My roadside attractions are cinnamon rolls, doughnuts and especially pie. Continue reading
Tag Archives: pie
The Best Hand Pies In and Around Denver
(This piece originally appeared online in 5280 Magazine) By John Lehndorff 1/9/20 Maybe it’s a sign of our selfish times, but I don’t want a piece of the pie, I want my own pie. My current obsession is hand pies, not plate-bound slices topped with whipped cream. As I type this with one hand, I’m eating … Continue reading
Pie has been on Boulder minds through thick, thin times
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Originally published in the KGNU Program Guide 2019; kgnu.org) In the late 1800s, pie was kind of a big deal in Boulder. Early on, white settlers planted lots of rhubarb, pumpkins and apple trees and the crop often ended up in pies. They got sweeter as the area became known for beet … Continue reading
The Top 100 Most American Foods
(This Nibbles column was originally published 20 years ago in the Boulder Daily Camera and distributed nationally by the Scripps Howard News Service) By John Lehndorff Scripps Howard News Service (Oct 14th, 1998) All I had to do was mention that I was compiling a list of the 100 greatest American foods, and people would start … Continue reading
Good gourd: Of lattes, lies and real pumpkin pie spice
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Originally published in the October 2017 issue of Sensi magazine) The harbingers of autumn fill the chill air. It’s that special season of sweaters, colorful leaves, football, early sunsets and a scary infestation of horrific pumpkin spice products. Will you be stocking up on Peanut Butter & Co. Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter, … Continue reading
Stop navel gazing and push the citrus envelope
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Boulder Weekly 1/19/17) I asked a lot of big questions when I was a kid, some spiritual and some practical. Maybe that was a clue to my journalistic future. One day, I was eating a lemon Jello salad dotted with grated carrots and canned mandarin oranges. I remember wondering: “Where the heck … Continue reading
Zen and the Art of Apple Pie: Be the Dough to Achieve Your Flaky Bliss
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (From the Nov. 2016 issue of Sensi: sensimag.com/2016/11/01/126387/november-2016-digital-edition First there is that apple-y cinnamon/caramel steam that grabs you by the nose. Then you see the whole pie emerge from the oven and, finally, a warm apple pie wedge whose juices mingle the melting vanilla bean gelato. You take a bite and … Continue reading
Being a pie judge is not for wimps
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Nibbles column, Boulder Weekly, 9/1/16) Being a pie contest judge sounds like a lot of fun, but you aren’t qualified just because you like pie a lot. You can’t have a cold or any food allergies or aversions, and you can’t be a wimp. I’ve seen neophyte judges who realized their problem … Continue reading
How to win a pie contest (by a pie judge)
By JOHN LEHNDORFF I’ll be spending part of my Labor Day weekend in the land of pie. On September 3 I’ll be the chief judge at the Hay Days Pie Contest in Hygiene . On September 5 I’ll be judging pies in Louisville. We need more pies and competitors to keep pie … Continue reading
‘American as apple pie’ means it was invented elsewhere and came here as an immigrant
(Happy July Fourth! This was written October, 2008): I believe in pie. My favorite food, bar none, is warm, fresh wild blueberry pie a la moded with good vanilla bean ice cream. But my faith transcends simple taste. When push comes to shove (as it so often does in life), I trust what lies within … Continue reading
Pie Times: Tis the season of things in crust
By John Lehndorff (Lafayette CO Oct. 26, 2015) – Welcome to our annual Pie Times, 30 pie-loving days of recipes, news and crust tips until Thanksgiving Day, the one day Americans consume actual pumpkin pie with their pumpkin pie spiced lattes. Honestly, pie stays on our minds through the holidays until America’s greatest holiday, National Pie Day, … Continue reading
Pie with cheese: Ancient pairing tradition or an a-la-mode travesty?
I have tasted some horrible apple pie in my decades as a pie judge
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Chefs, sommeliers, pickle makers need to be poster-, blogger-, and Tweeter-in-chief
By John Lehndorff Once upon a time (which was not so long ago), restaurants and other food businesses only needed to mail out a handful of press releases to food writers, critics and media to attract attention. Today’s chefs, caterers and bakery owners now face a complex digital landscape littered by blogs, video posts, Instagram, Twitter, … Continue reading
Found in the freezer: A stuffing for all seasons
By John Lehndorff (April 1, 2015) – I found the flattened package hidden behind plastic container of broth, green chile and whole bananas in the freezer the other night. It’s my last package of stuffing from Thanksgiving 2014. Butter-infused mashed potatoes are melded with crumbled and fried hot Italian sausage plus onions, sage and the … Continue reading
Why is there no National Museum of Pie?
By John Lehndorff (January 17, 2015) – There is no National Museum of Pie. There is a Baked Bean Museum in Port Talbot, Wales. There’s a potato museum in Bruges. You can visit a currywurst museum in Berlin, a ham museum in Madrid, and a museum devoted to mustard in Doesburg and a chocolate museum … Continue reading
Giving thanks for food journalism, the right stuffing and a perfect pie
By John Lehndorff (November 22, 2014) – Ten years ago today I stood in a corner of the kitchen at Rioja restaurant in Denver on opening night with my pad and pen in hand. I went home and finished my year-long research chronicling the birth of a restaurant. It would become a 16-page, advertising free … Continue reading
Should pumpkin pie be Colorado’s state pie?
By John Lehndorff (Sept. 27, 2014) In 1896, the Boulder Daily Camera advertised a Sunday meal at the original Hotel St. Julian whose grand finale was rhubarb pies and lemon pies. In the 1950s Jack Kerouac ate apple pie in Longmont and enshrined it a la mode in “On the Road.” In 1975 Charlie Papazian … Continue reading
Food writing secrets and green chile adventures in Colorado
By John Lehndorff June 5, 2014 – The thing I’ve loved about being a food journalist for 30-plus years has been the variety of roles I’ve gotten to play in pursuit of a decent meal. I’ve been a short order cook, food columnist, caterer, blogger, cooking instructor, food editor, dining critic, food radio host and … Continue reading
Colorado road food: Pork bao, Congolese coffee, and Cuban sweet rolls
By John Lehndorff May 23, 2014 – The warm, green debut of a Colorado summer season inspires many desires including the need to hit the road to find great culinary moments. Besides stopping at the China Jade in Aurora (above), I’ve recently found some other tastes that are worth the drive. Among them: * Congolese … Continue reading
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Colorado’s culinary history is deep-dish and double-crusted
March 13, 2014 – American Food Roots is a relatively young organization with a mission I support: Chronicling and celebrating the culinary traditions of all 50 states. For National Pie Day (January 23), they interviewed me about Colorado’s pie connection. In a circular way, I’ll pass it on in honor of National Pi Day (March … Continue reading
Nibbles 