Getting Baked for Art

Greenpoint Open Studios Pie Bake-Off

It was tough, but someone had to do it. Over 150 Greenpointers ate their way through 35 entries totaling over 70 pies at the benefit pie bake-off for Greenpoint Open Studios last Thursday at the Diamond Bar at 43 Franklin Street.

With sweet and savory entries ranging from Peter Pan (yes, as in the donuts!) Pudding Pie, to What’s Eating Gilbert Grape Pie, Root Beer Pie, Bacon and Pickled Fennel Mast Brothers Chocolate Hipster Pie, The Pizza Commander Pie, Eat Your Feelings Off Pie, and Kansas Crawfish Pie, the bakers of the night were as creative as the Greenpoint artists they were benefiting.

Throughout the night, attendants roamed the bar and backyard of the Diamond, sipping beer and stealing bites from the dozens of entries. Although the classic apple, fruit, and chocolate pies made a fair showing, the night was dominated by daring forays into more ambitious pie territory: bacon, kimchi, peanut butter and jelly, pizza, balsamic vinegar, and even a gutsy entry by this reporter herself: Banana Jackfruit Coconut Cream Pie with a Lard Crust.

Submitted in partnership with Veronica Chan of World to Table, our pie put an Asian twist on a classic cream pie with the addition of Jackfruit—a sweet, tangy, massive melon-mango-papaya-lychee hybrid whose pungency has been compared to durian, the notoriously stinky Asian fruit.

“We were determined to make a pie with some funky tropical flavors, so the first thing that popped into my head was a Filipino Banana Jackfruit turon dessert from Payag Restaurant in Queens, which we then tweaked and adapted into pie form,” Chan said. “We couldn’t have pulled it off without the guidance of our friend Kian, who gave us crust tips and generously donated his home-rendered lard. I have to say, wrangling with the jackfruit at eleven o’clock pm the night before the bake-off was the best part of the pie-making process. We ended up with sticky jackfruit sap all over our fingers and aprons, but it was worth the mess because the pie came out great. I was excited that people got to try a fruit they’ve never tasted before, and like it too.”

The nights winners, voted on by the attendants, were Jerry Vohrer and his encouraging girlfriend Bonnie Graham, who made “Vermont Death Pie”—a maple bacon praline apple pie with a short bread crust.

“I have no background in pie making at all,” said Vohrer. “I had been craving one of my breakfast specialties, bacon apple pancakes, and we had just returned from a vacation in New Orleans and were trying to replicate some great pralines. So with a craving for apples, bacon, maple syrup, and pralines fresh on my mind, the ‘Maple Bacon Praline Apple Pie’ was born. The day of the contest was the first time the pie was made. We planned on making a few test pies before the event, but both times, we ended up drinking a few bottles of wine and passing out instead. Fortunately, it turned out to be the most amazing pie ever! I’m pretty sure we converted a few vegetarians that night.”

The bake-off, organized by Joann Kim and Jennifer Galatioto, also included a silent auction of pieces by artists participating in the open studios, as well as a raffle of prizes from local Greenpoint Businesses. By the end of the night over $1,000 had been raised—double the amount they had set as a goal, and enough to cover the entire operational costs of the weekend art event.

“One thing we learned about organizing a fundraiser is that once you incorporate a food competition element into it, people will participate and they will pay to support,” Kim said. “Eating brings about an overall sense of community binding and all around feel-good festivities. There were definitely some funked-out unusual ingredients; overall, it was a huge success and we loved every minute of it. We had a silent auction as well, with works generously donated by participating artists. Folks got to take home some amazing and affordable art to show their support.”

Greenpoint Open Studios is in its second year and was founded by Kim, who saw the growing need for a creative community platform for artists in Greenpoint. Open studios, group shows, and events will be running this weekend, October 1-3. Visit greenpointopenstudios.com for details, and to see the pie entries, participants, and silent auction pieces.

And for all you aspiring pie artists out there? “Be brave. The world of competitive pie baking is not for the faint of heart,” Vohrer said. “That, and never underestimate the power of bacon.”

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