Stop in to Con Alma on any given Saturday night and you can hear rhythmic jazz, drink spirited libations, and eat flavorful fusion cuisine.

Hurricane Sandy. Merril Hoge. Chicken and barley soup. Instagram. What do all of these seemingly random things have in common? Believe it or not, they have all played a role in Chef James Henry’s journey to becoming a decorated and visibly passionate chef and make for an origin story that, in his own words, “is so funny.”

Famed horror author Stephen King once wrote “Sooner or later, everything old is new again.” While this is seen in the reemergence of retro items like typewriters and bell bottom jeans, to The Speckled Egg’s chef de cuisine, Sarah Baugher, this is especially true for recipes and culinary techniques.

Behind the doors of the Renaissance Hotel on Sixth Street is a restaurant that celebrates bourbon and the history that surrounds Pittsburgh. Walking into the hotel you are welcomed by a lively atmosphere that features high-quality dishes that range from unique features to American classics.

One of the first things that Chef Peter Henry said to me while showing me Cafe Momentum’s indoor edible flower garden, a baseball cap reading “create change” perched upon his head, was “I don’t like to waste.”

At City of Asylum on the North Shore, artistry is everywhere from the exiled artists’ art they promote to the books lining their shelves to the dishes at 40 North, the adjoining restaurant. As an artist herself, Chef Beth Zozula is the mastermind behind the creative fusion dishes at 40 North.