Cville Pie Down: The Verdict

OK, so I didn’t win the Pie Down. But you know, I feel just as good about the whole experience as I would if I had won. (And I’ll be back. Rocky Balboa didn’t win his first fight, either.)

The Pie Down was so much fun — so many people were there and those who weren’t were following along online. It’s a fantastic social media/community building story, appropriately covered by the Daily Progress and NBC-29 (traditional media) as well as the place where it all started: Twitter.

There are SO many people to thank and recognize, so many who made the C’ville Pie Down a huge success:

Steve Whitaker, who took the ball and RAN like Forrest Gump

Jamie Schwartz, who wondered, online, who makes the best pie and who gave prizes to both competitors (because she’s just sweet like that)

Joe Meade, judge and enthusiast, who brought his four adorable children to the event

Cindy Maisannes, judge and cheerleader, promoting the heck out of the Pie Down all along

Sara Gould, judge who loves the chance to meet up with the C’ville Twitter gang (she works in Crozet and doesn’t often get to see us)

Mayor Dave Norris, (yes, he’s my personal friend Dave, too) who remained impartial and as usual, showed up without his security detail to mingle amongst the people.

Congressman Tom Periello for actually showing up, to the delight of many, because we invited him via Twitter.

A HUGE thank you to Mollie Bryan, our special guest; cookbook author and pie-love spreader, Mollie gave Brian and I each a copy of her new book, Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies which is delightful (yes, I read it last night) and deeply appreciated.

Thank you to Barbara Hutchinson of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, who donated a fabulous prize basket filled with all kinds of baking and cooking goodies (and my consolation prize of a very appropriate bottle of wine).

To Dan at Mudhouse Coffee for being an incredibly generous and wonderful host. (We love coffee with our pie!)

To Jennifer McKeever, esquire, who notarized the results, which means it’s official, Brian Geiger is the C’ville Pie Master (of spring, 2009; no, I’m not bitter).

Thank you to all of you who attended (and WOW there were a LOT of you) and/or followed along online. Photos and video of the event will appear on www.cvillepiedown.com in the next week or so.

And finally, the biggest thank you of all must go to The Food Geek himself, Brian Geiger, for accepting my “INSANE” challenge, for driving his wife Melanie nuts with his persnickety picking of perfect strawberries, for practicing pies (because I made him) and for showing up. Brian, you’re wonderful, and your pies are too.

I plan to return (and hope I’m not the Susan Lucci of local pie competitions) in the fall for the second Pie Down, planned for Crozet. I’m already thinking of apple pies, and pumpkin pies . . . and I bet you are, too.