Interview with Allison Kave of First Prize Pies (Keeping baking in the family, yet sharing the secrets of good, fun pie-making.)

I first learned about First Prize Pies when watching PBS's Food Curated one lazy Sunday. Not only was I happy to hear about another NYC bakery but seeing a friendly face talk animatedly and lovingly about her passion for pie made me excited to try her creations. Then I had the pleasure of meeting founder Allison Kave at Jackie's Pie Party Live last October.

Allison was super-friendly and very generous in her pie knowledge when I asked her about crust techniques (me being super insecure about my own attempts). And I got a first taste of my new obsession in one of her trademark pies. I went on to purchase several pies from Allison's shop. And I'm telling you now I intend on trying many more.

Allison was kind enough to answer some questions and provide great pictures! I am super-excited about her revelation of creating a cookbook. It's on my mental 'must have' list.

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First Prize Pies is a relatively new company. And I see that food runs in your family. Did you find it difficult to start up First Prize Pies? Or did you find it easier to start a new business with culinary arts running in the family coupled with how much the Internet and social media have become?

Running a small business is always a difficult proposition, but having my mother and brother to consult with for advice was definitely an enormous help. I bake out of my mom's shop, Roni-Sue's Chocolates, and that also saved me a lot in terms of the start-up costs of renting a kitchen. My first big piece of press was an article in DailyCandy, and that definitely launched me into a new level in terms of sales and recognition—I can't overstate the impact that the web and social media have had on my business.

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It’s great that you offer in-home instruction on pie making. After having a pie themed party some of my friends actually made pie for the first time, which was great. But many seemed intimidated by pie making in general let alone baking. Did you find that when you made pies initially there was a learning curve or did you really delve into it?

I've been baking since I was a kid, so my learning curve was really gradual. It was something I always enjoyed doing, and starting as a young novice, I didn't feel much intimidation because I wasn't expecting much of myself! I just embraced it for the experience and the pride I felt in my results. As the years went on, I got more serious and took baking classes and pushed my technique. Pie baking has always been an outlet for my creativity, and a meditative practice as well. I try to encourage my students to let go of their inhibitions and insecurities about achieving the perfect crust, so they can focus on actually enjoying the experience.

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What do you think is the most important part of a pie? Is it the crust, the filling, or how both work together? Have there been pies that you have created, or tasted, that didn’t work because filling and crust weren’t gelling together?

Pies are all about the relationship between the crust, filling, and topping (if you're using one). I don't think any one element is more important than the other, and I'm very passionate about finding the most complementary flavors and textures possible. With cream and custard pies, sometimes a cookie crumb or graham cracker crust is best, other times a pate brisée  is better. It's all about tasting and testing to achieve that perfect harmony.

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Speaking of elements of a pie, I notice you sell your pie dough online. Not to ask any hard-fast secrets but do you have a preference in regards to lard, butter, Crisco, or a mixture in making pie crusts? There seems to be a key balance in capturing the right texture and taste, especially for old-school fruit pies.

My standard, go-to pie dough (the one I sell, and the one I teach) is a pretty classic pate brisée, made with high-quality, high butterfat European-style butter. I used to use a combination of butter and leaf lard (the very fine, lighter lard from around the kidneys of a pig), but once I started making a larger volume of pies I simplified things to work for a larger group of consumers. All-butter crusts require slightly more care to achieve that perfectly flaky, light texture, but it is definitely possible and I think my pies prove that! It's all about keeping things cold, using quality ingredients, and having a very gentle hand when making the dough.

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One of my favorite pies of yours is Jay’s Apple Cider Cream Pie, as well as the S’mores Pie. You created the Samoa pie based on the popular Girl Scout Cookie. Now that spring is rolling around, or has kind of arrived, what will you be working on with the new crop of items in-season? Do you tend to create new pies by season or try to offer a good amount year-round?

Sadly, spring has definitely not arrived yet! It feels like it has as we're in February and not even wearing hats, but it will be awhile before I have a new crop of good local fruits to work with. The first ingredient of spring is always rhubarb, which is one of my favorite flavors in the world. As it takes awhile for strawberries to come into season to hang out with the rhubarb, I always roll out my Rhubarb Frangipane as the first springtime flavor. The warmth of the toasted almonds, sweetness of vanilla, and bite of orange zest really enhance the rhubarb's natural tartness. I get soooo excited when I first see those pink stalks show up at the market! As for seasonality, I have some flavors that I offer year-round, but many that are season-specific and only available for a short window of time.

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Do you think you’ll have a storefront for First Prize Pies in the near future or do you prefer to have it available online with the delivery/pick up option?

I like the flexibility of things as they are now, but I would love to have my own shop one day. It's all a matter of finding the right space, and the financial backing to make it happen.

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Beyond Twitter, Facebook, and your website are there other social networking sites (like Tumblr or Food Blogger Network) where people can get more information or connect with First Prize Pies and where you may appear in regards to markets, food festivals, and such?

Twitter, Facebook, and firstprizepies.com are the best places to find out what I'm up to right now. I'm in the process of building a blog that will be available through my website, which I'm really excited about. I'm currently working on my first cookbook, and I plan to use the blog to track my progress, get my friends and customers involved in the recipe-testing process, and host some short instructional videos for home bakers. I can't wait!

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Thanks so much, Allison for agreeing to an interview, sharing your knowledge of pies, and providing great web-ready pics! I'll be preparing my credit card for the rhubarb frangipane as well as the First Prize Pies blog.

Interview with Hot Blondies Bakery co-founder Laura (Bringing edgy and fun eats to NYC.)

Last year my friend Lesley and I were introduced to Hot Blondies Bakery (HBB) at the Grub Street Food Fair. My fave is the peanut butter chocolate chunk blondie.  A moist, dense block of brown sugar, chocolate, peanut butter goodness. In this blondie nothing overwhelms. It is a fine balance, which is definitely a delicate thing to accomplish in baking. My husband, a purist at heart, very much enjoyed HBB's classic blondie. After tasting said confection I Googled HBB in the hopes that I could visit them for more blondie goodness and found that they're an online bakery based in New York City specializing in blondies and brunettes (aka brownies). Blondies have fast become a go-to baking item for me and a fave.  As a fan and emerging baker I decided to reach out to HBB founders Laura (marketing guru) and Lorin (brains behind the baking) for an interview. Laura was extremely gracious and kind (and excited!) to grant me an interview during one of their busiest fall seasons, which says a lot for the delectable treats that Hot Blondies Bakery has to offer.

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JBH: In terms of branding I have to say I love the signature blonde baking. It seems to take a fun jab at the dated “housewife” idea that women can’t be adept in the kitchen and be attractive, or shouldn’t be in the eyes of a conservative society. If I may ask, who came up with the branding and was it easy or was it a sudden epiphany?

HBB: It was really a collaborative effort. We [Laura and Lorin] are both creative people and we wanted to start a bakery that stood apart from all the rest. In our opinion there are too many cutesy, pink, grandmother-like bakeries specializing in cupcakes out there. Hot Blondies Bakery is not your average, traditional bakery. Our vibe is edgy, yet fun. From the conception, we knew we wanted to establish Hot Blondies Bakery as a unique, luxury baked goods brand.

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JBH: Hot Blondies Bakery (HBB) is an online bakery. What was the impetus for having Hot Blondies available online mainly and not having a storefront where people could pop in anytime they please? Also, how long has Hot Blondies been around?

HBB: The start of HBB kind of happened organically. We didn’t have a huge amount of money to invest at the beginning and we were both working full-time office jobs, so starting with an online shop seemed to make the most sense. Once our business started to take off we realized it was time to move from renting commercial kitchens to building out our own. We started HBB a little over 3 years ago and feel that a retail shop is the next step in growing our business. Stay tuned for more details…

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JBH: Hot Blondies doesn’t just offer blondies and brunettes, but also cereal bar treats, tarts, as well as gluten-free items and other bars. Is Hot Blondies strictly for us bar lovers or would you consider offering other varieties of baked goods? Or do you think that may take away from the appeal and branding of Hot Blondies?

HBB: At the beginning we wanted to focus on just blondies and brunettes. We’ve slowly expanded our menu to include other baked-goods and our customers really love the new additions. Shipping perishable, delicate items can be a challenge, so it’s something we’ve always had to be mindful of before adding a new item to our website. But when it comes to our baked goods we try to innovate everything, or it just gets very stale very quickly (no pun intended). We can’t wait to offer other varieties of baked goods and when we open up our retail store we’ll definitely be adding more to the HBB menu!

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JBH: And since I’ve brought up gluten-free. A few months ago I did all gluten-free baking. It was an eye-opening experience. When you started developing gluten-free goods did you find that there was a lot of experimentation involved, as there is in baking naturally? As gluten-free items can be just as tasty yet it seems that mainly the texture, depending on the flour(s) you’re using, is the difference.

HBB: Yes, definitely. We have experimented with our gluten-free brunette recipe quite a bit. The recipe we use now is not the one we originally started with. Not that our original recipe was bad. But you evolve, and the one we have now is even better. Since the need for gluten-free products seems to be on the rise we’re continuing to educate ourselves and explore this new trend in baking.

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JBH: Are there flavors that you would completely rule out using in one of your blondie or brunette recipes? For instance I’ve heard many times over that my two loves, lemon and chocolate, just do not go together but I think if one found the right recipe....

HBB: We’re open to everything! We’ve noticed in our baking classes that people love to go crazy mixing the most random ingredients together when customizing their blondies. And they actually end up tasting quite delicious. We’re also fairly adventurous eaters so we’re not scared to experiment.

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JBH: Speaking of, I see Hot Blondies offers classes, most recently in decorating and Passover brunette baking, what other classes have you offered or intend to offer those interested in trying their hand at baking? In your classes do you seek to show that baking shouldn't be a nerve-racking experience? Many of my friends fear their ovens, really.

HBB: We usually tie our group baking classes into specific holidays/seasons. We also offer private baking classes for bachelorette parties, team building/corporate events, children’s birthday parties, or just for people that want to have a fun evening with friends. Our baking classes usually involve a little bit of alcohol (not the kids ones!), which helps people relax. By the end of the class they all realize it’s not nearly as intimidating as it looks.

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JBH: After enjoying Hot Blondies at the Grub Street Food Fair last fall I was hooked, and inspired! I had a blondie versus brunette competition for my 30th birthday where friends made (or purchased) blondies or brunettes and we enjoyed both in harmony. I think it helped people realize that there’s a lot of variety in bar form. Is showing variety something you sought or seek to do with Hot Blondies? Especially with the blondie of the month club (the latest flavors are Candy Corn Blondies and Pumpkin Patch Brunettes)? And when developing new flavors/recipes do you find that you try to make new flavors by the season or whatever inspiration you may have at the moment?

HBB: Thank you for the compliments! Lorin has a real talent for coming up with new recipes for our blondies and brunettes. The seasons definitely play a role in what recipe we develop and we’re always open to ideas and suggestions from clients/customers. Our brand is influenced by contemporary culture– film, music, fashion, etc. We’re lucky to live in a city like New York; we find inspiration everywhere.

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JBH: Hot Blondies was a staple at Madison Square Eats over the past few weeks. (Yay!) And I’m happy to see a list of eateries that offer your delicious treats on your ‘News’ page. But where else will we be able to find Hot Blondies? Do you frequent places like Brooklyn Flea or Chelsea Market or various street fairs that pop up around NYC? Do you have staples that you appear at annually or monthly? Were you at this year’s Hester Street Fair?

HBB: We’re very selective about the food festivals/events that we’re involved with. We only choose those that have a very well-edited group of artisan food vendors. We’re very proud to have been a part of the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg since the beginning. We now take a hiatus from doing them during the warmer months because our product melts in the heat, but we’ll be back this winter. Sadly, we had to stop doing the Hester Street Fair for that same reason. And we love being a part of Mad. Sq. Eats and the Grub Street Food Festival each year and are already looking forward to the next ones! And of course people can place orders any time they want with same day delivery in Manhattan through our website: http://shop.hotblondiesbakery.com/

I want to thank Laura again for taking the time out of her very busy schedule to do an interview and to her and Lorin for creating some delicious baked goodies in a different way for us New Yorkers. 

Hot Blondies can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and their website where you can make orders, check for classes & HBB appearances, and join their mailing list to get first dibs on the new blondie of the month and receive special discounts!