Piada Spotlight | Robin Stoner

Meet Chef Robin Stoner. Naturally radiating kindness and joy wherever she goes, Robin has never met a stranger. A Pittsburgh native through and through, the love she has for the people in her community and beyond is electric! An avid baker, generous friend, lifelong learner and caring leader at Piada Oakland, we’re thrilled to introduce Robin.

“I really like the way you can bond with people over food. I have the opportunity to turn someone's day from a really bad one to a really good one just by giving them a great experience here at Piada.”

Serving Guests and creating community through genuine hospitality both inside and outside the restaurant is Robin’s biggest motivator.

“I've never had this experience with another job before where it's been so easy to build genuine friendships with my co-workers and my Guests. I really like that about Piada and I know it’s specific to our company because I did not have this experience at other places I’ve worked.”

Robin’s Piada journey first began in 2018 after she transferred to University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus to study Statistics. She quickly became a regular at Piada, finding herself enjoying a convenient + comforting meal in between classes and study sessions multiple times per week. On a whim, she applied for a team member position and has been an integral part of our Oakland restaurant ever since.

“I always say, ‘everything happens for a reason.’ After transferring to UPitt Oakland, I realized I had to change my major. At that point in time I was really depressed. I felt so lost and asked myself, ‘How am I going to get back on track with my plan?’ I believe that God has a plan for everybody's life and it’s clear that He meant for me to come to Oakland and to apply at Piada so I could realize the potential that I had in being able to lead a team.”

Since joining Team Piada, Robin has been promoted twice and has no plans of slowing down. She credits her approach to learning as the biggest key to success.

“I know that no matter how long I work here at Piada, I'm not going to know everything. There's always going to be new skills to learn and that's what I want to do. I want to learn as much as I can because that translates to all other parts of your life.”

With three new restaurant locations planned to open in Pittsburgh later this year, Robin is looking forward to taking what she has learned in her career and sharing her expertise with new Piada team members.

“We just celebrated our 10 year anniversary in 2020 so 10 years from now, on our 20 year anniversary, I’ll be able to look back and say, ‘I started working for this company when I was 21 years old and now look at how far it's come’. That's what I'm really excited for is to be able to say I was part of something in its growth period.”

When she’s not cheffin’ it up at Piada, you can find Robin at home in her own kitchen, baking her grandmother’s recipes for friends and family. Homemade Baklava is one of her favorite recipes and a long-standing tradition for Robin’s family during the holidays.

Robin also loves hanging out with friends at new restaurants and bars in Pittsburgh, crocheting and listening to True Crime.

“There's a really good community here in Pittsburgh. I'll be walking down the street and it's not one of those places where people ignore you and look the other way. People here smile, say hi and are very welcoming, which is nice because I'm a social butterfly, so I like to be in places where people want to socialize with me.”

When asked what Guests can get at Piada that they can’t get anywhere else in Pittsburgh, Robin says:
“Friends for life. We have a community that stretches beyond the average server / guest relationship. And you also get people that know how to make fun combinations with their food!”

If you’re looking for a career with huge growth potential, head to careers.mypiada.com.