Happy Pi Day! If you’re in the mood for 3.14 times the fun (!), peep our selects for how to celebrate the day locally. … Whether you’re a math enthusiast or a sweet/savory pie lover, one thing remains constant: You’re gonna wanna get a slice of the action.
Pie and cocktails? Name a better combo—we’ll wait. Opening its doors for the special occasion (they’re normally closed on Tuesdays!), Bittersweet will be serving sweet slices and slinging cocktails from 1 to 6pm. … In pie we crust, indeed!
Life’s all about balance, so lace up your sneaks for this 3.14 kilometer (~1.95 mile) fun run at C.M. Herndon Park, followed by a freshly baked crostada by Durham-based James Beard Pastry Chef Award nominee Phoebe Lawless. And be sure to grab an “equation” shirt after you cross the finish line!
Life is as easy as pie at one of Raleigh’s most renowned sup spots touting tons of pie ops—from Key lime and caramel apple to chocolate pecan pies. Yum!
It’s as simple as 3.141592… and it only costs $3.14 to grab a slice of pie from Durham baker Phoebe Lawless on the rooftop of The Durham Hotel—or a whole pie if you’re feelin’ frisky. Expect pie flavors like double chocolate chess; pear and almond crumb; buttermilk sugar; lavender chess; and apple with bacon and crispy cheddar crumb. Keep your eyes on the pies.
Piece out! Grab a pizza pie from this local family-owned Italian joint touting specialty slices that can’t be topped… unless it’s with pepperoni, veggies or extra cheese, of course.
Celebrity chef Kenny Gilbert, whose Raleigh restaurant Cut and Gather opens in Wakefield early next year, shares the recipe for his popular Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. Yes, he’s made it for Oprah!
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
• 9-inch raw pie shell • 1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips • 1 cup chopped pecans • 1/3 cup melted butter • 1 ¼ cup brown sugar • ½ cup Alaga cane syrup • ½ cup molasses • 2 Tbsp. bourbon • ½ Tbsp. cinnamon • ½ tsp. Chinese Five Spice • 4 eggs, beaten • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Place pecan halves and chocolate chips in the raw pie shell.
3. Place butter and sugar in a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the mixture forms a caramel. Add molasses, cane syrup and spices. Mix well. Add bourbon and pull off the heat. Add the remaining ingredients using a whisk and mix well. Scoop the filling into the pie shell.
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
High Horse now open
Photo by Nancy Granados
High Horse, the much anticipated restaurant from Top Chef alum Katsuji Tanabe, opened in City Market at 208 Wolfe St. last month. The name references the old horse stables in City Market and the restaurant serves dishes influenced by Mexican, Japanese and American cuisines cooked on two wood-fired grills that are visible to diners. Menu items include okra with bottarga, spare ribs with tamarind vinegar sauce, roasted bone marrow with sweet and sour crab, charred flat iron steak, Skuna Bay salmon, roasted oysters with country ham aioli and lime, North Carolina shrimp marinated in Togarashi (a blend of Japanese spices), churros and a famous cornbread made from a recipe from Tanabe’s grandmother (a portion of the cornbread sales will benefit the pay-what-you-can café A Place at the Table). High Horse’s drinks menu features rosé, green tea and whiskey lemon ice shots, a Cheerwine Old Fashioned and other creative cocktails. High Horse is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday; expect a brunch service and outdoor dining next year.
Fenton Development
Phase one of Cary’s $850 million Fenton development—a 92-acre project located next to the Wake Med soccer park (the largest in Cary’s history) and future home to Atlanta-based chef Ford Fry’s Tex-Mex restaurant Superica—is underway. The first phase includes 350,000 square feet of retail, much of it already leased, as well as 170,000 square feet of office space. Announced tenants also include Scott Crawford’s upcoming steakhouse Crawford Brothers, Indigo Road Hospitality Group’s Colette (an Italian restaurant), Honeysuckle Gelato and Cru Wine Bar. Shops include Sephora, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry and Free People. A 125,000 square-foot Wegmans and a boutique movie theatre will anchor the project and 400 multifamily housing units will open in the first phase of the project as well.
In Raleigh, a pie can do a whole lot more than feed your family on Thanksgiving. A pumpkin pie can provide consistent medical care to an uninsured neighbor. A chocolate chess pie can supply job training and life skills education to folks who are unemployed. And a pecan pie can ensure free counseling and mental health services to those in the community who can’t afford it. How, you might ask? Through Share the Pie, an annual program that benefits the joint missions of StepUp Ministry and Alliance Medical Ministry.
Share the Pie began here in Raleigh in 2015, after the executive directors of StepUp and Alliance learned about Pie in the Sky, a Boston fundraiser where approximately 25,000 pies are sold each year, raising close to a million dollars to provide meals for critically ill people.
StepUp and Alliance decided to recreate the effort in order to highlight the partnership between the two ministries and to raise money for their affiliate programs which cover healthcare, career development, financial planning and a Cooking Matters class that teaches healthy cooking and eating habits.
“It’s really us wrapping our arms around families in our community who are trying to pull themselves up but don’t have the resources to do that,” says Kathryn Holding, the development and communications director at Alliance Medical Ministry.
Each year, several well-known bakers, catering companies, churches and eateries participate in the Share the Pie program. Most of us are going to bake or buy a pie for Thanksgiving dinner anyway, so why not acquire one from one of
Raleigh’s best chefs, such as Jason Smith, or best restaurants, like The Angus Barn or Saint Jacques?
Each of the committed bakers must produce at least 12 chocolate chess, pecan or pumpkin pies, which a group of dedicated volunteers then collect just before Thanksgiving and distribute to buyers at designated locations across Raleigh and Cary. Another fun part of Share the Pie is that buyers won’t know who baked their pie until they get home and open up their box. You might receive one from a renowned chef, or you might get one from a neighbor or a friend.
“I enjoy it, and I enjoy the fact that you’re baking something for someone and you don’t know who they are and they don’t know who you are,” says baker Tiffany Ivy of Cutie Boops Custom Cakes & Catering. “I like baking for families who are going to be purchasing these pies to be shared at Thanksgiving time and the fellowship I know I will be a part of by just doing my baking.”
Ivy got involved in the program last year through her brother, James Ivy, who graduated from StepUp Ministry in 2017. He reached out to StepUp three years ago in an effort to get his life back on track after realizing he needed to make some personal changes. During his tenure with the program, Ivy has managed to turn his life around, going from homeless to owning his own business, Executive Grooming Services—all of this, he says, he owes to the support he received from StepUp Ministry and Alliance Medical Ministry.
“I would have to say, they saved my life,” says James Ivy. “They were a major contributor in helping me get my life back on track and providing the redemption that I needed in my life for me to be productive.”
Ivy’s story is an inspiration for all of those who find their way to StepUp or Alliance, showcasing how these ministries’ programs are effective in their missions.
“I think that you can take this pie and start a conversation,” says Lanier McRee, a volunteer and member of the Junior League of Raleigh. “I think you could take it to Thanksgiving somewhere and start a conversation about more than pie, about what Thanksgiving should be about. That’s what really resonated with me and why I enjoy this so much.”
The conversation that Alliance Medical Ministry and StepUp Ministry hope to start through Share the Pie is one of family, fellowship and giving back to the community. Share the Pie proceeds are split 50-50 between the two nonprofits, benefitting their dual missions to provide access to employment and healthcare for those in need in Wake County. This year, their goal is to sell 3,000 pies and raise $100,000.
So, this year on Thanksgiving, take the time to think about more than just the plentiful meal that you’ll enjoy. Buy a chocolate chess, pecan or pumpkin pie from Share the Pie and give back to those who may not be able to afford the same bounty. After all, sharing is caring, and there are plenty of slices to go around.
Visit sharethepie.org to learn how you can buy, bake, sell or volunteer this year.
When it comes to desserts, cupcakes say “U.S.A,” but pie is about as American as…well, you know. For Christmas this year, Glenwood South’s Cupcake Shoppe Bakery is selling, along with its famous cupcakes, three different flavors of mini pie: there’s the Pecan Pumpkin Streusel, the Brown Sugar Bourbon Apple and the Toasted Sweet Potato, enough variety to satisfy any pie lover’s palate and the perfect portion to top off a holiday meal. The pies cost $6 apiece if you pre-order by December 18, or $6.50 each if you drop in the store for pick-up during the week before the big day. But hurry, the pies are sure to sell like hot cakes!
“I enjoy it, and I enjoy the fact that you’re baking something for someone and you don’t know who they are and they don’t know who you are,” says baker Tiffany Ivy of Cutie Boops Custom Cakes & Catering. “I like baking for families who are going to be purchasing these pies to be shared at Thanksgiving time and the fellowship I know I will be a part of by just doing my baking.”