In the first Eater Bakes competition, five staffers competed to see who could make the best cake at home during quarantine. In the second competition, another set of staffers face off to see who makes the best pie.
The five competitors had three hours to make their pies, and had to film the entire process themselves. With no way to taste the pies, judges — Eater editor-in-chief Amanda Kludt, Eater’s restaurant editor Hillary Dixler Canavan, and expert baker and Eater Young Gun ‘19 Zoe Kanan — rated them based on ambition and appearance.
Eater Director of Editorial Strategy Sonia Chopra chose a familiar and nostalgic route. “I have made my pie before, it’s kind of sentimental and means a lot to me,” says Sonia, presenting her mango pie with a strawberry cheesecake layer on top. “I’m very very excited to have a reason to bake that’s not sheer boredom,” says Senior Social Media Manager Adam Moussa. “I have been baking the hell out of this quarantine.” Adam chooses to make salted lemon meringue pie, a recipe from Detroit’s Sister Pie bakery cookbook. Social Media Manager James Park invented a pie based on another beloved treat, boba tea, by concocting brown sugar boba tea pie. Editor Monica Burton chose a black bottom oat pie, a smitten kitchen recipe adapted from Brooklyn pie shop Four and Twenty Blackbirds, and Project Manager Patty Diez picks a ruffled milk pie, using homemade filo dough.
Each contestant takes us through the steps for their pies from crust to filling to decoration. Most seem quite confident and excited about their results, and there are some mishaps along the way, but there can be only one winner. Watch to see who is crowned the winner of Eater Bakes—pie edition.