Surprise, surprise, we’re back with another food tasting.

In honor of Thanksgiving, we present to you, our readers, our review of four pumpkin pies that the Reminder Publishing news staff purchased locally.

First, I must note, that I cannot take credit for all of the legwork that this article took. Staff Writer Danielle Eaton worked tirelessly to call over a dozen bakeries in an effort to see who was able to bake pumpkin pies a week before Thanksgiving. To our surprise, many bakeries in the area were not baking pumpkin pie until the week of, and were unable to bake us one in advance.

Generally, when we do a taste testing, the news staff is aware of which restaurants food we’re eating and reviewing when we’re giving it a taste. To spice our process up, we decided that our Longmeadow Press and Enfield News Editor Chris Maza would be our, “curator of pies.” Essentially, we asked Maza to take all four pies, which were packaged in their respective white boxes, into our conference room. We then asked him to assemble the pies on the table and to remove the boxes so we would not know which bakeries pie we were eating. Though we all generally come at a review without bias, we wanted to be sure that our preconceived opinions would not sway our reviewing.

Prior to our review, Managing Editor G. Michael Dobbs explained his feelings on the dessert. “A pie may seem like a fairly straight–forward culinary effort. For many of us, it’s a humble, ubiquitous dessert, the product of our mothers’ and grandmothers’ table as well as our favorite diner. Although of course, they aren’t, pies seem like a truly American dessert and pumpkin pies, like apple pies, are standard.”

The Apple Place – East Longmeadow

As we glanced down at The Apple Place’s pumpkin pie, we feverishly wrote down a few notes. “Not hand pinched,” meaning the crust was not hand formed, and “sliced beautifully” made my list for the pie. The crust visibly had a flakey texture, and the filling had an orangey-brown color.

“This pie reminds me of my childhood; it tastes like my Grandma’s pie,” Eaton commented as she took a bite.

As I write this article, I’m reading over Eaton and Staff Writer Sarah Heinonen’s notes. “Tastes of nutmeg. Tastes like nostalgia,” Eaton wrote. Heinonen expanded, “The crust dissolves in your mouth. It’s soft. This tastes like Thanksgiving – and is just as flavorful as it is fragrant.”

I had to agree. My mom makes, in my opinion, the best pumpkin pie. Her crust is incredible – it’s buttery, it’s flaky, but it also is able to hold a thick layer of spiced pumpkin filling. Well, The Apple Place’s pumpkin pie rivals her pie (sorry mom, yours is still my favorite, I promise).

Without a doubt, The Apple Place’s pumpkin pie was the news staffs’ favorite pie of the day. The pumpkin pie ran us $12.99, and we ordered the pie a few days ahead. The Apple Place is located at 540 Somers Rd. in East Longmeadow and can be reached at 348–9628.


Moolicious Farm – Southwick

Moolicious, located at 258 Feeding Hills Rd. in Southwick, offered a substantial pumpkin pie. The pie was the darkest in color in comparison to the other pies we tasted that day, had a classic pumpkin pie scent and a “spicy” taste. No, the pie was not literally spicy, but one could tell there were plenty of spices involved in the filling. The crust was not hand–pinched, and it stayed together well when it was sliced.

“The pie had a wonderfully firm texture. There was a small bubble on the top of the pie that gave it the perfectly imperfect look of homemade,” Heinonen said of Moolicious’ pumpkin pie.

One thing to note regarding the filling was that the top layer of the pie resembled a traditionally cooked pudding. If you’ve ever cooked your own pudding, you may remember that a layer forms on the top of it after it “sets up.” Similar to pudding, Moolicious’ pumpkin pie had a thin layer on the top that did this. However, we questioned if this occurred because the pie was warm when it was placed into the white box for transport.

“This pie immediately reminded me of my mom’s pies, although she would make the Thanksgiving pie from butternut squash rather than pumpkin. It had a beautiful dark color to the filling, and a little bubble that made it look homemade. I enjoyed it as well,” Dobbs commented.

Moolicious’ pie was a solid, tasty pumpkin pie to serve to your families for the holidays. Moolicious’ pumpkin pie will run you $16. The bakery can be reached at 569–1700.

It Takes 2 Bakery – Westfield

The pumpkin pie by It Takes 2 Bakery had the most “homemade” appearance. If you’re trying to pick up a pie and take it to the in–laws and pass it off as your own, this is the place to go.

In contrast to the other pies that looked “store–bought,” (of course, they were all store–bought) due to their commercially–pinched crust, this pie could be passed off as a home–baked pie, as it was hand–pinched.

It Takes 2 Bakery’s pumpkin pie was the “palest” in color in comparison to the other pies, which were a bit darker. The filling was a bit shallower within the pie shell, offering a less substantial piece of pie in size. The filling also featured a softer, moister texture.

“This pie served beautifully and stayed together well,” Eaton shared.

The pumpkin pie by It Takes 2 cost $17 – the most expensive pie we had eaten on tasting day. It Takes 2 Bakery is located at 31 Elm St. in Westfield and can be reached at 579–8545.

La Fiorentina – Springfield/East Longmeadow

La Fiorentina’s pumpkin pie cut beautifully, and had a delicious flavored crust. For an Italian bakery, the crust truly was indicative of what La Fiorentina does best – baked goods.

I have to say, I found La Fiorentina’s pie to be one of the more visually appealing pies. The pie had a jello–like texture, and the crust looked shiny – almost like it had a glaze on it (though to our knowledge, it didn’t.) In addition, the pie had a fragrant pumpkin spice aroma.

“The filling on the La Fiorentina pie had the consistency of a chilled pecan pie,” Prime Editor Debbie Gardner noted.

La Fiorentina has two locations, one in Springfield at 883 Main St. and the other in East Longmeadow at 236 Shaker Rd. Their pumpkin pie cost $12 – the cheapest of all the pies we tried out. The Springfield location can be reached at 732–3151 and the East Longmeadow location can be reached at 526–0905.