Forks up, Phoenix! Chow Bella and Roosevelt Row present the fourth annual Pie Social from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, November 16, at the "What Should Go Here" Pop Up Park at Second and Roosevelt streets. We've got an all-star lineup of bakers making pies for you to taste, and from now till Pie Social, we'll introduce them to you, one by one.
Today: Karen Olson of Vonciel's Pies
Karen Olson really loves pie. We know because she told us more than once when we visited her at Practical Art, where she works when she's not baking at Treehouse Bakery. "It's my go-to," she says, which means she's spent a lot of time perfecting her recipe. Tempe born and raised, Olson says she began baking one Thanksgiving when she and her siblings had to start helping with holiday preparations. Olson chose to take on dessert (pumpkin pie, to be specific) and she says she just never let it go. Baking is a social thing for her, since she often bakes with and for her friends and family. And though it may seem like her math degree from Arizona State University doesn't have much application to her passion, Olson will tell you that's just not true.
"What's the correlation? Pi(e)!"
See also: Julie Moreno of Jewel's Bakery and Cafe: Pie Social Celebrity Bakers 2013
