#PiePartyGE: 2014 Edition

It seems eons ago since the last Pie Party. In truth, it was a year and a half ago and sadly Hurricane Sandy ripped through NYC days after that event. But with a renewed city and on an actual spring day Jackie Gordon and Ken Leung organized another fantastic event at GE Monogram Design Center on midtown's east side.

The GE Monogram Center is basically the dream kitchen of anyone who likes to cook and for those in the food blogger/media community it is Shangri-La. The anticipation for this event was building and with the Parade of Pies list on Ken's site lips were smacking staring at the compendium of what would be available.

Weeks leading up to Pie Party, attendees got emails from sponsors being overly generous in offering items to help us bake our pies. Butter and/or cheeses from Kerrygold. Utensils from OXO. Tupperware to pack leftover pies for later consumption from Snapware and that's in addition to the goodies provided from sponsors Anolon, Harvard Common Press, Dub Pies, Jarlsberg USA, Wüsthof (as well as OXO, Snapware, and Kerrygold). THANK YOU ALL for your kindness.

Upon entering the GE Monogram Center the staff was readily recognizable and decked out all in black ready to help. Need something heated? Done. Need extra serving materials? Done. Need your stuff put away? Arms out to take it for you. They were ready to help at a notice and even cleared away plates to wash/rinse off for you to take home. It was amazing how generous and professional everyone was.

There was a nice backdrop for anyone and everyone to take a picture of your pie. As Jackie said she wanted this year's Pie Party to be like the Oscars of Pie Parties!

Like last year savory pies were set along the window facing 58th Street and the sweets had a much larger display (needed) in the center of the establishment. Sponsors Anolon, Dub Pies, Wusthof, and Kerrygold set up shop inside where we could view (or really drool) over their presentation of goods and in the case of Jarlsberg, Kerrygold, and DUB Pies we got our pie pre-game on by eating cheese and crackers, fruit platters, mini DUB Pies (my fave beef and cheese was in attendance) while hors d'oeurves were also available from roaming GE Monogram staff. But don't fill up on snacks! There are PIES here! Savory was bumped up. A good deal available. I added to the savory mix again with a Tortilla Pie a la Martha Stewart since most of my materials were packed and I needed something easy and hearty to make. (Next year I'm thinking empanadas, if time permits.)

The sweets table steadily filled up with space being made every minute to accommodate the expanding array of desserts.

Chef Tageré gave a demonstration and praised Kerrygold butter as the butter to use for crusts. (As bloggers we couldn't agree more.) Then she revealed a fantastically delectable looking savory chicken pie with some cheese on top and we were antsy for that and other pies. And then...it was officially pie time! The masses ran or sauntered (some with a game plan already). I had my eye on the sweets from the minute I walked in but then Margaret had to bring a short rib pie and Sekita had to do crab cake pies so I quickly tasted those and then delved back to the sweet side. No regrets, friends.

First things first was getting those portable pies. Angela of Mind Over Batter's strawberry-cheese hand pies were like a homemade Pop-tart but ten times better because her crust was thick, sweet, flaky, buttery and perfect! Ken made a sweet and a savory pie and I got into that gorgeous tart before it was gone. His crust was also fantastic. There were gluten-free pies and cream pies and many, many more tarts. Colleen of Souffle Bombay and her daughter Samantha both made sweet tarts and I have to say I was lucky to taste Samantha's confection of a Blueberry Lemon Tart.

Susan of Girl in the Little Red Kitchen did a cookie pie with caramel with duck fat. Jennifer of Bake or Break brought a scrumptious nutty, brown sugar pie. Rhonda Kave of Roni-Sue's Chocolates in downtown Manhattan paid tribute to her daughter Allison's debut cookbook First Prize Pies by making her buttercrunch pie that was still warm from the oven and a gooey masterpiece! There was...So. Much. Pie. And you couldn't eat it all but it was gorgeous to look at and phenomenal to actually eat.

The crowd was happy, cheerful, and supportive everyone delving in. The savory side was practically demolished from Eryn's picnic pie to the large mac n' cheese pie with bacon topping to the guacamole pie and a nice quiche.

There was a vast amount of fruity tarts/pies especially Autumn's gluten-free plum pockets and Jackie's lemon bruleed gluten-free pie. And surprisingly not as much chocolate. Perhaps because spring was in the air, and it was humid, inspiration was more for summery/spring-like flavors.

To top it all off there were also the generous gift bags that newcomers to Pie Party were astounded by, more jaw drops. And there were temp tattoos from OXO (still have mine) and lots of giveaways for tweeting/instagram (using hashtags of course), and just all-around fun and appreciation to be surrounded by fantastic food and wonderful people in a lovely space.

I am already looking forward to the next Pie Party and am more than enthused about this one. I just had my leftover pies last night and regret that I couldn't have another piece of pie to indulge in. But there's always next time and it's Saturday, which means NYC Bake Sale is happening, now, so you KNOW there'll be sweets there.

I leave you with smiling faces...

5 Boro PicNYC - May 27th Edition

The food blogger community is a great one and I really appreciate Jackie Gordon giving some of us a heads up about the upcoming 5 Boro Picnyc at Governor's Island. The event was sponsored by Jarlsberg USA, Zagat, Village Voice, Sixpoint Brewery, High River Sauces, Teen Battle Chef, Family Cook Productions, and Earth Matter.  

The southern tip of Manhattan holds a great view along with the South Street Seaport, Staten Island Ferry, and Governor's Island Ferry. This was my first time going to Governor's Island and me, my friend Lesley, and a slew of others were there specifically to enjoy the 5 Boro Picnyc during the holiday weekend. Families with bikes circled around the  island while others had strollers, men and women sported babies in Bjorns, friends arm-in-arm with tickets in hand ready to partake in many of the vendor options.

A quick ferry ride had us at Governor's Island in minutes and people herded into the main lawn--an expansive park area with white tents along the rim and NYC historical buildings in the distance--to the sound of bands tuning up and the pungent smell of meat on the grill.

Many of the sponsors for 5 Boro Picnyc offered food samples along with restaurants in NYC including Jimmy's no. 43 offering cole slaw, barbecue chicken, and flank steak with chimchurri sauce; The Fat Beagle selling some amazing goods including the best cornbread I have ever tasted (so, so sorry grandma) with honey butter along with pork sliders; Van Leeuwen had cones and sundaes not limited to pistachio and green tea; Red Hook Lobster, who I had also seen at Smorgasburg the day before, selling their mainstay lobster roll and shrimp rolls on buttery buns; Brooklyn Grange providing some necessary light fare of fresh greens and a lemon vinaigrette; Madria Sangria with a fruity and tangy sangria as a nice alternative for non-beer enthusiasts, and there was the KIND Bars stand as soon as you entered into the picnic area (just to name a few).

While a live band played attendees sampled everything there was to offer. There were many pork options as tends to be the mainstay when it comes to barbecue but there was also barbecue chicken, lamb sausages, potato salad, and salad. The Jarlsberg tent had grilled cheese with pork and one by Josetth Gordon composed of kale and caramelized onions. The kale jarlsberg sandwich was by far my favorite and a line worth standing in multiple times. I also took to Josetth's juice, a cucumber - ginger refresher that had a great natural sweetness to it reminding me of sweet tea, but good for you!

This was one of the more calm and least rowdy picnics I've experienced in NYC during a holiday weekend. Even with alcohol present and available for free for a period of time the crowd was chill, the lines moved swiftly, and it was a mellow event overall. Kids and infants were present, whole families camped out in near bands and in the shade while sending persons from their party to go on this line and that. My friend Lesley and I manned various sides of the Jarlsberg tent for freshly cut cheese with figs and crackers or for grilled cheese ooey gooey to the touch. Making the rounds we sipped on sangria or beer and took in the reduced humidity of the day and the smooth sounds from the front that were just the right decibel not to hurt your ears but for you to enjoy the music as well as hear your friend during a conversation.

As with events like Choice Eats and the IACP Culinary Expo I'm always eager to be introduced to more food options in the community. One of the best finds for me was Brooklyn Grange and learning that there's a farm on an NYC rooftop here in Queens as well as a couple in Brooklyn as well seeking to "improve overall quality of life" in the city. As mentioned The Fat Beagle's cornbread was a revelation and Lesley couldn't stop talking about it (still can't if you visit her Facebook page) and Madria Sangria's is a nice option if you just want sangria in a bottle without having to purchase the juice and the wine separately. Josetth's food was also a great introduction to her website and cookbook and Jarlsberg is going to become my new go-to cheese. I made sure to wear the Jarlsberg t-shirt from the press event and was happy to advertise their logo "Go Jarlsberg or Go Naked." I heartily agree with this statement.

Roaming Governor's Island and taking some pictures of the NYC skyline, enjoying the graphic design show at the museum on site, and taking in the cool breeze from the Hudson was a great capper as Lesley and I exited 5 Boro Picnyc and headed home with full bellies, lots to discuss in terms of new food options, and an overall lightness in our demeanor from an event that was a pleasant way to enter Memorial Day. Governor's Island was an ideal place for this venue. The lawn area was big enough that I never felt overwhelmed by the growing crowd nor did I feel like there was no space for me as an attendee. I'd encourage more people to attend next year and in coming years. Just come, enjoy the food and music and ambiance, and relax and enjoy aspects of the 5 Boroughs on a lovely island.

Special thanks to Food Karma Projects for giving us food bloggers the opportunity to attend and review this event and again thanks to Jackie for getting us in touch with Food Karma.