be overstated and I know the guests really enjoyed learning more! I’m so grateful to the vicar and parishioners at Emmanuel for volunteering, and to the Carusos for their incredible efforts in their home and garden, so lovely. Thank you the Whitmers, Mitchell Schwartz and Elaine Stone, Rob Johnson, and of course John DeSantis for your willingness to open your wonderful homes. I cannot think of a better cross section of homes to demonstrate how wonderfully diverse the properties are in Allegheny West and to show what makes this neighborhood such a gem. I have to say, the homes are why we get tour-goers to visit the neighborhood, but it’s the homeowners who made it such a joy to live in the neighborhood. Thank you!
None of this would have been possible without the efforts of Mary Callison, Deb Kelly, Doug Debelak, Fran Barbush and Nonie Knaus, who collaboratively cooked the food, chose the wine, and are the reason guests are asking for the recipes! It was a ton of work, but executed perfectly! Gene Wilson and Doug Sprague, thank you for corralling the tour guides! Cathy Serventi is the “wizard behind the curtain,” making sure the machine is working: thank you. Trish and John Burton always go above and beyond and this year was no different. Thank you for a perfect ending by opening your home for the after party. The tour guides, you make our history come alive for the guests. (See you on the Christmas tour!) I really enjoyed working with you all. Please share with me any positive and constructive feedback to continue making the Allegheny West tours a ‘must do’ in Pittsburgh