SEATTLE — Chris Porter, AKA, "The PIe Guy," started A La Mode Pies in 2009. Between their Phinney Ridge and West Seattle locations, they make 40,000 pies a year, plus, they give lessons! None of us had ever made a pie before, so we thought we'd give it a go. With an expert instructor like Chris at the helm, we felt we were in good hands.
But is pie really, "easy as pie" to make? Chris says its true, "If you have a good teacher."
There's lots of secrets in the mix. A La Mode Pies is "all about the butter bits," and uses real butter. "All that great butter melts into the pie," instructs Chris, "But the pocket that is left behind, is the flake that breaks apart when it hits your tongue."
When it comes to rolling dough Chris' advice is to, "Start with a smash and then just attack it."
We learned to make Apple-Ginger-Pear pies, "The Mt. Rainier of Pies" as Chris calls them, because of the huge mound of filling that goes in the middle, and Marionberry pies with a fancy woven crust.
Kim came out of the class feeling empowered to, "attempt to make my own pie for the holidays," and plans on rewarding her own effort by returning to A La Mode Pies to, "buy one of theirs."
Our group is pretty competitive but Chris declared, "No clear winners in this kitchen." And that's ok with us, because as Jim says, "Winners get pie, losers get pie, everybody gets pie!"
A La Mode Pies holds their 2-hr pie making classes in both of their locations.Sstudents bake a seasonal pie they can take home with a pint of ice cream and sample lots of other pies. Yum! You can sign up individually or book private classes for groups of 5 or more. It's a great idea for team building workshops. Check the website for class schedules and availability.
A La Mode Pies Phinney Ridge, 5821 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103, West Seattle 4225 Alaska St. Seattle, WA 98116
