As R&B Fills The Air, Mexican Sweet Corn Pie Takes The Prize

Some came for the tunes, some came for the pies, and others just came for the vibes.

That was the scene Monday evening as nearly 100 people gathered in Beecher Park behind Westville’s Mitchell branch library. They set up picnic mats and charcuterie spreads. at the second day of the Hi-Fi Pie Fest, which began last week with a berry pie baking competition. Thanks to more promising weather, this week’s edition included a resumption of live music and outdoor eating as well as the weekly pie-off.

The eight varieties of savory pie made for this week’s baking face-off sold out within the hour, with returning champion Libby Abraham taking home the winning prize.

Meanwhile, New Haven’s Manny James and his band performed a mix of soul and pop music for the Westville crowd.

“This is my first time performing in front of people since the pandemic!” said James. ​“I want people to go home feeling good about their day — thinking that they’ve seen something special.”

James, his guitarist Pete Greco, and trumpet player Tim Kane first performed at the Hi-Fi Pie festival in 2019. The trio has been making music together for 10 years. After performing several cover songs and originals, James sang the Temptations’ ​“My Girl” by The Temptations because he felt that the crowd ​“would enjoy the Motown energy”.

That guess was on the money for jazz and blues historian Ted Goetz, who has been coming to the Hi-Fi Pie festival for the past four years. Goetz and his friend Lynne Tourville set up lawn chairs right in front of James and his band.

“We love coming for the music,” said Goetz. ​“The atmosphere, in general, is invigorating and refreshing.”

Saxophonist Kane’s wife Jaime Kane and her friend Deidre Fox also came for the tunes. They have been coming to the Hi-Fi Pie festival ever since it first started in 2012; Kane used to help organize and serve the pies. This year the pair came to sample the pies themselves.

“I’d have trouble choosing which one I like better,” said Kane, who bought slices of returning baker Miriam Berkman’s Leek and Tomato Pie and a summer squash pie. Kane paired it with a cup of Gelato Giuliana’s coconut sorbet, which was sold at the event.

“We’ve just come off the heart of the pandemic, and entering back into these community events feels so great,” said Kane.

Berkman said her pie was an old favorite family recipe. Although she enjoys the pies, what really brought her back this week was the community.

“I really like the friendly neighborhood energy,” she said while standing in line for a slice of 13-year-old baker Sam Ridky’s Triple egg quiche — which boasted a flavor combination of cheddar, feta, spinach, chicken, and sausage.

Ridky, who helped serve the pies this week, said his quiche used duck, quail, and chicken eggs from his own backyard. He explained that his family started raising more birds to quell the boredom of quarantine.

Although there were four young competitors in last week’s berry pie category, only Ridky returned this week. Ridky said that’s because his cousins, including last week’s 12-year-old winner Vivian Balazs, weren’t in the city this Monday.

This week’s judges were Ana De Los Angeles, the owner of Amaru Peruvian Bistro and Manjares; and Gretchen Frazier, who won an honorable mention for her gluten-free pie in 2014. Although there were some quality contenders, both agreed on a clear winner.

“This is 100 percent the number one,” De Los Angeles said when sampling Libby Abraham’s Mexican Sweet Corn Pie. ​“The lime makes it very interesting, and the crust is so good!”

De Los Angeles said a good pie is distinguished by a flaky pastry and the composition of the layers of ingredients. She used to make many of her own apple, sweet potato, cranberry, and pecan pies when she first opened her restaurant.

For Frazier, a pie should have beautiful presentation and a simple but effective combination of ingredients. That’s what set Abraham’s pie apart for her.

“The lime is just a little sweet but not distracting,” said Frazier. ​“I love the way the layers are very distinctive from one another.”

Abraham was awarded a $75 gift card for food and drinks at Manjares and Amaru. The Ansonia High School teacher and mother of three is no stranger to the Hi-Fi Pie Fest. She has been coming to the festival for five years and has won two separate times for her ​“Corn and Custard pie” and her ​“Bakewell tart.”

“This year I looked at my favorite recipes and combined them into something seasonal,” said Abraham, who used corn from the Edgewood farmers market in her pie. ​“The crust and inside of my pie this year are two different recipes!”

Abraham said she combined the recipes because the cornmeal cheddar crust has a nice crunchy texture which paired well with the creaminess and juiciness of the corn inside. She added that without her 8‑year-old son Mordecai, the pie wouldn’t have been possible — he helped shuck the corn.

Meanwhile, Matthew Schmidt and his family won an honorable mention and a Hi-Fi Pie Fest T‑shirt for having the best presentation of their Borough Market Pasties. Schmidt collected the prize with his 10-week-old daughter Phillippa cradled in one arm.

“My daughter Theodora [Anderholt] took care of the presentation with the flowers in the basket,” said Schmidt. ​“My wife Charlotte [Anderholt] made the dough. I just made the filling and took the credit!”

Anderholt explained that the recipe was inspired by a pork pie the couple ate at Borough Market in London. She said they made the same pasties for the Hi-Fi Pie festival in 2018.

Katie Bradley won an honorable mention for her Roasted Curry Tomato pie, featuring jalapeno peppers, curry, turmeric, and onion. It was one of the dishes that pie fan Leo Taylor sampled when returning to the festival for the second week in a row.

Nine bakers competed. Head organizer and ​“Pie Boss” Naomi Senzer expects more people to bake next week in the stone fruit pie category.

“We have all been waiting so long to eat pie together,” said Senzer in a speech to the crowd. ​“It’s kind of unbelievable.”