“There’s a detective novel that I like called ‘The Last Good Kiss’ and in there, there’s a character — I think in a bar — who says ‘eh, it doesn’t matter where you live anymore, everywhere’s the same.’
I think my whole career is trying to disprove that. You know? Because it does matter. And basically, what makes it different are small, family owned businesses. That’s what makes a place special.
Every place can’t have an Applebee’s — and people who travel and go to those places, they’re out of their mind! Even here in Western Pennsylvania, you shouldn’t be going to those places— you should be going to the places that make this area unique.
And so, even when we travel, that’s our rule. In 30 years of making TV programs, I know of only once that we went to McDonald’s, and it was because we were taking a cameraman to the airport and he had been working hard all day and desperately wanted something to eat, and in rural Tennessee, that was the only choice. You have to support the small, family-owned businesses that bring a community to life.”
(Beloved Pittsburgh documentarian Rick Sebak shares his thoughts on what makes a community special after delighting fans during a “celebrity cheese cutting” event at Don’s Deli in Beaver).