Let Me Taste Your Wares [pie contest peeps, open]

[Ferris Macklin]

The fair day was not one of Ferris's days off, but his minions had conspired. They appreciated how hard he worked, and they'd all been to the fair before, so they put in for a day off for him and surprised him with it. Plus, the day before they'd shooed him out early so he could get some sleep and make his contest entry. He'd done so, packed a generous picnic lunch, the bag containing the ziplocs, first aid kit, paper towels, and kleenex from his duckie, and tucked away forty bucks in small bills in three different places on his person. To keep his contest entry looking good, Ferris walked his bike with the carefully boxed pie on the back rack.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Ferris did not consider himself a baker. He baked, baked well, and baked often, but Ferris didn't think desserts were his forte. But that didn't stop him from entering the fair's pie contest. The flurry of cathartic canning and preserving had left him feeling very done with berries and other more traditional pie fillings, and he didn't want to bring a cream-based pie in case the weather was hot. So his entry to the contest was a peach praline pie - a peach pie dressed up with a topping of pecan praline instead of a top crust that caramelized into the fruit nicely to add a deeper flavor and a bit of crunch. Best of all, it would taste just fine if it got a little warm.

After a trip on the Ferris wheel and a mosey through the booths (with a watermelon Blow Pop tucked into his cheek that he got as a consolation prize at the ring toss), he hung out at the pie contest area, taking a good gander at the other entries and having a good time talking with the other contestants.

[Barbara Robinson]

Barbara Robinson was the Ice Cream Lady. As owner of Shake, Sprinkle, and Roll, the frozen treat was simply what she was known for. But that didn't mean it was her only comestible passion; like any diner straight out of the 1950's, Shake's counter was lined with pies, cakes, and platters of fresh-baked cookies and brownies for customers to browse, pick, and eat (with a healthy helping of ice cream along with it, of course). Barbara prided herself on knowing her way around the kitchen.

So when it came time for the annual fair, Barbara knew she would be participating in the pie contest, just as she had in past years. She'd won once or twice, lost a couple of times, but always enjoyed showing off her culinary talents and checking out those of other Pilot Ridgers. And besides, she got to eat pie; what could be better?

When it was time to bake, Barbara was in a chocolate mood. In the past, she'd prepared fruit pies, but she wanted something dark and decadent this year, so she prepared a dark chocolate mousse pie for the occasion. It started with a chocolate graham cracker crust, which was filled with a dark chocolate mousse (basically melted dark chocolate stirred into some homemade whipped cream) and topped with more whipped cream. Dark chocolate shavings finished it out. It was a pretty simple recipe, and the 'sloppiness' of the whipped cream piled on top gave the pie a rustic yet accessible look.

This year, Barbara knew she was a shoe-in.

Having set up a stand of her own to sell some of her ice cream to hot, hungry fair attendees, Barbara kept her pie in a small cooler she'd brought from home so that it would keep cold before it was time for the contest. Ultimately, she temporarily closed her stand, heading over to the contest area, pie in hand. Finding herself a spot, she placed her pie down on the table, making sure the whipped cream hadn't shifted too much in transit.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh was well aware that he wasn't going to win. His baking attempts were still new, especially in comparison to the decades of experience many of Pilot Ridge's other citizens boasted. However, he found that he enjoyed baking, and so when enrollment for the pie contest came around he had immediately signed up.

Sean had teasingly lamented his inability to be a judge should Josh enter, but was (as expected) encouraging otherwise when the attorney had mentioned his interest in participating.

Unlike Barbara and Ferris his entry was simple, a blackberry pie without any toppings, not even whipped cream. But it had smelled so delicious in Sean's car on the drive over that he was proud of it nevertheless.

He had spent a good deal of time with his family, enjoying the games and the rides, until it became time for the contest. He had thus taken his leave of the others and made his way to the judging area. Already two of his competition were there, and he gave both of them a friendly wave in greeting.

"Ferris! Ms. Robinson! Enjoying the fair so far?"

He had made a stop by Barbara's booth earlier in the day, as her ice cream was something of a necessity at the community field day. She had been the only one there at the time, but he didn't know what arrangements she might have and so he asked, "is someone else watching your booth?"

[Eros Nau]

Eros approached the judging area cautiously, her pie box resting easily in hand. Upon telling her sister during their last call that there was a community fair in town, as well as a pie baking contest, she had been coerced, bribed, and otherwise argued with until she had agreed to enter. Going with a pie she knew would be something different, she'd whipped up a German Raspberry Pie, something that her sister had ensured her would win. Eros, however, was feeling a little dubious. It wasn't a pie that was overly sweet, like those she knew would be entered.

She set her pie down at the judging table and walked a little ways away from the other contestant, pulling out her ever present pack of cigarettes and lighting up, making sure her smoke wasn't interfering with the pies - she didn't want to encourage anger because of her smoking, but her nerves over the judging wouldn't permit her leaving her cigarettes at home.

She thought about her pie, sure that it would be thought of as sub-par to the others. She'd made a whole wheat, crispy, flaky pie crust that was thinner than it's white flour counterparts, and the filling, a combination of lemon zest, stiff-peaked egg whites, raspberries, honey and chopped almonds ensured that it was a delicious pie, but one that a health-conscious individual wouldn't have to feel guilty about afterwards. She hoped that that aspect would give her somewhat of an edge.

She exhaled smoke, smoothing out the outfit her sister had insisted she wore; a pair of lighter denim skinny jeans, black, high-heeled slingbacks, and a fitted black turtleneck, and her usual dark green and brown leather messenger bag gave her less of a loner appearance, though it did vault her already considerable height up another three or four inches. Her hair was down in messy waves, and in her bag was the pink, green, and light blue multi-colored apron that her mother had made for her years ago, that she always wore when she either baked or presented her baked goods. She'd don it once the judging began.

[Ferris Macklin]

Ferris didn't think experience counted in certain areas, and baking was one of them. Someone new to baking could turn out a more than serviceable pie, just as someone with a lot of experience could still screw the entire process up. Cough.

Either way, he smiled and nodded at the woman who placed her entry on the table. It looked delicious. Ferris had a weakness for chocolate pies.

His grin became delighted when Josh arrived though, and he gave an answering wave. "I am! My minions got me a day's vacation so I could see the field day and enter a pie."

He sniffed appreciably at Josh's. "Smells good! What kind?"

A young lady brought in her pie, of a kind Ferris had never seen before. But before he could ask her about it, she walked off for a smoke, and her body language seemed to say she didn't want to be bothered, so Ferris didn't try.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Blackberry. And which one of these delectable concoctions is yours?" Josh gestured toward the pies already resting on the table, the variety of flavors mingling together to form one delicious but difficult to differentiate smell.

The next contestant to appear looked a bit younger than the others so far, and although she promptly took herself off and began puffing away in what he assumed was pre contest jitters he was the sort of person who could and did ignore signals that socializing was unwelcome.

His thought process began with acknowledging that they were fellow contestants in a local baking contest, followed with observation that she was up against people older than herself. She seemed nervous,and whatever experience we had was probably not the same level as Ferris or Barbara, or even Riley.


The obvious conclusion was that her aloof posture meant only that she required a friendly greeting and reassurance that not everyone entered dealt with food professionally.

As such he bridged the distance between therm, offering a wave and smile. "Are you ready for the contest? I've never done this before, a but nerve wracking, isn't it?"

Tr smell of cigarette smoke, painstakingly avoided since he had promised to quit, created an unsettling yearning, and his fingers reached for a pack of cigarettes that were no longer there.

"I'm Josh, by the way, Josh Bernstein."

[Eros Nau]

Eros pulled on her cigarette and exhaled whenever the man approached her, being careful to blow the smoke downwind. Although she normally didn't care whether or not someone had a problem with her smoking, she was always respectful with her habits around food and those who baked it - even she could suffer a loss of appetite if the wrong smell surrounded a meal.

She nodded at his question, pulling her jacket closer around her as she was reminded of her nerves. "Yeah, I think so. This isn't my first contest, but the concept of judging always makes me nervous." She finished her cigarette, pulling out a small tin sealable ashtray and put it out inside, turning the lid on tight before putting the small circular container back in her pocket, and then held out her hand to shake Josh's.

"Eros Nau, nice to meet you."

[Riley Adams]

Riley was running late. He knew he was running late because Rina called him asking him why he wasn't at the fair. She had been hankering for some Riley pie and he wasn't even there. As it had been a slow day, Riley closed up shop and hung up the day off sign at the door and rushed back home to get his entry pie.

Thankfully he had done it the day before so all he needed to do was grab a quick shower and leave with the pie in a bag.

He had made a banoffee pie with a graham crust and a tart meringue swirl. He wasn't expecting to win but he did take his time with this recipe. He could have gone with his usual apple pie but he was quite proud with this banoffee pie as well.

Racing down to the field day area, he looked around for the pie booth and found Josh talking to Ferris, the man his fiance had helped the other day. The important thing was Josh was holding on to his pie entry. Bingo.

Walking over to them, he once again interrupted Ferris when he had company. Hopefully, this wouldn't be a pattern with the landscape artist and his hopefully new found friend!

"Ferris! Josh! Hi! Am I late for the pie entry?" He asked, a little flustered.

[Ferris Macklin]

Ferris grinned back. "One of the best pies for ice cream," he commented, and then pointed to the peach pie with the crumbly on top. "That one's mine."

When Josh left to approach the young lady, Ferris watched unobtrusively. If she was okay with it he'd go over and introduce himself too. In a way, he envied the lawyer's friendliness. Ferris had never considered himself shy, but Josh was so... nice.

Luckily he was saved from taking that train of thought any further down the line by - "Riley! No, they haven't started yet. Just plop it down anywhere." Ferris grinned, happy to see him. "How are you? Did you like the danish?"

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh accepted Eros' hand, giving it a firm shake. "Eros! The pleasure is all mine."

Pleasantries exchanged, he redirected his attention to the topic of the pie contest. "Ah, a veteran. Are the judges usually harsh? No, don't tell me if they are. This is my first time entering and I want to preserve what's elf of my nerves."

The arrival of Riley brought a wide smile to his lips and he beckoned at his friend. "And there's another pie contest veteran! Riley Adams, what took you so long? I was about to think we were going to have to call the contest off. Can't have a pie competition without Riley."

[Riley Adams]

He took a second to put his pie down before rejoining Ferris just as he asked of Riley's well-being. "I'm brilliant." Riley couldn't help but beam, his thumb instinctively rubbing against his ring finger. "Oh the danishes were beyond unbelievable." He reached forward to squeeze Ferris' arm. "Thank you and you must give me the recipe. Better yet, you should come over to my place and show me how you made it." Riley nodded with a wide grin.

When they were joined by Josh, Riley's smile widened before he started to blush a little at the teasing and waved a dismissive hand at the exaggerated claim the lawyer made.

"So many of the pies look extremely delicious this year. I'd probably end up eating half of it by day's end." He joked as he looked around. "Did you guys come alone?" He asked, looking at both men with his smile still intact.

[Ferris Macklin]

Riley had that glow of the newly engaged, and Ferris could not help smiling widely back. Messrs. Adams and Silverman seemed like very happy people, he couldn't imagine impending nuptials doing anything less. He was also happy the danishes had been received well. Ferris did not have that need to feed people that a lot of chefs did, but he was both prolific and generous and that was close to the same thing.

When the big man touched his arm, Ferris looked down at his hand for a moment, a little disconcerted, though his expression didn't slip. It was the sort of touch he was used to getting in aggression and not in thanks, and his signals had to straighten themselves out. But it only took a second, and what Riley was saying nicely covered any of Ferris's discomfort at the contact.

"Thank you and you must give me the recipe. Better yet, you should come over to my place and show me how you made it."

"Or you could come over to mine," he said. "But you're welcome to the recipe. It's pretty standard, I just dress it up a little with some extra filling and the glaze. I used strawberry preserves I put up myself this summer, that always adds something, I think."

When Josh ambled back over, Ferris grinned. "Next year we'll all be vets." Looking at Riley's entry, he asked, "Is that meringue? What's under it?"

The logical answer would be lemon, but if Riley was a baker it could be just about anything. At the question of if he came alone, Ferris nodded. "I did, but I knew I'd see a lot of people I knew here." Looking at Josh, he grinned. "And I brought extra sandwiches too."