This article was written by CAF supporter, Amy Wallen. 

The day I taught Dr. Anna Hackenberg to make a pie over Zoom will stay with me forever. I’m not a professional baker, so the idea of guiding a stranger through my favorite pastime—without being in the same kitchen—was a new adventure. What if she didn’t love pie as much as I do? What if she wasn’t the type to dive hands-first into flour and butter?

As an author, I spend a lot of time alone. Pie is my muse, my comfort, and my reset button. It’s what I turn to when I’m untangling a plot twist or trying to nudge a stubborn character in the right direction. But pie isn’t just about eating; it’s about the rhythm of the process—the rolling pin gliding across dough, the sweet smell of fruit as it bakes. I make a lot of pies, far more than I can eat, so I give them away. Friends, neighbors, and now—thanks to word getting around—friends I never knew I had.

What I’ve learned is this: pie brings people together.

During our Zoom baking session, Anna showed me her new kitchen and had no hesitation in breaking up cold butter with her hands. Before the pie was even in the oven, we were laughing. Later, she texted me a photo of her blackberry pie, its filling bubbling over just like mine often does. I told her to use her leftover dough for mini cinnamon rolls, and she sent me pictures of those, too.

Not long after, we went on a bike ride together. That’s where I met Larry Scott of J&L Pie Co. As we pedaled, Larry told me the story of his pie company and how it supports the Challenged Athletes Foundation. He even had ideas about creating an e-bike version of the handcycle—something that could open new possibilities for riders. It was clear that his heart was in bringing more opportunities to the CAF community.

A few days later, as I baked another Peaches & Cream Pie—the same kind I made for our ride—I thought about Anna and Larry. Just then, a text came through from Anna: a photo of her cinnamon rolls. She’d been thinking of me, too. Later she sent me a picture of her chicken pot pie, so perfectly golden that I wanted to eat it right off my phone screen.

Then came an email from Larry. It contained a line from David Mamet’s play Boston Marriage: “We must have pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of pie.” I couldn’t agree more.

By then, I had two new friends who love pie as much as I do. And that’s the magic of it—pie is meant to be shared. It’s a delicious bridge between strangers.

Here’s the recipe for my Peaches & Cream Pie from Kate McDermott’s cookbook Pie Camp. Kate is my teacher and now my friend, proof yet again that pie builds connections one crust at a time. If you make it, share it with someone—maybe even someone you’ve just met. You never know what friendships might rise in the oven along with the crust.

Peaches & Cream Pie Recipe

(from Pie Camp by Kate McDermott)

• 1 recipe roll-out dough (enough for a two-crust pie)
• ½ cup almond meal
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 6 large peaches, sliced
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp tapioca starch or ¼ cup flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon

1. Make the pie dough and chill for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Roll out bottom dough and place in a pie pan.
3. Mix almond meal with ¼ cup sugar; spread over dough.
4. Arrange peaches on top.
5. In a bowl, combine remaining sugar, sour cream, lime juice, salt, starch, and cinnamon. Pour over peaches.
6. Roll out top dough, place over filling, trim, crimp, and cut vents.
7. Bake 60 minutes or until bubbling through the vents.

About the Author

Amy Wallen, MFA, is a bestselling novelist and memoirist. She’s associate director of the New York State Summer Writers Institute, creator of Savory Salons—literary discussions with pie—and teaches writing workshops in Southern California. Her next book is How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies: Sweet and Savory Secrets to the Writing Life.