There's pretty much no better way to spend a sunny Miami Saturday afternoon than at Barnacle Historic State Park eating perfectly crispy fried chicken and enjoying lively music with a view of Biscayne Bay.
Thighs and Pies, a fundraiser for Slow Food Miami, raised money to build community and school gardens around town. Slow Food Miami is an all volunteer run organization that encourages sustainable methods of growing, cooking and eating food locally. The days events involved a foodie celebrity judged pie baking contest, free giveaways from Breville Appliances, fried thighs from Sustain Restaurant + Bar and savory sides and pies from Whole Foods Coral Gables. The following photos paint a perfect picture of a memorable afternoon.
Sustain Restaurant + Bar provided the mouth watering, crispy thighs and wings with a side of honey while Whole Foods Coral Gables brought the cold slaw and and macaroni and cheese. Celebrity judge of the pie eating contest Lee Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival announced that these was some of the best friend chicken around, and he knows what he's tasting.
Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band played wonderful classic Americana folk which made all the children dance and the parents clap.
Whole Foods provided the sides and drinks, but also generously handed out pies to all those who came out.
It was a wonderful day for the shade.
The historic Ralph Middleton Munroe house faces Biscayne Bay, which was particularly blue on Saturday, drawing people to the shore.
True to the Slow Food movement's tenants, there were greens, fruit, honey, and eggs for sale. Bee Heaven Farm brought these crazy looking smoked eggs.
Grow Miami presenting tiny egg-sized eggplants for sale.
Breville provided the top three winners of the pie contest with amazing prizes, and gave pie makers to just about every one who bought a raffle ticket. The third place winner with a mango ginger pie, this little lady was congratulated by judge Schrager.
The little ladies of the audience were about the same age as one of the winners.
The first place winner was moved to tears. Here she is with her daughter and judges Hedy Goldsmith, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink's executive pastry chef, and Ariana Kumpis, president of Les Dames D'Escoffier Miami.
Here's the winning pie, a heart shaped Casa Valentina.
Slow Food Miami president Renée Frigo Graeff is assisted by a little helper in handing out the prizes for the day.
Pies and Thighs delivered delicious fresh farm to table cuisine to an enthusiastic crowd of responsible eaters and earth lovers big and small.
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