What does your life taste like? In any given moment, the flavors can change, meld, swirl, and morph. But concentrate on just that one moment. Maybe you can’t help it–that one moment has been all consuming for you and your thoughts for quite some time now. Or maybe you’d rather pluck that one particular flavor out of life’s-stream-of-many to discern, to hold, and to savor. People ask me, “what is your pie?” and my answer is always the same, “which day?”
Pietopia, on all fronts, was a success this year. It was fun, it was quite big, and there was a ton of pie. However, I’ve realized that the definition of success for myself doesn’t necessarily lie in any of these outward factors. Instead, it’s success lies in what this contest has taught me these past three years. Pietopia has been a lesson in illuminating the vast potential, complexity, and beauty of human life.
Not long ago, a friend of mine hit the nail on the head by saying, “there are THREE things certain in life: death, taxes, and uncertainty in itself.” So much of life is uncertain that there really is no time to dwell on the fact that we just don’t know what exactly is going to happen at any given moment. Sure, we can plan, project, and create frameworks, but in the end, do we ever really know how things will turn out? This is where human potential (and complexity) comes in. We all have the ability to grasp those unpleasant or life-altering situations by the horns and grow–embracing them by finding a sense of purpose, having faith, and getting through them with grace, gratitude and finding an unexpected richness in life. Shit happens. And we all know this from experience! But what Pietopia has shown me is that people do indeed take hold of their lives and turn the bitter moments into moments sweet with new knowledge, maturity, and experience.
I’ve been waiting for a terrible tasting pie and have yet to see one entered. This may be because it’s hard for many to imagine submitting and winning for a “bad-pie”, or we have been trained sub-consciously through cultural grooming that pie contests are delicious, or people genuinely do find the good and beauty amidst life’s hardships. There is a conundrum of learning from life’s hardships: when things do get hard, many people tend to lean more towards rigidity–to find that control–than simply letting go, allowing themselves to think outside of the box for a moment, and moving forward. And there is a reason for this–sometimes we just need to hold on a little longer to get to the heart of what it is we are learning for ourselves. I wanted to take this regular, human process and make learning from ourselves more accessible to our selves. Pietopia creates a playful structure that gives people room for deep contemplation and self-connection, that also satisfies all our needs to grow during a time of hardship or great joy. I love the reflective nature of the stories, built in with something so tangible like taste. And I love that people embrace this concept with me!
I am happy for Pietopia not only because we raffled off a ton of pies so wonderfully donated by a few lovely local bakeries (so much fun), but because the contest celebrates our lives as they are. Here and now. In the present. In all their imperfect and beautiful glory. Sometimes our present situations really are hard to swallow, much less someone else’s. But it is interesting. Imagine the feast that could unfold if everyone approached the table with the flavors of their lives, ready for each other to consume, commune, and connect through.
You can find the winning stories and recipes of Margit Beerlie, Caroline Ford, and Hannah Kane by clicking on their names. I had been writing a series for the semi-finalists, and it turned out that the first three pies I made for the semi-finalists series, also happened to be the winners! Those stories and recipes were compelling not only for me, but the judges as well.
22×30 silk-screen and watercolor print, by Karen Berger.
The art work this year was stunning. Vanessa Kauffman, Robin Miliken, and Karen Berger’s prints are breath taking–if you’d like one, take a look at the Eating Is Art shop, they’re on sale there. Chris Baskin out did himself with some of the most beautiful pie plates imaginable. He donated enough for the winners, but make sure you take a look at the rest of his beautiful collection on his website. In the end, I feel blessed, excited, and exhausted. It was a great event, but also I’m looking forward to being able to focus more on the personal and individualized work I do with my clients at Joyful Life Wellness.
22×30 silk-screen print, by Robin Miliken.
22×30 silk-screen print, by Vanessa Kauffman.
Plates by Chris Baskin.
Leading up to the Pietopia event, I am going to share with you the six semi-finalists pies and their stories. The semi-finalists were the entries that made it from round one (the food-writer judges round) and have passed along to round two (the baker-judges). All the stories this year were absolutely fantastic! And it was a really tough decision for all the judges. As I post these pies and you read through the stories, I’m interested to know what you think about the food-memory-communication connection. How would you describe your life through taste? The pies take on a whole new flavor if you decide to make them–because you know you are tasting not just food, but someone’s story. Let me know if you do!
These pies represent a different type of nourishment we all need, something I call Primary Food. Primary food feeds us on a deeper level and includes our relationships, careers, and even spirituality. We can eat as healthy as we want, never skipping greens, and always getting the correct amount of vitamins and minerals each day. But if we are unhappy in our jobs or our relationships, the rest of our lives can be colored by those situations making us feel both physically and mentally drained. Having fun, enjoying your life, and those you spend it with are essential to feeling and being our best! What’s your primary food like?
Galaxy Pie, by Hannah Kane, Pietopia 2010 Semi-Finalist
There are at least 70 sextillion stars in the observable universe. Most stars are between 1 billion and 10 billion years old. This boggles my mind.
Though I often daydream about being an astronaut, my job has nothing to do with space, or stars, or even science. I’m a project manager at a nonprofit. In my job I deal with details. Thinking about the vastness of the universe provides a little perspective when I get bogged down in the minutiae of my work. In recent years, I’ve developed insomnia – specifically, the kind where you can’t stay asleep. On nights when I find myself wide awake at 4:00am, I sometimes try to imagine the entire universe in my mind’s eye. I start with a mental image of me lying in my bed. Then, like a camera lens, I zoom out to my apartment, my street, city, country, planet, and on and on, until I’ve zoomed out as far as my brain can possibly comprehend. It has the opposite of the intended effect. Instead of feeling sleepy, my heart starts to beat faster. It’s the most thrilling feeling I can create for myself – imagining the scope of everything.
This pie represents the delicious feeling of being so very small, and the wonder I feel when I consider everything we don’t yet know about the universe. The ginger snap crust is unexpected and hot, like a star. The creamy filling is like the band of light in the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The sweetness of the caramel entwined with the richness of the bittersweet chocolate remind me of the choices I’ve made – I love what I do, but part of me will always wonder what other, more extra-terrestrial, paths I might have taken.
Stellar Gluten-free Ginger Snap Crust 2 cups ground gluten-free ginger snap cookies (around 40 cookies) (Trader Joe’s brand are the best!) 2 tbsp sugar 1/3 cup butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pulse the cookies and sugar in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Slowly add the melted butter until moist clumps form. Press the mixture into a lightly greased pie plate. Bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Cool, like the crust of a newly-formed planet. – Cosmic Cream Cheese Filling 8 ounces heavy whipping cream 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 8 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Whip cream until it forms stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Mix whipped cream with cream cheese mixture. Pour the cream cheese filling into pie crust, almost to the top. Freeze for at least 4 hours.– Remove the pie at least 20 minutes before you serve it.
Make the sauces on the stove: Caramel Swirl 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix the water and sugar in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a medium brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Slowly (and carefully) add the cream and the vanilla. Simmer until the sauce is smooth and thick.
Bittersweet Chocolate Swirl 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate 1/3 cup sour cream 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 tsp vanilla
Slowly melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Stir in sour cream, sugars and heavy cream. When fully blended, stir in vanilla. –
When the caramel and chocolate sauces are still warm, but not hot, drizzle in a swirled pattern over the cream cheese mixture.
Throw a few pieces of a broken toffee bar on top if you like, to represent the randomness of the universe.
