Hello Friends,

Well, this week didn't turn out as I thought it would.

If you haven't already heard we decided to cancel PieFest due to protests on the UCLA campus. As I spent yesterday exchanging dozens of texts and emails with colleagues a few thoughts came to me with absolute clarity. The KCRW events team are rock stars. I already knew this. Planning for pie is monumental with many moving parts that are quite different than the hundreds of music events they organize each year. Their grace and support under this particular kind of pressure in the face of dismantling everything is impressive. Thank you, Melanie, Krissy, Liv, and Maggie.

All day yesterday and into the evening my mind kept turning to the bakers of course, and to the vendors who would have populated the marketplace. We asked each of the vendors to bring at least 200 servings of whatever type of food they were offering. These are small businesses that can ill afford to waste money and time. Please follow them on IG and support them over the following days and weeks as they find other ways of selling the product they prepared. You will find a list of their social handles in the bottom box of this email. To the judges, the crème de la crème of SoCal baking, journalism, and food writing, thank you for receiving the news so graciously. I look forward to when we reconvene.

As for you bakers, thank you always for your enthusiasm, commitment, kindness, and understanding in the face of the cancellation. We know you look forward to this event all year. I would ask each of you to go ahead and bake your pies this weekend and share them. Maybe some of you can reach out to one another to create a few meetups. At the very least go have a pie picnic or share slices with friends and neighbors. Or have it for breakfast. I've always thought that fruit pies make a spectacular breakfast. I love the idea of pies appearing all over LA. If you do decide to go ahead and bake, please share pics with me. 

And if you want to see me in a different context, next Thursday, come to The Sporkful Live! at Chow Now with Dan Pashman, hosted by Andy Richter. Our friends at Now Serving LA are organizing the event.

Scroll down to explore this week's show. And to see the roll call of food vendors to support.

Thank you, Evan

Korean food is exploding, not just here in LA but globally. Chef Deuki Hong (who runs an ice cream shop and two bakeries in San Francisco) and journalist Matt Rodbard (the editor-in-chief of Taste) prove the cuisine knows no borders with their latest venture, Koreaworld, which explores the influences on Korean cuisine and its impact on the world. "With this book, we were attempting, and I believe we succeeded, in crystallizing a modern Korean cuisine or a modern Korean vocabulary for food. It's not the cannon. It's not the 'uncle food' that we wrote about in Koreatown almost a decade ago." This book really captures the modern spirit of Korean cuisine, and through the recipe list, it's pretty different than some may think. 

The ability to pump gas and grab a cookie is the twofer I need. These days, people often show up just for the cookies. Arezou Appel sells up to 3,000 of them a day. Texture and flavors are crucial. A crisp exterior, a soft center, and different notes of chocolate are hallmarks of her creations. From the graham cracker to the marshmallow, everything is made at the gas station. Her story is one of those stories that may inspire you to follow your bliss.

Vegan pies are riddled with challenges. "I feel like one of the biggest mistakes that I see is sometimes people are trying to aim too high or overachieve," says Jennifer Yee, the proprietor of Bakers Bench, a Chinatown bakery known for its plant-based croissants and other baked goods. "I don't have to have a vegan crème brûlée pie," she remarks. A delicious blueberry or strawberry pie can win a ribbon.

A few years back, Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful podcast, began a quest to create a new pasta shape. He aired details of the quest, dubbed "Mission Impastable," on his podcast, and the resulting shape, "Cascatelli," became a success. It was named one of the best inventions of 2021 by Time Magazine. What does one make with cascatelli? Pashman, an inveterate tinkerer, has ideas. His new cookbook is Anything's Pastable. Check out the recipe for Mapo Tofu Cascatelli from Andrea Nguyen.

The markets are kicking off this week with an abundance of seasonal offerings chief among them, strawberries! Inspired by seasonal Southern California ingredients, chef Arnie Marcella seeks out strawberries at the farmers market. He'll put them to work at Cobi's where he uses local produce to create Southeast Asian-inspired dishes. (In 2023, the Santa Monica restaurant was named a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which recognizes refined cuisine at affordable prices.) Oxnard-based Tamai Family Farms is one of the most popular strawberry vendors at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Gloria Tamai recommends sealing strawberries, keeping them in the refrigerator, and not washing them until they are ready to be eaten. 

The contest is postponed for now, but we're already talking about when we can next gather to celebrate the circular treat. Meanwhile, here is a list of the food vendors who prepared to sell at Sunday's PieFest. Please shower them with orders over the next few weeks.

@bronzedaussie @bubandgrandmasbread @burritoslapalma @caffeluxxe
@cobblermania @daipiedong_la @gu_grocery @kornerknafeh @larooloo @linguafrancarestaurant @marcies_pies @mijabakes @mortandbettys
@nuvo_olive_oil @petitgrainboulangerie @pi00a  @thepieroombycurtisstone 
@republicofpie @southerngirldesserts  @toptep.popup @waxpaperco