East Liberty’s Waffle Shop will be filmed for an episode of “World’s Weirdest Restaurants”

East Liberty’s Waffle Shop will be filmed for an episode of “World’s Weirdest
Restaurants”

Pittsburgh, PA— This Friday June 10th, the Waffle Shop will be filmed for an episode of the Food Channel Canada’s “World’s Weirdest Restaurants” from 10pm - 3am. WWR’s host Bob Blumer will spend the evening cooking, serving, and participating in a packed night of interactive talk shows. The general public is encouraged to come by, dine, and take part.

The evening’s line up will feature local artist’s talk shows designed to instigate intrigue and spur interaction. In addition to waffle cuisine there will be a variety of live interactive shows including Dave English passing his torch as the host of “The Unemployment Show”, T. Foley performing a talk show hosted by a ventriloquist dummy who’s reticent to perform in public, Terry Boyd’s “Anonymous Costumed Guest Hour” as well as cameos from other local favorites.

Waffle Shop is a neighborhood restaurant that produces and broadcasts a livestreaming talk show with its customers and operates a changeable storytelling billboard on its roof. The shop is a public lab that brings together people from all walks of life to engage in dialogue and experimentation This public art project/restaurant has become a fixture in its East Liberty neighborhood and has started to garner national attention.

Inspired by the Seinfeld episode where Kramer rescues a Merv Griffin Show set from the trash and sets it up in his living room, Jon Rubin, a CMU School of Art professor of Contextual Practice, built a ’70s-style talk-show set aiming to “use waffles to lure people into public storytelling.” A dedicated host—ometimes one of Rubin’s students, sometimes a community member—sits at a desk on a raised stage and engages the diverse cafe clientele in impromptu and completely unpredictable conversations that range, as Rubin puts it, “from Lady Gaga to conspiracy theories to unemployment to ghosts.” The talkshow “episodes” are streamed live online, and the most compelling ones are archived at www.waffleshop.org

Produced by Vancouver-based Paperny Films, Inc. for Food Network Canada, "World's Weirdest Restaurants" showcases a wide variety of unique eating establishments around the world. There are many kinds of "weird" and culinary adventurer Bob Blumer (of the award-winning television series "Glutton for Punishment") is on a mission to explore the full range - whether it's an eclectic environment, an eccentric food focus, or a unique, high-concept theme restaurant. Part travel, part food, "World's Weirdest Restaurants" is Bob's tribute to fellow food lovers who have taken their passions to the extreme.

The Waffle Shop is supported by the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University, East Liberty Development Inc, We Do Property, and the sale of waffles.

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The Pittsburgh Art Blog features selected pittsburgh artists and upcoming exhibits with photos from the artists and galleries. since the major press outlets do not go beyond a directory listing of exhibits, blogs are needed to promote pittsburgh artists and their work. the blog also calls attention to the inferiority complex of pittsburgh art and how it's perpetuated by the major players in town. Started on August 20,2007. pittsburgh area galleries and art venues are listed at the sister site www.PghGalleries.com.

the blog and website are volunteer projects from fine art photographer and pittsburgh artist advocate rick byerly.