#142: Mom and Apple Pie

A short documentary on sounds, textures, and sugar.

In 2009, when I was living in Seattle, I received an email out of the blue from Xurxo Martinez, a Spanish journalist who at that time was finishing up a Master of Communications in Digital Media at the University of Washington. He had found me through some Seattle press pieces that featured my love of teaching pie making. In his email, he wrote that he wanted to do a short documentary on sounds, textures, and sugar as the final project for his degree and Pie and I fit the bill. It sounded interesting so I said, “Sure.” We set up a time to meet and for him to check out the house and kitchen where he would be filming.

It’s been years since he filmed me making & baking, and sharing my thoughts about pie, but when I saw it today I decided to share it with you. When watching Xurxo’s piece after so many years, I see that my reasons for sharing the craft of pie making have stayed the same and I feel so incredibly blessed that teaching and writing about it brings a little joy to others.

After he returned to Spain, Xurxo and I stayed in contact and on a trip back to Washington he made the trek out to Port Angeles to visit me at Pie Cottage. We drove out to Neah Bay and walked the trail to Cape Flattery, the most northwesterly tip of the contiguous lower 48 States. Xurxo had promised his niece that we would stop in Forks where all the Twilight vampire books take place. (I did try reading one but it’s just not my cup of tea.) He was surprised at how small Forks is and that there isn’t too much to do there other than going to the local general store, where he bought a souvenir to bring back to his niece, and stopping at the Forks Logging Museum for a quick picture with “Bella’s Truck” to prove he was actually there. When we returned to Pie Cottage, he cooked a fabulous meal that was shared by friends who came over, and I made a pie…apple, of course.

Xurxo and Bella’s Truck in 2012. (Photo by me)