Chef Carleen King is known for her previous local restaurant, "Camri Soul Food." Although the business sadly closed a few months ago, Carleen has now started working at CKP as a culinary instructor, as well as continuing Carmi as a catering business.

We are also excited for her to be Guest Chef for the month of September. Carleen specializes in soul food and will be cooking up an upscale soul food menu for those who want to join us for the wonderful evening.

As with all Community Kitchen Pittsburgh Guest Chef Dinners, proceeds directly support our culinary jobs training program, creating pathways to employment and opportunity through food.

Come for the food. Stay for the community.

We hope you'll leave with a memorable meal, new connections, and the satisfaction of knowing your seat at the table helped strengthen our community.

This event will take place at our facility in Hazelwood on Thursday, September 17, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

• Multi-course dinner prepared by Chef Carleen King
• One complimentary beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)

First Course:

Creamy Chicken & Drop Dumpling Soup

Second Course:

Low Country Seafood Pasta Salad

Entree:

Gouda Grits with Blackened Salmon

Dessert:

Banana Dream Parfait

Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions that need to be considered.

A Pittsburgh native, Carleen King is a Chef Instructor here at CKP and Owner of Carmis Catering. She specializes in making soul food from cherished family recipes. 

After graduating from Point Park University with a master's in business administration, Carleen opened her catering business with her then-business partner. From that venture came the Love South Side restaurant Carmi. After many years of serving up meals to the community, Carmi’s has closed, but is still available for catering orders. 

Known for her traditional soul food menu and commitment to quality, Carleen has been featured in Pittsburgh Magazine, City Paper, and more. Today, as a chef instructor at CKP, she has been helping the next generation of culinary professionals learn the basics of cooking and how to thrive in the culinary world. 

Hosted in our commercial training kitchen, Community Kitchen Pittsburgh's Signature Guest Chef Dinner Series gives our culinary jobs training students the opportunity to work alongside some of Pittsburgh's most talented chefs. As they prepare and present each multi-course dinner, students gain valuable hands-on experience and learn new techniques from chefs who generously volunteer their time and talents.

As one of our social enterprises, proceeds from every Guest Chef Dinner directly support our mission, helping us provide no-cost culinary jobs training to adults facing barriers to employment.

When you purchase a ticket to a Guest Chef Dinner, you're doing more than enjoying an incredible meal. You're investing in opportunity, workforce development, and stronger communities, one seat at a time.

We'll be assigning seats prior to the event. If you would like to be seated with guests who have purchased their tickets separately, please email us with the name(s) of the guest(s) who purchased their ticket(s) and the number in their party.

Please email info@ckpgh.org with "September Guest Chef Seating" in the subject line.

This is a fixed menu. While we do our best to accommodate food allergies, menu substitutions may not be possible. Please note that our kitchen is not a nut-free facility.

If you have food allergies and would still like to attend, please contact us at info@ckpgh.org with "September Guest Chef Dinner Allergy Inquiry" in the subject line before purchasing tickets so we can confirm whether we can safely accommodate your needs.