Good Morning America
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Is the country’s best pie made in Colorado? Good Morning America is on a mission to find out with its United States of Pie competition. This lead-up to Thanksgiving includes stops in four cities where two businesses are going head to head, showing off their pie prowess. Then on Friday, November 18, the winners from each city will appear on GMA for the final showdown in its New York City studio, judged by chef, television personality, restaurateur and author Richard Blais; singer, actress and chef Patti LaBelle; New York Mets player Mark Canha; and GMA’s Lara Spencer.
The pie tour kicked off in Tampa and stopped in at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora on November 15. It will also swing through Chicago and Boston this week.
“These are two amazing family-owned companies,” says Eva Pilgrim, the Good Morning America Weekend co-anchor who was tasked with overseeing the competition in Colorado, where the 92-year-old Colorado Cherry Company pit its cherry pie against Colorado Springs’s 3.14 Pi Bar and its Black Bottom Bourbon Pecan. “I really think I got the best assignment, because these were the best two flavors on the list,” Pilgrim adds.
Ultimately, the judges, who included Denver Broncos player Kareem Jackson, radio DJ Chelsea Thomas and Matt James from The Bachelor, declared 3.14’s pie the best in the state, thanks to its combination of raw and roasted nuts, the non-traditional addition of a base layer of chocolate ganache, and its use of high-quality Colorado-made bourbon.
“We aren’t your average pie or traditional family-run business, and we think that’s exactly what sets us apart from the competition,” says 3.14 Pi Bar owner Becca Boudreaux. “We’re excited to be going to the final round of GMA‘s United States of Pie, and proudly represent Colorado with what we consider to be the best pie in America.”
Pilgrim is rooting for 3.14 as well. “They were both amazing pies, but I have a hard time believing anyone else can beat that pecan pie,” she notes. But her spouse, a cherry pie fan, may be the real winner as a result of her trip to Colorado, because Pilgrim took the goods from Colorado Cherry Company home for him to enjoy. “My husband was cheering,” she says.
The overall winner of the competition will win bragging rights along with a $10,000 prize, so tune in from 7 to 9 a.m. Friday to see if Colorado takes the cake…or, rather, the pie.
