{"id":278468,"date":"2026-09-03T22:24:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T22:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/278468\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T22:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T22:24:13","slug":"a-pittsburgh-mom-turned-her-kitchen-into-a-classroom-for-her-son-with-autism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/278468\/","title":{"rendered":"A Pittsburgh Mom Turned Her Kitchen Into a Classroom for Her Son With Autism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tugbutter1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY PAM LUU<\/p>\n

Melissa Terrell cried tears of joy at Barrel & Flow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The chef and her 13-year-old son, Anthony, who was diagnosed with nonverbal autism at age 4, were at the August beer festival selling homemade apple butter, applesauce, banana pudding, jellies and baked goods.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing! He did so well,\u201d Terrell says. \u201cHe talked to people when they asked him questions about his menu, he offered them samples and discussed ingredients. A kid who couldn\u2019t talk to me became a kid who realized he had purpose and value.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anthony, who is affectionately known as \u201cTugboat\u201d or \u201cTug,\u201d even offered refunds to customers who didn\u2019t love the products.<\/p>\n

No one wanted their money back. In fact, some paid for second helpings.<\/p>\n

Tug Butter LLC<\/a> is more than a business; it\u2019s a teaching tool.<\/p>\n

When Terrell, a single mother of three, was laid off from her job as a mental health worker during the pandemic, the family\u2019s kitchen became a classroom. Tug, the youngest, was struggling to read, write and communicate, so Terrell turned simple recipes into life lessons.<\/p>\n

\"Tugbutter3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY PAM LUU<\/p>\n

Using poster board and markers, they made a snack chart and hung it on the wall. If Tug could read and then verbalize the things he wanted, he\u2019d get them \u2014 but he\u2019d have to lend a hand in their preparation. Popsicles made with pur\u00e9ed fruit and agave were a big hit, along with popcorn.<\/p>\n

Soon, daily tantrums turned into delicious treats.<\/p>\n

Tug began giving away jars of apple sauce to fellow members of Baptist Temple Church<\/a> in Homewood. When demand for his handiwork skyrocketed, the congregation began donating money to help the family bolster the supply and add new items.<\/p>\n

To enhance Tug\u2019s skills, Terrell decided to go back to school to study culinary arts.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything I was learning, I was learning very aggressively because I had a lot at stake,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not about me being the world\u2019s best chef; this is about me teaching my son a different skill in a different way. We were learning at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through her education and mama-bear tenacity, she earned the 2023 Gloria P\u00e9pin Memorial Grant from the Jacques P\u00e9pin Foundation<\/a> and landed a job as production manager at Pittsburgh Public Schools, as well as back-of-the-house gigs in restaurants such as Braddock Public House<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With support from the community and organizations such as the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Culinary Federation<\/a>, those in-home cooking tutorials turned into a full-blown catering business.<\/p>\n

You can find Tug Butter goodies, including cobblers, pies and strawberry pretzel salad, online and at local events such as the 3rd Annual Homewood Island Block Party on Sept. 6.<\/p>\n

On certain weekends, the pair put up their royal blue tent in the neighborhood at the corner of Sterrett and Idlewild streets.<\/p>\n

As Terrell searches for an affordable commissary kitchen that can do double-duty as a training ground, she continues to work and pursue more culinary certifications. She wears an Autism Speaks<\/a> puzzle piece on her chef\u2019s coat and every jar of Tug Butter bears the colorful autism awareness ribbon.<\/p>\n

\"Tugbutter2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY PAM LUU<\/p>\n

Mother and son are gearing up for a busy holiday season filled with hand-delivered desserts. Although Terrell admits she experiences moments of sadness, fear and self-doubt, she believes it\u2019s all worth it to watch Tug and his namesake company ride a wave of success.<\/p>\n

Her advice to other parents?<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep moving,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m a huge advocate of \u2018If there\u2019s not a lane for them, create it.\u2019 Our traditional and non-traditional kids have got to see what goodness looks like. If we are not the example for them, who\u2019s it going to be?\u201d\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOTO BY PAM LUU Melissa Terrell cried tears of joy at Barrel & Flow. The chef and her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278469,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-278468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}