There are hundreds of restaurants and chefs throughout the Pittsburgh area, but few have such an interesting story as Chef Kimberley Ashlee. This female chef runs her own catering company, Kimberley Ashlee Catering, as well as manages her staff at Terrene, the Station Square restaurant. Throughout her time in Pittsburgh, she has curated special menus for charity events, opened a restaurant, launched a Kamayan dining experience, and so much more!
Terrene meaning, “From the Earth,” is the name of Chef Kimberley Ashlee’s restaurant. Terrene aims to deliver the best quality ingredients in each of its dishes. Their menu is ever-changing as Kimberley becomes inspired by new items, especially with the new seasons. This restaurant truly is a Chef Kimberley Ashlee experience as her passion and expertise are reflected in each new dish creation. As of recently, Terrene is serving the most delicious and easy lunch pick-up orders. With their new online ordering system, ordering a healthy and nourishing lunch has never been easier! We gave this new feature a try by placing an order for the butternut squash salad with chicken. This salad is no longer available as the spring has brought new items, but MY GOODNESS, this salad was top tier. The seasonings, produce, nuts, dressing, and other fix-ins combined to make the perfect lunch bite! Currently, there are 5 salads on the menu as well as a Build Your Own Salad. We personally can’t wait to get our hands on the Citrus Salad which is topped with colorful citrus fruits, sliced avocado, and a citrus vinaigrette — the perfect light lunch on a warm day! If you are looking for something a little more hearty, try one of Terrene’s sandwiches or flatbreads. They recently added a pulled pork “handheld” topped with bourbon barbecue braised pork, blue cheese, and crispy onions. Talk about mouthwatering!
We are getting ahead of ourselves by highlighting all of these lunch dishes when one of the meals Terrene does best is their All Day Breakfast! This menu includes build your own omelets, smoothies, avocado toast, and other breakfast classics. You don’t want to miss out on these items, because as they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Now open 9 am – 8 pm, there’s always a reason to stop by!
While Terrene is the current home to Chef Kimberley and her team, her Pittsburgh culinary journey began years ago with her food truck, Chop Shop Salad Shop! Originally launched with the concept of serving fresh chopped salads, Chop Shop Salad Shop has since rebranded and expanded to the Terrene Food Truck. Not only do they serve their delicious salads, but other Terrene favorites as well. This truck is available for special events, fundraisers, weddings, and corporate functions. Chef Kimberley will work with you to curate a menu that fits your guests’ dietary needs and your event budget! You can book the truck by contacting Terrene via email on their website.
If you want something more formal for your event, or maybe a food truck isn’t feasible for your space, think about utilizing Terrene as a venue or having your event catered. Luckily, as the owner of a restaurant and a catering company, Chef Kimberley Ashlee meets the needs of many sizes and styles of events. Check out the catering tab on Terrene’s website for more information on how she can help your vision become a reality!
Now, let’s talk Kamayan Dinner Launch. This one-of-a-kind dining experience is officially launching with an event at Terrene on April 19th. During this event, you will experience the collaboration between CASA manila, an authentic Filipino restaurant in Toronto, Canada, and Terrene. This collaboration is the perfect fit because Chef Kimberley’s childhood was filled with the flavors and cuisine of the Filipino culture. The Kamayan Dinner features several signature dishes from CASA manila’s menu and in true Kamayan style, is hand-to-mouth dining. Sounds crazy, right? No utensils, just eating using your hands. Chef Kimberley will walk you through some techniques that make it easier to consume items like the rice, so no worries if you’re unsure at first!
When we experienced the Kamayan Dinner firsthand, our favorites were the Lechon kawali and Adobo Chicken Skewers. Lechon kawali is a Filipino recipe consisting of deep-fried pork belly slabs, which makes it the perfect combo of tender, juicy pork belly, and crispy, crunchy coating. The addition of the garlic fried rice and fresh fruit to the Kamayan Dinner spread really gives the meal a lightness in contrast to all of the various meats. Ticket reservations to Chef Kimberley Ashlee’s Kamayan Dinner Launch are available by calling 412-855-1309, or by emailing hello@terrenepgh.com!
Whether you are looking for a chef to curate a special menu for your event, a unique dining experience, or a quick lunch bite, Chef Kimberley does it all. If there’s one thing you do this spring and summer, let it be experiencing her culinary masterpieces. She truly takes her expertise and passion and puts everything into her business. Kimberley Ashlee Catering and Terrene are both top-tier culinary experiences.
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.