Pie Breakfast: thankful for local tradition

Casey Marsh laughing with some of her fellow organizers and guests at Pie Breakfast on Thanksgiving at Lucky Ones Coffee Shop. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke.

PARK CITY, Utah — It’s easier to describe what Pie Breakfast is not. It’s not a competition, it’s not a fundraiser, and it’s not a meeting. No performances happened, no speeches were delivered, and no PR sought. 

On Thanksgiving morning, 500 – 700 close personal friends and family of the organizers received a coveted personal invitation and jumped at the opportunity to simply gather and eat pie. 

Aside from the usual suspect flavors Americans shared over the holiday weekend, these homemade pies included crowd-pleasingly creative concoctions such as Halloween Candy Pie, Hot Chocolate Pie, Cherry Pineapple Dump Pie, Banana Bread Pie, Chocolate Chip Pie, Bourbon Chocolate Pie, Funfetti Cake Pie, Chocolate Ganache w/ Raspberries, Creme Brulee Pie, and what self-respecting Park City table would be complete without the Paleo Pumpkin Pie. There were 120-130 pies prepared by 20-30 volunteers in total. One of the many things attendees were thankful for was that none of the dogs running around inside and out tasted any of them.

The biggest day of the year at the cash register of Lucky Ones Coffee Shop, where this non-event event was held, made it a win-win.

The above-mentioned numbers are, admittedly by organizers, nonspecific. Even whether this was the 19th, 21st, or 23rd annual Pie Breakfast after starting in the kitchen of a few “ski bum roommate dudes” years ago is unclear, and no one’s counting. Those ski bums today are husbands, fathers, business owners, teachers, and local government leaders. 

Some attendees, clad in the college-logo hoodies worn home for the holidays, played football in the snow in the adjacent field, that is, those who weren’t in pajamas, flip flops, or ski boots.