Wiz Khalifa And His Mom Explain The Pittsburgh Food Tradition The Rest Of Us Are Missing
It’s been over 15 years now since Wiz Khalifa made Kush & OJ an aspirational lifestyle that we all could achieve just by matching his mellow chill energy on the regular. A decade and a half later, Wiz is still that guy, but also an established Dad, an entrepreneur on a health food and Muay-Thai training regimen and that super cool dude you still would be honored to join the cipher with.
We caught up with Wiz and his Mom Peachie during his partnership with Lawry’s to connect on his grilling skills, his favorite dishes Mom made growing up, and what he’s eating and snacking on in 2026. We also covered what’s on his rider, tourbus, why Pittsburgh is known for putting french fries on everything, plus the food highlights growing up at his now-famous school, Taylor Allderdice.
Foodbeast: What do you keep on your rider when it comes to snacks and drinks?
Wiz Khalifa: Really, all the snacks and drinks are for other people. I have a chef and eat my own meals, but my rider has the kind of snacks you’d find at a corner store because I have a lot of company.
When I’m on tour, I want people to feel comfortable. If they’re smoking and get stoned, you’ve got to have something for them to reach for. There’s a bunch of shit: cookies, cakes, chips, donuts—all the stuff stoners like.
Peachie: Don’t forget the gummy bears.
Wiz Khalifa: The gummy bears.
Peachie: I require gummies.
Foodbeast: Is it the same when you’re in the studio, or are there certain foods you need around when you’re writing?
Wiz Khalifa: I eat a lot of fruit in the studio: grapes, strawberries, pineapple, all that stuff. That’s pretty much all I eat. I don’t really eat too many other fruits besides the ones I just named.
Foodbeast: When you’re traveling by plane or tour bus, are there certain drinks or snacks you have to keep on board?
Wiz Khalifa: Water. I usually drink a flat of water.
Foodbeast: When you arrive at a hotel or destination, are you getting into the minibar or picking up snacks from a local market?
Wiz Khalifa: I don’t even leave the bus. I don’t go to the hotel room. I have a chef, so I get meal preps and everything prepared for me on a day off. That’s how I stay consistent and keep my diet clean.
Foodbeast: Now that you’re training in Muay Thai, has your diet changed? What kinds of meals does your chef prepare for you each week?
Wiz Khalifa: Nah, my diet hasn’t changed at all. I eat a lot of chicken and rice. I cut out red meat. I don’t eat fast food, and I don’t really snack.
I might have a donut here or there, but I drink a lot of protein shakes, eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly, and eat a lot of fruit.
Foodbeast: Do you still get the munchies?
Wiz Khalifa: I definitely get the munchies. That’s when the donuts happen.
Foodbeast: What’s your number one donut?
Wiz Khalifa: I’m OG. A glazed donut, or the pancake joint with just a little sugar sprinkled on top.
Nothing too sugary. I don’t like all the icing and shit, but if I do get icing, I’m going chocolate. I’m super classic. What a cop would eat.
Foodbeast: What’s something popular right now that you think sounds nasty?
Wiz Khalifa: I want to try those Kool-Aid pineapples. Kool-Aid pickles? I would try that. I fuck with pickles.
I don’t eat tomatoes or cucumbers, though. Those never really agreed with me.
Foodbeast: This question is for both of you. Turkey spaghetti was one of your favorite dishes growing up. What are some of the other best things Mom makes, and do you still crave them?
Wiz Khalifa: Mommy, you already know. It’s the chicken pot pot and the Pittsburgh salad.
Peachie: And don’t forget my chicken piccata, baby, because you like that.
Foodbeast: Peachie, can you break down a Pittsburgh salad for anyone who isn’t from Pittsburgh?
Peachie: A Pittsburgh salad starts with salad greens and French fries underneath. The greens go on top, then you add vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and maybe a boiled egg. Then you add your protein. We like fried chicken, don’t we, baby?
Wiz Khalifa: Yeah, you do chicken strips. Then you cover it in ranch dressing and hot sauce.
Foodbeast: What’s behind Pittsburgh’s obsession with putting fries on everything?
Wiz Khalifa: Fat shit. I think it’s especially because a lot of truckers come through here, so they just combine everything, smash it onto a sandwich, and eat that shit.
Peachie: That was the tradition growing up back in the day. It also comes from Pittsburgh’s Slovak influence.
Wiz Khalifa: They put coleslaw on shit.
Peachie: Yeah. It’s very Slovak and Polish. We’re big on pierogies in Pittsburgh. Potatoes on everything. Potatoes with everything. I ain’t never met a potato I didn’t like.
Foodbeast: What was popular at lunch when you attended Taylor Allderdice High School?
Wiz Khalifa: If you had enough money, you could go to the DECA store and get your own pizza, pretzels, or a big juice. You were balling if you could do that. You had girls if you could do that.
But with school lunch, we used to tweak over the tacos because we’d break them down and make taco salads. Whenever they served tacos, we’d crush the hard shells into a bowl, then add the lettuce, meat, ranch dressing, and fucking hot sauce. That’s what we used to tweak over.
Foodbeast: Did your family grill much when you were growing up? What’s your history with grilling?
Wiz Khalifa: We didn’t really grill too much. It wasn’t a tradition for us like it was for everybody else.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started experimenting with it. It’s just a grown-ass-man thing to break open the grill and learn how to cook some shit. It’s definitely been a goal of mine to learn different techniques, seasonings, and all of that.
But it wasn’t a tradition coming up. My mom cooked everything in general. We had family-style dinners with big-ass portions for everybody. During the holidays, we’d go to my Nini’s house for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and everybody would bring a dish. That’s more of the vibe I was raised on.
Foodbeast: Have you gotten more into grilling since becoming a dad and getting older?
Wiz Khalifa: A little bit, but not as much as I want to. When I fully dive in, I’m going to be the grill master. You guys are going to see grill content. You’re really going to know.
For now, I’m just trying my hand at it until I get better.
Foodbeast: We heard garlic salt is one of your favorite Lawry’s products. What do you like putting it on?
Wiz Khalifa: Garlic salt goes well with anything. I like a little hint or pinch of garlic with everything.
You can put it on bread or eggs. I don’t really eat red meat anymore, but if you season meat with garlic salt, it tastes really good too. It brings out the flavor without overdoing it.
Foodbeast: Do you have any food or beverage products planned for the future?
Wiz Khalifa: We have a beverage coming out. It’s THC and orange juice—a Kush and orange juice drink.
I tried the sample yesterday, and it’s really, really good. We’re working on the packaging right now, and I can see it becoming something that takes off in the near future. It’s a Khalifa Kush THC-infused fruit drink.
