I had been in Ithaca for only a week and there I was, sitting in the back of a bar peddling pies, being fondly referred to as the 'pie lady.' I was in my second month of the tour of pie, and slowly getting the hang of being a traveling pie baker. Ithaca in October is unimaginably beautiful. The town is nestled up against the cool beauty of Lake Cayuga and surrounded my magnificent plunging waterfalls. I arrived on the cusp of fall when the leaves were slowly crisping and turning from green to gold or red. The farmer's market was lush with fall produce. Orange pumpkins peeking out from behind mountains of kale and pyramids of freshly picked apples.
I had spent four years in Ithaca during undergrad, making lifelong friends, reveling in the surrounding beauty, spending a lot of time rolling around on studio floors in order to discover myself and 'the actor within' and eventually walking away with a BFA in Acting. It was only fitting that there be a stop on the tour in Ithaca. It was 'gorges.' There was an overwhelmingly large and wonderful supply of local produce. And most importantly, there were friends there who understood the desire to follow a dream and were ready to help in any way they could.
Which is how I came to be in the back of Felicia's Atomic Lounge with an assortment of teeny pies arrayed in front of me. Because here's a universal truth that I'm not sure many people know: drinks and pies, pies and drinks... they are the perfect pair. They go hand in hand in ensuring that you have a wonderful night. Just imagine sipping on a delightfully strong hot toddy, letting the honey and lemon coat your throat while the whiskey makes its warm way to your belly. The tiniest of pumpkin pies shares your cocktail napkin, still slightly warm and also tasting of honey with a dash of cinnamon and allspice. In my ideal world that is a quintessential fall night to be shared with friends old and new.
To read further ramblings of a lady pie baker go to teenypies.tumblr.com