A huge congratulations to the hundreds of home cooks and professionals who competed in the 10th annual KCRW Good Food Pie Contest! On Sunday, April 28, thousands of KCRW listeners and pie fanatics gathered at UCLA’s Royce Quad for our biggest contest ever.

This year’s panel of judges included fresh faces such as David Chang of Majordomo/Momofuku, pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, KCRW host Josh Barro, and more. They tasted some 500 pies in nine categories, including a special Levantine cuisine category, coordinated with the Fowler Museum.

Last year, a cream pie won the “Best in Show” award. This year it was a cooked custard that took home top honors: Edlyne Nicolas’ Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie.

Best in Show



“Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

“Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie” by Edlyne Nicolas

Pastry chef Isa Fabro said, “This unassuming and understated pie was the competition’s dark horse -- a characteristic indicative of the Custard category. But the balance between the earl grey’s acidity, warm honey sweetness, and the sea salt’s brightness made for the most harmonious pie and best candidate for Gold’s Greatest.”

Best Crust



“Blue Malou.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Blue Malou.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

“Blue Malou” by Sarah Cho

Made with European butter, Sarah Cho’s crust wowed judges with its remarkable flakiness despite having a juicy fruit filling. That’s a difficult thing to pull off, noted judge Sherry Yard.

Best Decor

“Rose Baklava Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Rose Baklava Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

“Rose Baklava Pie” by Dashiell Nathanson

Dashiell Nathanson’s pie decor stood out for its stunning “sugar cage,” inspired by a recipe from Le Cirque in New York.

Vegan

“Apple Brown Sugar Crumble Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Apple Brown Sugar Crumble Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

1st place: “Apple Brown Sugar Crumble Pie” by Christin To

2nd place: “Vegan Blackberry Pie” by Chrissie Enlow and Emily Rosenfelt

3rd place: “Apple Crumble” by Jeanne Ackerman

Apple

“Mighty Little Apple Bombs.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Mighty Little Apple Bombs.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

1st place: “Mighty Little Apple Bombs” Angela Matsuoka

2nd place: “California Rosé Apple Pie” by Yuko McCollum

3rd place: “Apple Pie” by Nancy Shuman

Fruit

"Old Fashioned Berry Pie with Orange Zest & Angostura Bitters.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

1st place: “Blue Malou” by Sarah Cho

2nd place: "Old Fashioned Berry Pie with Orange Zest & Angostura Bitters” by Kim Nguyen

3rd place: “Rhubarb Cherry Tart” by Susan Trimble

Cooked Custard

" Kentucky-Style Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Brown Sugar Shortbread" Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

1st place: “Salted Earl Grey Honey Pie” by Edlyne Nicolas

2nd place: Kentucky-Style Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Brown Sugar Shortbread by Bertram Seabrooks.

3rd place: Buttermilk Pie by Joshua Morgan.

Savory

“Korean Braised Short Rib Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Korean Braised Short Rib Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

1st place: “Korean Braised Short Rib Pie” by Jenny Hu

2nd place: “Chicken Mushroom & Ale Pie” by April Lillard

3rd place: “Savory Sweet Potato Pie” by Erica Quenville

Cream

“Coconut Cream Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Coconut Cream Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

1st place: “Coconut Cream Pie” by Susan Trimble

2nd place: “Banoffee Pie” by Pauline Morand

3rd place: “Coconut Cream with Ube Ganache” by Edlyne Nicolas

Nut

“Pecan Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Pecan Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

1st place: “Pecan Pie” by Hector De Haro

2nd place: “German Chocolate Pie” by Tiffany Swanson

3rd place: “Salted Honey Bourbon Walnut” by April Lillard

Kids



“Mango Cream”. Photo credit: Celeste De Los Santos



1st place: “Mango Cream” by Noah Coleman

2nd place: “Strawberry Rhubarb” by Olivia Prince

3rd place: “Cookies & Cream” by Imogen Freiwald

Levantine

“Tahini & Honey Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW “Tahini & Honey Pie.” Photo by Kenny Ng/KCRW

1st place: “Tahini & Honey Pie” by Kristen Beasley

2nd place: “Rose Baklava Pie” by Dashiell Nathanson

3rd place: “Choco Pom Stachio Pie” by Allison Brooker