Conflict Kitchen is a take-out restaurant that only serves cuisine from countries with which the United States is in conflict. The food is served out of a take-out style storefront, which rotates identities every 6 months to highlight another country. Each Conflict Kitchen iteration is augmented by events, performances, and discussion about the culture, politics and issues at stake with each country on which we focus. We are currently presenting the third iteration of Conflict Kitchen via Kubideh Kitchen, an Iranian take-out restaurant that serves homemade kubideh in freshly baked barbari bread with onion, mint, and basil. Developed in collaboration with members of the Iranian community, our kubideh comes packaged in a custom-designed wrapper that includes interviews with Iranians both in Iran and the United States on subjects ranging from food and culture to issues of geopolitics.

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Conflict Kitchen is a take-out restaurant that only serves cuisine from countries with which the United States is in conflict.

Conflict Kitchen is a take-out restaurant that only serves cuisine from countries with which the United States is in conflict. The food is served out of a take-out-style storefront that rotates identities every six months to highlight another country.  Each iteration of the project is augmented by events, performances, and discussions that seek to expand the engagement the public has with the culture, politics, and issues at stake within the focus country. These events have included live international Skype dinner parties between citizens of Pittsburgh and young professionals in Tehran, Iran; documentary filmmakers in Kabul, Afghanistan; and community radio activists in Caracas, Venezuela.

Our current Iranian version introduces our customers to the food, culture, and thoughts of people living in Iran during a time of increased calls for military intervention by the U.S.. Developed in collaboration with members of the Iranian community, our food comes packaged in custom-designed wrappers that include interviews with Iranians both in Iran and the United States on subjects ranging from street food and popular culture to the current political turmoil. These interview-based wrappers are produced for each iteration of the restaurant. As is to be expected, the thoughts and opinions that come through the interviews are often contradictory and complicated by personal perspective and history. These natural contradictions reflect a nuanced range of thought within each country and serves to instigate questioning, conversation, and debate with our customers.

Operating seven days a week in the middle of the city, Conflict Kitchen reformats the preexisting social relations of food and economic exchange to engage the general public in discussions about countries, cultures, and people that they might know little about outside of the polarizing rhetoric of U.S. politics and the narrow lens of media headlines. In addition, the restaurant creates a constantly changing site for ethnic diversity in the post-industrial city of Pittsburgh, as it has presented the only Iranian, Afghan, and Venezuelan restaurants the city has ever seen. Upcoming iterations will include Cuba and North Korea.

Conflict Kitchen is a project by Jon Rubin and Dawn Weleski and is funded by the Sprout Fund, The Waffle Shop, The Benter Foundation, the Center for the Arts in Society, The Studio for Creative Inquiry, and the sale of food. Graphic design by Brett Yasko. Architectural design by Pablo Garcia of POiNT.

Special thanks to Illah Nourbakhsh, Sohrab Kashani, Marti Louw, Najibah Tursonzadah, Mohammed Sidky, Lourdes Hann, and all of those from the Iranian, Afghan, and Venezuelan communities who supplied us with their advice and perspectives.

For questions about Conflict Kitchen feel free to CONTACT US
Press Inquiries can call Jon Rubin @ 510-912-2221
Conflict Kitchen is located at 124 s. Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

CONFLICT KITCHEN is open from 11:30am to 2:30pm 7 days a week.

HOURS / DIRECTIONS / CONTACT US / PRESS INQUIRIES

HOURS: CONFLICT KITCHEN is open from 11:30am to 2:30pm, 7 days a week.

LOCATION: 124 S. Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

PRESS INQUIRES: call Jon Rubin @ 510-912-2221

CONTACT: For questions about Conflict Kitchen feel free to CONTACT US

Conflict Kitchen Weekly Billboard

We will be using the billboard space above our kitchen for the month of April to present quotes and information from members of the Iranian community here locally and in Iran.

Live Skype Meal between Pittsburgh and Tehran on April 28th

When: Saturday, April 28th, noon Pittsburgh, USA, 8:30pm Tehran, IRAN
Where: The Blue Room of the Shadow Lounge, 5972 Baum Boulevard, adjacent to Kubideh Kitchen and the Waffle Shop, Pittsburgh/ Sazmanab Project, Tehran

The Conflict Kitchen and Sazmanab Project will hold the second annual live city to city dinner party. The meal, held simultaneously in Pittsburgh and Tehran, invites diners in both cities to sit around long tables that are joined via webcam to create an international dinner party. Each city will prepare the same Persian recipes and share food and conversation throughout the event.

If you are interested in attending RSVP to CONTACT US by Tuesday, April 24. Cost to attend the event is $5.
Reservations will be on a first come, first serve basis, as there is very limited seating.

(This event will be filmed by Al Jazeera for distribution on Arabic language channels.)


Iranian Version of Conflict Kitchen Open Again

Given the recent rhetoric in the United States surrounding Iran, we have decided to reopened our Iranian version.  Come down, have some kubideh (or our vegetarian kookoo sabzi), unpack the news of the day, and get introduced to some of the thoughts and opinions of people living in Iran.  Kubideh Kitchen is developed in collaboration with members of the Iranian community. Your kubideh sandwich comes packaged in a custom-designed wrapper that includes interviews with Iranians both in Iran and Pittsburgh on subjects ranging from food and poetry to the current political turmoil. We will be holding several public dinners with members of the local Iranian community. Please send us your email if you are interested in being on our mailing list and receiving announcements about the dinners and other events (email us at info@conflictkitchen.org).

We are open 7 days a week 11:30am-2:30pm.

Look for our upcoming Cuban version in late spring.

3rd Iteration: La Cocina Arepas

Our Venezuelan takeout kitchen, called La Cocina Arepas serves homemade arepas, which are grilled corn cakes filled with either Queso (cheese), Reina Pepiada (chicken and avocado salad), or Caraotas (Venezuelan black bean mixture). a variety of ingredients. Arepas are common to restaurants and kitchens throughout Venezuela and Colombia. A recipe will be posted shortly. Here is a download of our recipes that we developed with our Venezuelan collaborators  in Pittsburgh and Venezuela:  Arepa Recipe PDF

La Cocina Arepas Interview Wrapper

Special thanks to Dr. Roger Solano, Robert Solano, Isreal Centeno, Lourdes Hann, Tamara Pearson, and all of those from the Venezuelan community who supplied us with their opinions and perceptions.

Wrapper Interviews PDF

Wrapper Front PDF

2nd Iteration: Bolani Pazi, Afghan Takeout

We are currently presenting the second iteration of Conflict Kitchen via Bolani Pazi, an Afghan take-out restaurant that serves a savory homemade afghan turnover filled with either  pumpkin, spinach, lentils, or potatoes and leeks. Developed in collaboration with members of the Afghan community, our bolani comes packaged in a custom-designed wrapper that includes interviews with Afghans both in Afghanistan and the United States on subjects ranging from Afghan food and culture to the current geopolitical turmoil.

Bolani Pazi will be augmented by events, performances, and discussions about the the culture, politics, and issues at stake within Afghanistan. Bolani Recipe PDF Download

Live Skype Exchange and Screening with Filmmakers in Afghanistan

Saturday, January 29
10:30am-12:30pm
Shadow Lounge and The Waffle Shop 124.South Highland Ave.
Free and open to the public

Filmmaker and educator Michael Sheridan presented a screening of selected documentary shorts by a group of filmmakers he has been working with in Afghanistan. The participating Afghan filmmakers Skyped in for a live question and answer session after the screening.

Michael Sheridan is the director of Community Supported Film (CSFilm) which strengthens the documentary storytelling capacity in countries where the dissemination of objective and accurate information is essential to stabilization and development.  CSFilm trains local men and women in video-journalism and documentary filmmaking so that they can tell stories rooted in their reality to better influence local and international views on sustainable paths to a more peaceful and equitable world.

Conflict Kitchen’s Bolani Pazi will be served spinach, potato and leek, red lentil, and pumpkin bolani, as well as green and black tea. One of the featured Afghan videos looked at the process of making bolani in commercial restaurants and by street vendors in Kabul.

For more information on CSFilm please visit: http://sheridanworks.com/blog

Presentation in Switzerland with Sohrab Kashani and Hamed Alizadeh

We presented the Conflict Kitchen project this summer at the Festival Belluard Bollwerk International, Friboug, Switzerland with our friends Iranian artist/curator Sohrab Kashani, director of Sazmanab Project, and Afghan filmmaker Hamed Alizideh, a member of Kabul-based CSFilms. We each presented the conditions that gave rise to our work locally and what we have done together to create a conversation globally.  A three part Pittsburgh/Terhan/Kabul meal was served.

School Visits Conflict Kitchen

Conflict Kitchen played host to almost seventy students and teachers from Pittsburgh’s Ellis School on Wednesday, December 8. Conflict Kitchen co-creator Dawn Weleski presented the project and bolani filled with spinach, potato and leeks, and red lentils were served to the guests. Afghan-American Mohammed Sidky fielded great questions from the students about Afghanistan on topics ranging from the role of women in Afghan culture to the sort of government that Afghans might want to have in their country. Iranian-Americans Akram Karmani and Amir Moghimi presented information on life in Iran and discussed the role of Iranian universities in their culture.

Thanks to the Ellis School students who provided such a lively and intelligent discussion about the culture and politics in both Iran and Afghanistan. Special thanks for Mohammed Sidky, Akram Karmani, Amir Moghimi, Michelle Rust, and the Shadow Lounge.

School groups who are interested in scheduling a presentation and discussion with Conflict Kitchen should contact Dawn Weleski

Bolani Pazi Food Wrapper

Graphic design by Brett Yasko. The text on this wrapper is culled from interviews with Afghans both in the United States and Afghanistan.

Bolani Pazi wrapper PDF

1st Iteration: Kubideh Kitchen Iranian Take-Out

Kubideh Kitchen, the first iteration of Conflict Kitchen, was an Iranian take-out restaurant that served kubideh in freshly baked barbari bread with onion, mint, and basil. Developed in collaboration with members of the Pittsburgh Iranian community, the sandwich is packaged in a custom-designed wrapper that includes interviews with Iranians both in Pittsburgh and Iran on subjects ranging from Iranian food and poetry to the current political turmoil. Kubideh Recipe PDF Download

Pittsburgh’s First Ever Persian Cultural Festival

WHERE: Waffle Shop (next to Conflict Kitchen) & AVA Lounge 124 and 126 S. Highland Ave. Pittsburgh, PA
WHEN: Saturday, October 2nd, from 6pm to Midnight.

SCHEDULE:

6:00-7:00pm: Movie screening
- Persian-style brewed Tea and snacks served
7:00-8:30pm: Dinner
- A menu consisting of fabulous Persian dishes and kubideh from the Kubideh Kitchen
8:00-9:00pm: Traditional Music
9:00-9:30pm: Cooking show
9:30pm-12:00am: Dance to the Persian beats!
11:00-1:00a: Iranian-Americans host the Waffle Shop talk show

$5.00 Students/$10.00 General Public (you may pay at the door)
Sponsored by: Persian Panthers, Carnegie Mellon Persian Student Organization, Pitt’s Graduate and Professional Students Assembly (GPSA), The Sprout Fund, and Conflict Kitchen.

Live Skype Meal Between Pittsburgh and Tehran

When: Saturday, June 5, 10:00am Pittsburgh, USA 6:30pm Tehran, IRAN
Where: The Waffle Shop, Pittsburgh/ Sazmanab Project, Tehran

The Conflict Kitchen held its first public event, a meal held simultaneously in Pittsburgh and Tehran, where diners in both cities sat around long tables that were joined via webcam: an international dinner party. Each city prepared the same exact recipes and shared food and conversation. The event was free and open to the public.

The joint menu included:

- Tah Dig with Yogurt and Saffron, “bottom of the pot rice”
- Khoresht Fesenjan, chicken stew with pomegranate and walnuts
- Kebab-e Barg, lamb kebabs
- Khoresht Ghormeh Sabzi, beef stew with greens and dried lime
- Barbari Bread, freshly baked with black sesame seeds
- Doogh, a yogurt and mint drink

Facade Design

Graphic design by Brett Yasko. Architectural design by Pablo Garcia/POiNT.

The Tehran/Pittsburgh YouTube Mix.


When: 11.30a, Saturday, July 10

Conflict Kitchen (Pittsburgh) and Sazmanab Project (Tehran) presented a live screening of videos curated directly from Youtube posts shot both in Tehran and Pittsburgh.  This back and forth format utilized the vast and idiosyncratic resources of YouTube to present first-person video accounts that reflect on the daily life of each city. The forty-minute screening was followed by a live Skype conversation between attendees in Pittsburgh and Tehran. Waffles and our homemade kubideh sandwiches were available for purchase.

This event was originally developed by Sohrab Kashani and Jon Rubin for Red76 and “The YouTube School for Social Politics”.

Kubideh Kitchen Food Wrapper

Graphic design by Brett Yasko. The text on this wrapper is culled from interviews with Iranians both in Pittsburgh and Iran. Download Kubiedeh Kitchen wrapper PDF.

Our Homemade Kubideh Dish w/Recipe

Kubideh Recipe PDF Download

Graphic design by Brett Yasko

Conflict Kitchen Events Will be Held at The Waffle Shop

Public events, performances, and discussions about Iranian culture and conflict will be held at The Waffle Shop, 124 S. Highland Avenue, adjacent to Conflict Kitchen. Conflict Kitchen operates out of the Waffle Shop’s kitchen door and is an extension of the Waffle Shop’s unique programming. Each Conflict Kitchen iteration will be augmented by events, talks, and discussion groups about the culture, politics, and issues at stake with each county we focus on.

The Waffle Shop is a neighborhood restaurant that produces and broadcasts a live-streaming talk show with its customers, operates a changeable storytelling billboard on its roof, and runs a take-out window that sells food from countries engaged in conflict with the U.S. The shop is a public lab that brings together people from all walks of life to engage in dialogue, experimentation and the co-production of culture. The project functions as a classroom for students from Carnegie Mellon University, an eatery, a TV production studio, a social catalyst, and a business. Our customers are our funders, audience, and participants as we film during open hours, inviting interested patrons to express their unique opinions and personalities.