Pies for Justice returns this year on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth with its first in-person bake sale, bringing together nearly 200 pies from about 40 chefs. Hosted by Gather for Good, the bake sale donates proceeds to support racial justice advocacy and underserved communities in Los Angeles.
This year marks the fifth annual Pies for Justice pie sale in honor of the Juneteenth holiday. It was launched in 2020 as an effort to push supporters to return to restaurants hit by post-pandemic debt and declining customers, according to Sherry Mandell, a farmer and co-founder of the community organization Gather for Good.
“It's not easy for people who own a restaurant right now, but they still continue to make time and space to [Pies for Justice]”said co-founder Steph Chen, pastry chef at Sugarbear Bakes. “It's amazing to see what chefs are aiming for even when they're trying to keep the lights on.”
Now that the event is in-person, attendees will be able to eat whole or sliced pies with coffee, cocktails and music this Saturday at ChowNow's headquarters in Culver City. The charity cakes will be prepared by around 40 chefs, from family-run micro bakeries to five-star hotels in Los Angeles, and will be supplied with ingredients from local farms. Participating chefs and restaurants include AOC, Destroyer, Funke, Hotel Bel-Air, Ronan and Rose Venice. (Wayfarer Bread in San Diego and Farmhouse at Roger's Garden in Corona del Mar are participating from outside of Los Angeles and will donate weekend proceeds from select menu items.)
A salted caramel apple pie with a flaky, buttery crust from Curtis Stone's Pie Room.
(Andrea D'Agosto)
All Day Baby, which plans to bake its pies on Saturday morning and deliver them to Pies for Justice, is selling a strawberry cream pie with a layer of fresh strawberries, soft whipped cream studded with freeze-dried strawberries, and buttery crust. Sam Robinson, All Day Baby baker, said she was excited to display a pie when she received an email from Pies for Justice, because it's strawberry season, of course, and the event aligns with her beliefs.
“I like to use my baking knowledge and skills whenever I can,” Robinson said. “In this particular profession you don't always have many opportunities to help others. [causes], You know. “You usually prepare food for the people who come every day.”
The pies for sale aren't just beloved American classics, however. Jordan Kahn's Destroyer is making a Murasaki yam custard cake, glazed with a thin layer of blackcurrant. The crust is made from spelled flour, aged sherry vinegar and Okinawan black sugar, and the filling, a combination of tender roasted yam with yam juice, rum and allspice, is aged overnight before being baked. morning of the event.
Savory pastries will also make an appearance. Fresh pizzas will be prepared on-site by Bianca Restaurant, Brandoni Pepperoni and Quarantine Pizza.
The event requires a ticket and the entry fee includes a raffle for a weekend getaway at Cuyama Buckhorn, a roadside resort in the high desert of Santa Barbara County.
Pies for Justice, which has raised more than $68,000 since its 2020 debut, is donating proceeds from tickets and pies to Peace4Kids and the Meeting for Justice this year, both past bake sale beneficiaries. Peace4Kids is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating community with youth in foster care in South Los Angeles. The Gathering for Justice is a criminal justice reform and racial equity organization founded by singer, actor, and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte.
The bake sale pays tribute to Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black people, which was formally made a holiday for Los Angeles city employees last year.
“It's a really great day, because these chefs are working so hard and they're exhausted and they want to do things for the greater good, but they're having a hard time doing it alone,” Mandell says. “We found that by bringing everyone together through Gather for Good, a substantial, positive impact can be made. It’s fun for them to see other chefs and be part of the chef community.”
Learn more about the Pies for Justice bake sale and purchase tickets at your website.
