The life of pie
November 1, 2024
Essay: A Southern transplant’s newfound passion for pastry
by Andrea Nordstrom Caughey
Ten years ago, my default restaurant order was a grilled chicken salad, dressing on the side. I hadn’t touched a burger in nearly 20 years and was proud to be a recovered cheese abuser. Living in Del Mar, California, sustenance was achingly healthy, that’s for sure. But indulgent or even a wee bit naughty? Not so much.
Today, after trading the West for the South (Davidson, North Carolina) our local pie company is a “Favorite” on my iPhone. And while I don’t bake many pies at home, they have become my gift of choice for so many people and for so many reasons.
There’s nothing like chocolate chess to celebrate a graduation. Or coconut cream for a knee replacement. Wild blueberry says, “I’m sorry,” and any sort of apple crumble will quickly melt away the stress of a client presentation. Truth.
Tracing the roots of my present pie obsession is complex, a latent craving that had been oozing to break free, just like the warm, sweet-sour filling of a cherry tart.
Because my postwar mother was not much of a baker, preferring Mrs. Smith’s frosty, turnkey gems, my main inspiration for pies came from Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show. Aunt Bee’s contagious belly laugh as she whisked an apple-laden extravagance fresh from the oven is a magical memory of childhood.
“Years later, while home from college one summer … I secretly attempted to make a cherry pie as a gift for my parents.”
Andrea Nordstrom Caughey
Years later, while home from college one summer and newly inspired with all things creative (picture candles, macrame and tie-dye), I secretly attempted to make a cherry pie as a gift for my parents. Using fruit I had personally harvested during a Door County, Wisconsin, road trip, I attempted to hide my rolling, mixing and pouring shenanigans under our basement pingpong table. While it didn’t go well, it marked the start of a slow roll into continued and persistent baking attempts throughout adulthood, forging an endless stream of confections I bastardized in hundreds of ways.
As with many pie aficionados, my enthusiasm began to shift from baking them to simply buying the best I could find. That often meant tracking down the lone passionate baker hidden in a cloud of flour within a dying strip mall in lieu of the James Beard pastry chef finalist.
I also learned that pie is a great leveler, stirring up connections, conversations and long-forgotten family memories like that cherished 1940s-era soiled and shredded cookbook hauled out ahead of holiday gatherings.
Example: While savoring a key-lime masterpiece at the legendary Beverly Hills Peninsula Club Bar, I found myself sharing serving suggestions and etiquette with former Pittsburgh Steeler and bon vivant Terry Bradshaw. Unbeknownst to his fan base, Bradshaw is an unabashed pie connoisseur, skilled in the nuanced art of pretending to “clean up” the edge of a slice while actually scooping out clandestine filling.
One last cautionary note to my fellow pie nation: Like artificial intelligence, pies have been known to commandeer the psyche of their patrons. My husband should know. One Christmas, he received a yearlong Marie Callender’s “Pie of the Month” gift card from his mother. Around July, he remembered the gift, but by then I had quietly purchased and consumed all 12 pies single-handedly, rationalizing them as fuel for a busy PR practice.
Now, when we travel, finding a great pie shop is a must — whether near a local blueberry patch in the Midwest or along the shores of a New England beach town, where pies morph into full-blown fish-chicken-beef entrees, too.
A few final musings on pie: Don’t discount the subtle glory of hand pies, tarts and galettes. Most pies benefit exponentially from whipped cream and ice cream. Consider carefully if you are a crumble or crust person. Pies are not crisps, brown Betties, cobblers or buckles. Pies are always a breakfast food —and often lunch and dinner, too. SP
Andrea Nordstrom Caughey is a writer in Davidson, a small-town junkie and a connoisseur of pie.
