The Diva That Hosted Pie Party Potluck LIVE!

Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! The spread of over 75 pies at Pie Party Potluck LIVE! was breathtaking, jaw dropping and mouth watering. I’d never seen anything like it. Well maybe in a bakery, but even they lacked the variety and the made with loved-ness of the Pie Party Potluck pies…

When Ken and I decided to host Pie Party Potluck LIVE!! I kept imagining what it would be like? How many people/pies would actually show up? How many people can we fit at Rodeo Bar? Have we invited too many people? Too few? Can we fit more? Weeks and weeks of questions that would only be answered when the day actually came.

I’ve always been a the-more-the-merrier kind of person. More delicious food = More happy guests. Squeeze ‘em in and feed ‘em is my family motto. When my grandmother entertained she never refused anyone who wanted to come for her incredible meals. She used to borrow her neighbors apartments to seat her overflow of guests. I definitely carry on the tradition. People are paramount at all my parties and dinners and “Sure, bring your friend!” always outweighs having space at the table—we make room.

For Pie Party Potluck LIVE! our vision was to create an opportunity for our community of in person and Twitter friends to come together to share and eat pie—simple. My roots kicked in and I kept inviting more and more people—I really didn’t want anyone to miss out! Ken likes a more intimate affair, but he got swept up in the frenzy and I caught his “Are you coming to #PiePartyLIVE tweets?” here and there to more and more people. I was super excited and a little scared because I wanted to have everyone and I didn’t want it to be a logistical nightmare! So I just said, “Sure come!” and kept my fingers crossed.

On the day, it was an absolutely perfect tri-state food community PIE BLOW OUT! We believe there were 74 different kinds of pies and even more people who love them at the party.

Everyone brought their A-game! Pie Party Potluck LIVE! was a reflection of the love, passion and enthusiasm of this ROCKING food community!!!! I really want to thank everyone who participated. It would not have been the SUCCESS it was without the contribution and presence of each of YOU!



The anticipation leading up to the event was palpable. As the list of pies folks were planning on making rolled in, the Twitter community was virtually tasting pies for weeks.

We were very lucky to get some cool door prizes for the event including one of the latest food processors from KitchenAid that everyone was vying for, awesome cookbooks from Abby Dodge, Pam Anderson, Brian Yarvin, Jennifer Iannolo & Mark Tafoya, Sarabeth Levine a gigantic Scharffenn Berger chocolate basket and more prizes from our generous donors.

I committed to making my Cupboard Harvest Pie with Gingered Greek Yogurt instantly since I wanted to set a good example. This was a feat for me because I always decide what I’m making at the last minute. I left the savory pie a mystery because it was. I knew it had to be gluten free because I wanted to make sure there were gluten free options for Jennifer Iannolo and any other gluten free people who wanted to come. I attempted a couple chick pea flour crusts leading up to the event, but they SUCKED. In the end, I decided to make a sushi rice, brown rice and quinoa crust with Italian parsley, bound with Jarlsberg and an egg white. I filled it with caramelized Vidalia onions, garlicky griddled tomatoes from my garden and a creamy egg wash, then topped it with a crunchy Jarlsberg and quinoa fricos crumble. I named it Jarlsberg Crunch Tomato & Onion Pie. I never got to taste it.

Unfortunately, neither did Jennifer. The only shadow on this otherwise perfect event was the plague of illness and circumstance that kept her, April, Wendy, Daniel, Silvana, Elina and others from being able to attend at the last minute. They were all missed. 


Pie Party Potluck LIVE! was a stupendous success! The staff at the Rodeo Bar was incredible. Lily and the crew really made us welcome and went out of their way to make sure the needs of every one of us were taken care. It was like being in a cowboy themed cocoon of love and caring. THANK YOU!!!! They even sent out food for us to taste. My favorite was the Cowboy Kisses—a whole shrimp nestled in a jalapeno wrapped in bacon—OMG!!! Check out their menu!

Things to do next time. Have someone cut a piece of every pie and pack and label them up for me. Yes, like a bride who missed out on the food at her wedding, I did not get to eat a lot of pie. A forkful was shoved in my face here and there and I managed to grab Margaret’s Coconut Caramel Pork Empanadas and the last half of Abby Dodge’s 5-Spice Brown Butter Pop Tarts with Apple Butter Filling. I laid in wait like a vulture for the Rodeo Bar’s Cowboy Kisses (you may notice some shots from the event have six kisses and others have only five…). But I only ate on the run.

After the guests took their fill of pies, I packed up a few pies, but only half of them made it to my house—I suspect pie thieves! I did score a few Dub Pies (had ‘em for breakfast—thank you to Gareth—He showed up with 50 assorted hot pies for our pie party guests—Outstanding!). Post party it was lovely to relax and quietly enjoy Winnie’s Boozy Black Raspberry - Sour Cherry Jalousie and Monique’s Honey, Thyme, Fresh Plums and Mike’s Hot Honey Ricotta Mini Cup Pies and George’s dad’s Heavenly Pie…

Pie Lovers Share Their Recaps of Pie Party Potluck LIVE!

Tara: Chip Chip Hooray
Justin: Just Cook NYC
Ken: Hungry Rabbit NYC
Rodney: Rodney Bedsole Food & Photos
Serena: Big Apple Nosh
Sarah: Fritos and Foie Gras
Alexandra: Blondie & Brownie
Pam: Three Many Cooks
Jennifer: Jennifer Baker Henry
Lisa: Jersey Girl Cooks
Angela: Mind Over Batter
Kate: Food Babbles
Alissa: Glamorous Snacker
Jen: Craftiness Now
Robin Shreeves: Pie Party Live brings virtual friends together: Mother Nature Network

There is a part of me that hates repeating the events, but this one and Chinese New Year Potluck were so much fun we MUST do it again. We’re planning to make Pie Party Potluck a semi-annual event . In the spring during stone fruits - berry season and then again in the fall. If you missed it, you really must come next time. If you’re are in the food biz and you’re not on my mailing list. You really should be, so sign up today:

Food Business People Who Can Get To NYC

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