A huge congratulations to the hundreds of home cooks and professionals who competed in the 10th annual KCRW Good Food Pie Contest! On Sunday, April 28, thousands of KCRW listeners and pie fanatics gathered at UCLA’s Royce Quad for our biggest contest ever.
This year’s panel of judges included fresh faces such as David Chang of Majordomo/Momofuku, pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, KCRW host Josh Barro, and more. They tasted some 500 pies in nine categories, including a special Levantine cuisine category, coordinated with the Fowler Museum.
Last year, a cream pie won the “Best in Show” award. This year it was a cooked custard that took home top honors: Edlyne Nicolas’ Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie.
Best in Show
“Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
“Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie” by Edlyne Nicolas
Pastry chef Isa Fabro said, “This unassuming and understated pie was the competition’s dark horse -- a characteristic indicative of the Custard category. But the balance between the earl grey’s acidity, warm honey sweetness, and the sea salt’s brightness made for the most harmonious pie and best candidate for Gold’s Greatest.”
Best Crust
“Blue Malou.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
“Blue Malou” by Sarah Cho
Made with European butter, Sarah Cho’s crust wowed judges with its remarkable flakiness despite having a juicy fruit filling. That’s a difficult thing to pull off, noted judge Sherry Yard.
Best Decor
“Rose Baklava Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
“Rose Baklava Pie” by Dashiell Nathanson
Dashiell Nathanson’s pie decor stood out for its stunning “sugar cage,” inspired by a recipe from Le Cirque in New York.
Vegan
“Apple Brown Sugar Crumble Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
1st place: “Apple Brown Sugar Crumble Pie” by Christin To
2nd place: “Vegan Blackberry Pie” by Chrissie Enlow and Emily Rosenfelt
3rd place: “Apple Crumble” by Jeanne Ackerman
Apple
“Mighty Little Apple Bombs.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
1st place: “Mighty Little Apple Bombs” Angela Matsuoka
2nd place: “California Rosé Apple Pie” by Yuko McCollum
3rd place: “Apple Pie” by Nancy Shuman
Fruit
"Old Fashioned Berry Pie with Orange Zest & Angostura Bitters.” Photo by
Kenny Ng/KCRW
1st place: “Blue Malou” by Sarah Cho
2nd place: "Old Fashioned Berry Pie with Orange Zest & Angostura Bitters” by Kim Nguyen
3rd place: “Rhubarb Cherry Tart” by Susan Trimble
Cooked Custard
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Kentucky-Style Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Brown Sugar Shortbread" Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
1st place: “Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie” by Edlyne Nicolas
2nd place: Kentucky-Style Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Brown Sugar Shortbread by Bertram Seabrooks.
3rd place: Buttermilk Pie by Joshua Morgan.
Savory
“Korean Braised Short Rib Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
1st place: “Korean Braised Short Rib Pie” by Jenny Hu
2nd place: “Chicken Mushroom & Ale Pie” by April Lillard
3rd place: “Savory Sweet Potato Pie” by Erica Quenville
Cream
“Coconut Cream Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
1st place: “Coconut Cream Pie” by Susan Trimble
2nd place: “Banoffee Pie” by Pauline Morand
3rd place: “Coconut Cream with Ube Ganache” by Edlyne Nicolas
Nut
“Pecan Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
1st place: “Pecan Pie” by Hector De Haro
2nd place: “German Chocolate Pie” by Tiffany Swanson
3rd place: “Salted Honey Bourbon Walnut” by April Lillard
Kids
“Mango Cream”. Photo credit: Celeste De Los Santos
1st place: “Mango Cream” by Noah Coleman
2nd place: “Strawberry Rhubarb” by Olivia Prince
3rd place: “Cookies & Cream” by Imogen Freiwald
Levantine
“Tahini & Honey Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW
1st place: “Tahini & Honey Pie” by Kristen Beasley
2nd place: “Rose Baklava Pie” by Dashiell Nathanson
3rd place: “Choco Pom Stachio Pie” by Allison Brooker