Pietopia is officially here! Starting tomorrow (May 21st), you can officially enter your 300 word explanation of what your life tastes like, in a pie. I am so excited to see all the flavors of your lives come together in this fun contest! But wait, it gets better–if you are one of the first 50 people to enter, you will receive a Pietopia Pie Crust kit! This includes Stone-Buhr flour, the recipe for Grand Central Bakery’s perfect pie crust, a coupon for butter from Organic Valley, all wrapped up in a great little bag! You can pick them up at Grand Central Bakery, I’ll be sure to let you know which one’s will have them when you enter.

To enter, click here to pay the $10 entrant fee then email pietopiacontest@gmail.com your story and recipe. To read more details about the contest and about the judges, you can see it all on the Pietopia page. We have such a fantastic line up of prizes and judges, this is going to be the best Pietopia yet! I’m really looking forward to your stories–they’ve been amazing every year and this year I know will be no exception. May the pie be with you–and good luck!

Pietopia Recap What does it taste like to be unemployed, starting a new job, just married, divorced, a new homeowner or desperately searching for housing? What kind of pie would describe the way you are feeling right now? Could you imagine your thoughts, concerns or joys transformed into the All-American Pie? This is a call to entry that has been put out for the past two years to the city of Portland, my current hometown, to find out what the flavor of peoples lives are through a pie.

To participate, please submit your pie recipe and written explanation, including why you chose the recipe and how the taste of it relates to the current state of your life in under 300 words starting May 21st through the deadline of June 25th 2010. Submissions will not be accepted after the June 25th deadline. The project will culminate with an exhibition of the winners at the Portland Farmer’s Market Buckman between 20th and Salmon on Thursday August 5th, 2010. Each winning pie will receive a limited edition screen print reflecting the ideas in the written statement. Pies will be judged upon the creativity and innovativeness in ideas reflecting the ingredients used in the recipe for the first round of judging by the food-writers panel, and for how well the actual flavor aligns with your story in the second round of juding by the bakers panel. The contest is not limited to Portland residents, anyone, anywhere can enter!

Get as creative or as traditional as you want with your pies! Savory, sweet, fruit, cream, custard, meat, or vegan, do it up! The winners will bring their pie’s to the Buckman Farmer’s Market (20th and Salmon SE) August 5th, 2010 for some good old fashioned tasting (yes, that’s right, free pie tasting! yum!). Come and and find out what the taste of your community is like! Plus check out the amazing silk-screens that will be specially designed for each winning pie, the 2010 edition pie plates done by an amazing local ceramicist, a raffle, and more!