Slow Food Miami, an organization that encourages sustainable methods of growing, cooking, and eating local food, held its Thighs and Pies fund-raiser on September 10 at Barnacle Historic State Park. More than 110 people attended the outdoor tented event, which included a pie baking contest, free giveaways like pie makers from Breville Appliances, and a fried chicken lunch with thighs and wings prepared by Sustain Restaurant + Bar.
Around 20 contestants submitted pie recipes using a locally sourced main ingredient. Judges were Lee Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival; Hedy Goldsmith, pastry chef at Michael's Genuine; Ariana Kumpis, president of Les Dames d'Escoffier Miami; and Victoria Pesce Elliott, The Miami Herald restaurant critic. They blind-tasted pies spread out over picnic tables. First prize went to a strawberry mascarpone tart with balsamic glaze made by Casa Valentina, a not-for-profit which helps young women move out of the foster-child system into independence. A mango crumble took home second place, and two seven-year-olds took home third and fourth places with ginger mango pie and muscadine grape pie.
