The details
Time flies when you’re eating pie – 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of Pie Lovers Unite! If that’s not something to celebrate with a heaping plate of pie, we don’t know what is. Read on for details (including our new classic apple pie category in honor of our 10th anniversary, with special judge) and we’ll see you there!
- Admission: Free with a pie. Or $10 without. Sweetie-pies 10 and under admitted free.
- Pie Entrants: For those bringing a pie, doors open at 5:00pm. All others should come at 5:30pm.
- Volunteer for free admission: http://goo.gl/nY0Swy
- Bring: Your pie (or $10), your tableware and ideas for our Pie-ku readings!
- Important Note: Volunteers and official (paid) Slow Food Members will be first in line at the pie table this year! Become an official Slow Food Member here: https://www.slowfoodusa.org/join-or-renew-membership
Pie is a beautiful example of how local, seasonal foods can convey welcome and community with unique regional qualities. The Pie Lovers Unite! extravaganza honors pie-making traditions in Michigan by inviting people to bake, bring, share, and taste pies from around the area. Pie Lovers Unite! demonstrates that a community is only as good as its homemade pie – and we have a GREAT community.
As always, we’ll have PIE MUSIC, themed PIE WALKS (be prepared to shake your tail feathers), a PIE CONTEST with prizes, the ever-hilarious PIE-KU poetry recital, PIE QUOTES and of course PIE EATING.
Pie Lovers Unite! began as an event on the cross-country Pie Across America/Eat Well Guided Tour, celebrating PIE as emblematic of local food traditions. We won the “Best Pie Event” award from the tour in 2007 and have been inspired to honor our pie-baking roots ever since!
If you’re feeling extra inspired and want to share your pie recipe goodness with Slow Food followers, please post it to our Facebook group! We guarantee that everyone will be grateful for extra recipes as fall fruit comes into season.
Categories for the Pie Contest
NOTE: Participants will choose the category in which to enter their pies. Participants can enter multiple pies, but only one pie in each category.
- Sweet Pie
- Savory Pie
- Kids Pie (made by a kid 13 and under)
- All Local Pie
- Ark of Taste Pie (featuring an ingredient from the Slow Food Ark of Taste)
- *NEW* To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are adding a new pie category to the contest: classic apple pie. This category only will be judged by a panel headed up by none other than Detroit’s Sister Pie owner Lisa Ludwinski, Kevin Sharp (long-time local foodie) and Janice Leach, owner of Ann Arbor’s own Why Not Pie! So break out Great Grandma’s recipe for classic apple pie (this is a lard-loving crowd) and make her proud!
For each pie that you enter in the pie contest, we ask that you bring a 4 x 6 card with the name of the pie and a list of ingredients. If you’re entering the All Local Pie category, please also include where each of those ingredients was produced. It’s usually easiest to do this at home before the event, but we’ll provide you with cards at the event if you need one.
Important: Doors will open at 5:00pm for Pie Entrants only. Deadline for submissions to the pie contest is 5:45pm on Sunday evening.
Generous Supporters Who Have Contributed to Pie Lovers Unite! Every Year - Thank you!
Mighty Good Coffee – This high-quality, small batch roaster located in Ann Arbor has contributed the coffee for every single Pie Lovers Unite! event. What is pie without coffee, anyhow?
Zingerman’s Bakehouse – The Bakehouse has generously contributed dozens of delicious pie prizes over the past 10 years, thrilling the lucky recipients.