A Sweet Way to Celebrate Pi Day
Pi Day takes place on March 14 to honor the symbol used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14. In addition to being a day for math enthusiasts, it has become known as a day to enjoy and celebrate pie.
“People love pie for many reasons, but my favorite reason is the nostalgia,” said Tonya Saidi, owner of Mamma Toledo’s, which has a truck that sells pies at farmers markets and events, and a store in North Phoenix with more than 50 flavors of pie. “My pies are special in the way that people have found the pie like their grandma used to make, and it takes them back to a great childhood memory.”
The best pies are made from scratch with quality ingredients. “All our fruit is sourced from the state in which it is best known, like peaches from Georgia, wild blueberries from Maine, cherries from Michigan and berries from Oregon. We import chocolate from Belgium for all our chocolate pies, and we only use real whipped cream,” said Cheryl Standage, owner of Piefection, which has locations in Scottsdale and Mesa.
Piefecton’s bestselling pies change from season to season. Current favorites for strawberry season include strawberry coconut cream, strawberry lemonade cheesecake and strawberry chocolate cream.
“Pies are a dessert of comfort,” said Dana Dumas, CEO and head chef at SugarJam The Southern Kitchen in Scottsdale, which serves brunch in addition to baked goods. “My made-from-scratch pies are made with love and flavor. I marinate my apples and other fruits used in my pies, so they soak in the flavors.”
Some of SugarJam’s most popular pies are bourbon pecan, Southern sweet potato, apple and cherry crumb.
On Pi Day, Piefection will sell select slices of pie for $3.14 and four savory pot pies for $31.40. Mamma Toledo’s will offer special edition Pi Day shirts, fruit hand pies for $3.14 and three-inch petite pies for $3.14.
