Sisters and partners-in-pie, Emily and Melissa Elsen are cut from the same crust. Their Brooklyn pie flagship, which now has four satellite locations around the city, is named after a nursery rhyme, “Sing a Song of Six Pence”—a fitting name, since the sisters were around nursery-age when they first learned the craft from their Grandma Liz. In other words, “We grew up in the business,” Emily says. Grandma Liz would bake pies for their mother’s popular local restaurant in South Dakota using whatever fruit was in season, and they’re keeping the tradition alive. The result? Hard-to-rival golden-crusted masterpieces, from the more creative matcha custard to classics like lemon chess.The sisters’ shop in Gowanus, which opened in 2009, has grown a cultish following and earned international praise. The Elsens were named “Artisans of the Year” by Time Out New York in 2011, and their pies have been featured on Oprah and in the New York Times.Out of all the desserts out there, why pie? “Cake is kind of specific to a celebration…to me, pie is any time of day, it’s casual, it’s homey, it’s rustic,” Emily explains. “We felt there was potential for it.” Pie that lives up to that potential requires the best ingredients, which is why in our pie-baking class, the Elsen sisters aim for the sweetest cherries to sprinkle with streusel and the juiciest peaches to blanket with their signature pinwheel-design crust. Combined with a few key spices like nutmeg and Angostura bitters (their secret ingredient!), those fruit flavors truly sing. Another reason these pies are special? The Elsens mix their rich, flaky crust by hand. As they demonstrate in our pie-baking class, hands, not blades, are the best tool for sensing the right texture and temperature for framing fillings and weaving lattices.When you bake with Melissa and Emily, you’ll discover why pie tastes best when it’s homemade: because pie is more than a baked good, it’s both an act of love and a work of art. You’ll learn everything from crimping crust to storing leftover pie properly. (The eating, we trust, you won't need any help with!)Four & Twenty Blackbirds (Brooklyn, NY)Four & Twenty Blackbirds' Book:The Pie Book (2013)
Justin Devillier was raised in Dana Point, California, a small beach town in South Orange County. He spent summers fishing for Yellowtail and Albacore tuna, and in the fall and winter he would dive for lobsters just steps from his front door. This bounty of local seafood inspired him to enter the culinary industry and after working in local restaurants right out of high school, he decided to focus all of his time on becoming a chef. In 2003, Devillier moved to New Orleans and cooked in the kitchens of Bacco, Stella and Peristyle. While at Peristyle, he worked with Chef Anne Kearny-Sands and learned the intricacies of French cuisine.In 2004, Devillier joined the team at La Petite Grocery, housed in a century-old building with a storied history, and became sous chef a year later. After Hurricane Katrina, he helped re-build La Petite Grocery’s infrastructure by managing the daily specials and training the new line cooks. In 2007 Devillier was promoted to Executive Chef, and in 2010 he and his wife Mia bought La Petite Grocery. Here, he puts his creative spin on traditional New Orleans cuisine with dishes like Turtle Bolognese and Blue Crab Beignets. Devillier has been named a James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: South in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, and was also named 2014’s “Chef of the Year” by New Orleans Magazine. In March 2014, Devillier and the team at La Petite Grocery proudly celebrated 10 years of operation at the restaurant. More recently, Devillier was named Best Chef: South at the 2016 James Beard Awards Gala.Devillier’s second restaurant, named Balise after the first French settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River, opened in the Central Business District of New Orleans in early 2015. Set in a 19th century Creole townhouse, Balise features a menu that celebrates New Orleans as a port city and its unique access to a wide variety of ingredients.When Devillier has free time, he can be found fishing and hunting, or at the beach with his wife and two young daughters.Justin's Restaurant:La Petite Grocery (New Orleans, LA)