I was at The Martha Stewart Pie Show. (part 1)

A week ago I was in the audience and took a (required) pie to the “First Annual Martha Stewart Pie Contest”. It was a very interesting experience, saw my first television “live” taping, Martha Stewart in the flesh, clapped and “hmmmmm-ed” on command, met and had a blast with the awesome Susan from DoughMesstic , her Sister and Gail (who owns One Tough Cookie) and did not win the contest (not that I really thought I had a shot…).

This may shock you but my name is not actually Ms. Cherryspoon. Are you ready for this? it’s Martha. Not Stewart, though, and I guarantee that when you see the pie I took you will know for sure… So the first thing I noticed was that the Martha logo is so heavily branded, my brain doesn’t even register it as my own name, I was sitting in a room full of Martha and only when I took the shot above did it hit me that my name was printed, carved, embroidered everywhere!

This wall to wall Martha Stewart merch oasis is the audience waiting room, here is where the staff will ask you way too many times to go to the bathroom since once seated on the set you may not leave until the show is done (a bit pressuring to be honest, towards the end I found myself questioning my own bladder, do I REALLY know if I have to go or not?!? ), this is also where the warm up comic Joey Kola come in gets us all clapping and gives us a few pointers as to how to be a good audience, he teaches us to fade applause, when to applaud, and to “hmmm” on command as well, oh and remind you to use the bathroom (again!) .

After a while the audience ushered into the set, it’s beautiful (I want my kitchen to be like that someday, only red and mid century modern, which would make it a whole different kitchen I guess. I do like the appliances a lot, though, OK what was I saying? Oh yea I love mid century modern so much…oh yea Martha Stewart! ) and they have “lively” music playing loudly so the audience is consistently “pumped”, that was also the first time we got to see our pies again! All nicely displayed on two long tables  (my ugly duckling was on the far side of the spread, behind a stand, lol), with autumnal decorations all around them, last time I had seen my baby it was on a cart amidst many other pies outside on 26th st.

Lots of setting up going on, the stage manager calls out my name! “Martha R.? Martha R.?” “Frak! I’m in trouble” I think nervously, childhood flashback, there was no possible way I was “in trouble”. Had Sexy McDenim pants (as Doughmesstic so perfectly named him) said my complete full name (all four parts of it!) I’d probably would have made a run for it, but no they just needed to know what my pie was, “Cherry Lime Curd” I shout.  A little (a lot) more setting up goes on and it’s time! We clap, we fade and there is Martha Stewart!

Pie talk ensues, our pie judges are introduced, then pastry chef Karen Demasco (one of the judges) shows us how to bake a Butterscotch Cream Pie from her book, it looks amazing and we all get the books (yay!). Martha talks to a few audience members about their pies, lots of Crisco crusts going on, this Martha prefers butter that Martha is pretty OK with it, this Martha can’t bake a pretty pie, that Martha has written a book about it. This Martha should shut up and end this very long post now (part 2 tomorrow).