A Slice of Bucktown

What does one do on a rainy Sunday afternoon (and when I say rainy, I mean monsoon-like showers)? ... Well go to an apple pie competition of course! Two confessed pie-aholics, Jason and I caught wind of a local baking competition and had to go. Strictly pies, strictly apples, this was Bucktown's 8th annual bake-off. Three rooms filled with over a hundred pies to try. The competition was divided into two categories: professional and amateur with first, second, and third place winners for each group. Tickets were purchased at the door and then turned in for slices of your choice. After scooping the place out we decided on a chai apple pie, a vanilla custard apple pie, and a cinnamon crumble apple pie. What was really impressive was the diversity in crusts. Very artistic. Everything from lattice to crumble and layered leaves to a buck (deer bust) made of cinnamon. We headed home with full bellies, achy teeth, and some real ins-pie-ration!