After a year off, we're back and hungrier than ever with the 11th Annual Pie Lovers Unite! Read on for details (including our new not pie category) and we’ll see you there!
Admission: Free with a homemade pie. $12.56 (that's 4π) if you don't have a pie and purchase tickets in advance here. $15 at the door if you don't have a pie. 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: please email leadership@slowfoodhuronvalley.com
Bring: Your homemade pie (or $15), 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
Homemade 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, 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 page! 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 homemade 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)
Ark of Taste Pie (featuring an ingredient from the Slow Food Ark of Taste)
Vegan and/or gluten free
*NEW* Not Pie! Do you love to join this event but feel like you need to break out of the box? We'll have a category for "Not Pie" this year in case you've been dying to show off Gramma's gooey butter cake or Aunt Clarinda's clafoutis.
For each pie/not pie that you enter in the contest, we ask that you bring a 4 x 6 card with the name of the dessert and a list of ingredients. If you’re entering the Ark of Taste category, please star the Ark of Taste ingredient. 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.
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.