As holiday season approaches the head-to-head battle between sweet potato pie vs. pumpkin pie is underway. For true pie connoisseurs, the battle might come down to their favorite place −besides mom’s kitchen− to get one.
»MORE: Places to buy delectable Thanksgiving pies in metro Atlanta
Thrillist and its foodie experts have possibly come up with the definitive list of pie shops just in time to couple your favorite apple, pecan, key lime, chocolate or chess pie with a cup of egg nog. The food and entertainment site recently published its “The Best Pie Shops in America” list. The writers gushed over how chocolate cream, fruit and more are all better once you place it in a “flakey pie crust.”
The editors also took a look at a variety of pie shops to come up with the top 18 pie spots in the U.S.
"You'll find fancy-pants new-school bakeries, old-school diners, holes-in-the-wall, baking empires, and everything in between. What do they all have in common? They're making the world a better place, one crust at a time," the article reads.
The South ruled Thrillist’s list, with spots like Sugar Bakeshop in Charleston, South Carolina, and Muddy’s Bake Shop in Memphis, Tennessee making the list for its “coconut-spiked take on the chess pie.”
Georgia, however, has the distinct bragging rights of being featured not one but two times on the national list of superior pie.
Here are the two Georgia pie shops that made “The Best Pie Shops in America” ranking:
Crave Pie Studios
Duluth, Georgia
Known for its artisan baked pies with fresh seasonal ingredients, Gwinnett’s Crave Pie Studios lands on Thrillist’s list. The unique combinations of flavors and pie crusts, like the cherry hazelnut ricotta, salted lavender honey and tequila key lime with salted pretzel crust, help the pie shop distinguish itself as the cremé de la cremé. Owner Briana Carson was given a special shout out in the article.
“...In up-and-coming Duluth, self-proclaimed pievangelist Briana Carson has spent the past decade turning Crave into an institution by embracing a wide spread of styles. Her chocolate bourbon pecan nods to Kentucky hooch and classes it up with Georgia pecans and Belgian sweets,” reads the editors’ review.
The best part is that the pies come in mini versions for personal pleasure.
Southern Baked Pie Company (Formerly Buttermilk Pie Company)
Gainesville, Alpharetta, Buckhead and Atlanta
University of Georgia graduate Amanda Wilbanks opened Southern Baked Pie Company, which was formerly known as Buttermilk Pie Company, in 2012 in Gainesville. The creative businesswoman championed her family’s recipes, all-butter pie dough and variety of gourmet flavors for her beloved pies. The shop is known for its national online order program. The care for each pie makes the difference, according to Thrillist editors.
“They take meticulous care in packing these pies for shipping so they arrive in pristine condition, and their customer service is prompt, courteous, and warm. Well, they are southerners, after all.”
For more on which national pie shops made Thrillist's list, read the full article.
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