Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe in Braddock is the kind of place where the food tastes like it was made with genuine love — because it truly was. Owner Cheryl Johnson has built more than just a restaurant; she has created a community gathering spot where scratch-made comfort food and warm hospitality go hand in hand. From her famous sweet potato pie to her one-of-a-kind turkey salad, every dish carries a story worth savoring.
Heart, Soul, and Scratch-Made Comfort Food at Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe in Braddock
There’s heart and soul in every dish at Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe — a tiny Braddock bistro with a big following.
Although most famous for its sweet potato pie, the eat-in/takeout/catering spot features an array of comfort foods served in a homey setting. “Customers are like family,” says owner Cheryl Johnson, a retired social worker who regards feeding folks as a way to nurture and build community.
“It’s more than a business. My Christian friends tell me it’s my ministry.”
The Story Behind Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe
Johnson’s affinity for cooking began during childhood visits to the kitchen of her grandmother — Otilia Ophelia MacNeil Richards, known to family and friends as Tiny.
“Just the smells” were amazing, recalls Johnson. “And it wasn’t only soul food. My grandmother worked for Jewish people, so I was raised on all kinds of food, including tongue. And this is Pittsburgh, so I learned to make stuffed cabbage.”
Johnson sold home-baked cookies door-to-door as a young mother and maintained a side gig in catering throughout her social services career. She launched her namesake restaurant in the Nyia Page Community Center in 2016 with a stash of Tiny’s recipes.
Word spread quickly.
Everything on Aunt Cheryl’s Menu is Made from Scratch
“People know our name and our quality,” Johnson says. “Everything is scratch-made, and we don’t cut corners. We use real butter and eggs and fresh yams for our pies.”
Also on the menu are loaded, hand-cut fries, mac and cheese, wings, fish-over-bun sandwiches, chicken and waffles, fruit cobblers and turkey salad — a customer favorite Johnson originally developed years ago for the wedding feast of her pastor’s daughter.
“It was a special request, and when I couldn’t find a recipe I liked in any cookbook, I came up with my own,” Johnson explains. “It was a hit.”
Johnson’s five children and 10 grandchildren have all worked in the cafe at various times, including her daughter, Precious Chambers, and Chambers’ 10-year-old son, David, a budding chef whose specialty at home is pancakes with whipped cream.
“Aunt Cheryl’s is a family thing,” Johnson says. “Everyone knows the business.”
Chambers has her mother’s entrepreneurial spirit, securing a spot at the Taste of the Draft charity event during the recent NFL Draft. Aunt Cheryl’s also has worked with Farm to Table Buy Local and other projects aimed at addressing food insecurity.
“When there’s a need in the community — when there’s a tragedy — we’re there,” says Johnson. “Our food is from the heart.”
Story by Deborah Weisberg
About the Photographer
Dave Bryce is TABLE Magazine’s contributing architecture, interiors, and food photographer, based in Pittsburgh. He photographed Fallingwater: Living With and In Art (Rizzoli, 2025) and regularly shoots for Pittsburgh Magazine and American Farmhouse Style, working with architects, interior designers, and hospitality brands. See more at davebrycephotography.com