HOT TREND Oh My! ALL ABOUT PIE IN THE AND FIRST PART OF THE WE WERE CRAZY FOR CUPCAKES. But the new decade has brought with it a new player in the pastry game: pie. Whether hand-held, full-size, savory or sweet, American pie is back. So much so that Restaurant News named it the top restaurant trend for 2011 on the basis of predictions made by food trend and restaurant consultancy Andrew Freeman Co. And, according to a 2010 article in the New York Times, innovation and integration are at the heart of this booming trend. From the East Coast to the West Coast, The Times talked to pastry chefs who are using new and creative flavor as sea salt and caramel, cranberry and sage, and pear and to create one-of-a-kind inventions. In Houston, Oh My! Pocket Pies uses locally sourced ingredients to create a variety of savory pies. What began as a food-truck success story now is available for catering to corporate groups and parties. From the famed Chicken Chili Relleno pocket pie and Salisbury Steak pie to the vegetarian-lovers Twice Baked Potato pie, co-owner Joe Phillips says what makes Oh My! Pocket Pies so appealing are the natural ingredients and home-cooked appeal. love that the pies are easy to eat, and taste like grandma used to make, with high-quality ingredients from local says Phillips. fun, festive and takes them back so they can slow down and enjoy food Amanda Wadsworth started her Austin-based company, Tiny Pies, because her sons wanted to take pie to school in their lunch sacks and packing a single piece of pie was too messy. Along with her mom and Tiny Pies co-owner, Kit Seay, Wadsworth spent days in the kitchen baking different sizes of pies and trying different crust recipes that would not fall apart. Wadsworth launched her company mid-January with a kiosk at a local market. By March, she had expanded to four markets, a variety of retail shops and had already booked several catered events for the summer. Pies are great for special events because they are individual hand-held utensils are needed and they taste great either hot or says Wadsworth. Pies are ideal for events because they are loaded with wholesome fresh ingredients straight from the us to highlight the local seasonal flavors. The pies can also be displayed attractively with flowers and stacked in tiers to look like an ornamental Whether savory or sweet, the portability and novelty of pies has sparked a trend that lends itself well to meetings and year and beyond. Tiny Pies offers miniature versions of traditional desserts such as: Blueberry Bliss Apple Pie Strawberry Rhubarb Sweet Texas Pecan 42 TXM+E Texas Meetings Events SUMMER 2011