Pie Judging at the Iowa State Fair
How does it work to be a pie judge at the Iowa State Fair? Let me walk you through the process from becoming a judge, to tasting the pie, to receiving a blue ribbon. First, you get “hired” by the Iowa State Fair Food Coordinator, Arlette Hollister. Arlette has held this position for 20-some years […]
Marcus: One Year Gone
August 19, 2010. The sun was shining, the humidity high, the heat penetrated the growing corn as I laid in bed in Des Moines, Iowa. I woke up at 8:03 and with my head still on the pillow I watched the digital clock as the numbers ticked by until they reached 8:36, which is 6:36 […]
Happiness is…the Iowa State Fair
(Photo: Pork Chop On a Stick, an Iowa favorite. Mine too!) You may have noticed I haven’t updated my blog in a week. That’s because since the moment I arrived in Iowa last week I’ve been very busy…eating, at the Iowa State Fair. My days as a pie judge here have been so full I […]
How Far Would You Drive For Pie?
Another journey begins. I will make a 1,700-mile drive from Los Angeles to Des Moines, Iowa — all because of pie. To eat pie. Lots and lots of pie. Homemade pie. Competitive pies at the Iowa State Fair. When you think about the reality of this it makes you wonder, doesn’t it, just how much […]
Featured in the Des Moines Register
If you read my last post about being a trapeze artist afraid to let go of the swing, then you will be happy to know I have managed to pry my fingers loose from the bar. I moved out of my Portland apartment on Saturday, stashed my returned deposit check in my wallet, and hit […]
Obama Eats Pie in Ottumwa, Iowa — My Birthplace!
The news this week has been full of stories about Obama’s love for pie. Friends have been sending me links to the various articles after Obama’s senior advisor David Axelrod went on Jay Leno’s show and talked about Obama’s pie obsession. But this isn’t new news. Obama was preaching pie power during his presidential campaign. […]