For the Love of Pie

The Pie Bake A' LA Beverly Hills & Pietsa at the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market did not disappoint this year, with a winning pie that was just as good as the story behind its creation.

Melani Shaum took the top prize for her olallieberry pie at the June 10 event, but getting the main ingredient for the delicious dish required quite a journey.

A Beverly Hills resident and market regular, Shaum has entered the contest many times before, but this was her first victory. She decided to make olallieberry pie but then discovered the berries were not yet ripe along the Central Coast, so she called a few farmers and drove 700 miles to get to some olallieberries that were ripe enough. The final result was a winning pie.

Congrats to Shaum and the rest of the winners:

• First Place—Melani Shaum for her Olallieberry Pie 
• Second Place—a tie between Jen Bradshaw and Elexcy Morgan
• Third Place—Jacqueline Brand
• Most “Pieutiful” (Beautiful)—Elexcy Morgan for his Key Lime Pie 

The judges this year were City Manager Jeff Kolin, Recreation and Parks Commissioner Robbie Anderson, Jewish Journal Publisher/Editor Rob Eshman, Urth Café Executive Chef Andrew Raab, and Director of the Institute of Domestic Technology Joseph Shuldiner.

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