The Faces Behind the Flavor

Kristin Butterworth, Executive Chef of Cork & Crust, brings more than 20 years of culinary experience to our new Italian-inspired restaurant.  A three-time James Beart Award semifinalist, Kristin is best known for leading the kitchen at Lautrec at Nemacolin Resort to Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond status.  She returns to her western Pennsylvania roots with a passion for ingredient-driven cuisine, local sourcing, and unforgettable hospitality.

From a young age Cameron had always been interested in cooking and the aspect of bringing people joy with food. Growing up watching his gram cook for the whole family and the joy it brought to peoples faces. Cameron quickly realized that this is something I want to do for the rest of his life. Cameron's career fully started in high school when he decided to enroll myself into the CTE culinary program that Carrick high school provided. Through that class he got a crash course of everything he needed to know to hit the ground running in this industry. Cameron also was a part of a "chopped" like competition with my class and won first place where he learned so much from being in the program that he was able to get hired right away for his first professional cook position at Pizzaiolo Primo. During this time Cameron put his head down, always asked questions and pushed himself to really springboard his career. This mentality really paid off as his next step in his career led him to Terrene Restaurant as Sous chef and then as Executive Chef at Quantum Spirits. From here Cameron continued to hone his skills and grow his resume moving on as sous chef at The Foundry on the North Shore and then now to Cork & Crust where his knowledge and experience contribute to making the restaurant the best in the city.

From a very young age Abbie started cooking and baking alongside her grandmother and mom, learning family and friends recipes. At the age of 16 she began working in the food and beverage industry. While attending college for accounting and finance, she realized her passion was for cooking. After completing her college degree she decided to move to Arizona to attend culinary at Le cordon Bleu in Scottsdale. While in culinary school she was able to learn alot of cool things and even assisted several chefs with special events and off property events. After completing culinary school she worked for the Phoenician resort, before returning back to Ohio. Abie had worked for several different restaurants before moving to Uniontown Pa, where she took a job at Nemacolin and worked her way up to Sous Chef. After Leaving Nemacolin she returned to Ohio and took a job as and Executive Chef for Jacksons Restaurant. While working at Jacksons Chef Kristin had reached out to Abbie to work For Cork & Crust and she was excited for the amazing opprotunity.

Amnelis “Nelly” Cruz is a Puerto Rican hospitality professional with over 18 years of experience in food & beverage operations, beverage programming, and team leadership. Known for her hands-on leadership style and positive energy, she plays an integral role in daily operations, staff development, and the creation of thoughtful, guest-driven beverage programs. Nelly is passionate about building strong, supportive teams and cultivating a service culture where creativity, accountability, and genuine hospitality thrive.

Her hospitality journey began in Puerto Rico, where she started as a dishwasher and worked her way through multiple front-of-house roles before transitioning behind the bar as a bartender and mixologist. She later stepped into leadership roles, including Assistant Manager and General Manager at the first restaurant located at the Bacardi distillery, gaining extensive experience in operations, leadership, and high-volume service. After relocating to Pittsburgh, Nelly joined several opening teams, including Fogo de Chão and The Oaklander Hotel, where she grew from Lead Server into her current leadership role overseeing operations, training, and beverage development for Cork & Crust.

Outside of work, Nelly enjoys discovering new food and cocktails spots, experimenting with cocktails and home cooking, staying active, and spending time in nature. She values wellness, creativity, and balance, and loves unwinding through travel, outdoor adventures, and quality time with her dog, Kahla.

After studying music in college, Liz lived in Dublin, Ireland and Hamburg, Germany before pursuing a career in the restaurants, starting in Pittsburgh. Eventually, Liz moved to Boston where she worked for six years managing restaurants in Back Bay, Seaport and in Cambridge. It was there Liz realized her passion for craft beer while managing brewery tours in Boston, DC, and Baltimore. In 2022 Liz moved back to Pittsburgh to join the craft beer scene, as taproom manager at Two Frays Brewery in addition to serving on the board of the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild. Liz has a strong passion for service and is delighted to be a part of the team at Cork & Crust.