National Pie Day is an annual celebration of the pie pastry that takes place annually in the United States on January 23rd. Do not confuse pie day with pie day, which takes place on March 14.
The founder of Pie Day is a nuclear scientist, brewer and teacher named Charlie Papazian of Boulder, Colorado, who announced in the mid-1970s his personal birthday, January 23, as Pie Day. Since 1986 it has become a national day under the auspices of the American Pie Council.
In 2014, the American Pie Council collaborated with the film company Paramount to promote Pie Day and the romantic thriller film “Labor Day” which features a pie-making scene that appears prominently (the film was also released a few days after National Pie Day).
The Pie Board has distributed a poster of the film to pie shops and bakeries where the stars of the film, Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin and Gatlin Griffith are seen in the cake making scene. The choice of film to promote Pie Day has been criticized because the film tells the story of a fugitive killer who kidnaps from the supermarket a single mother and son and imprisons them in their home. Although a close bond is formed between them where they, among other things, make a pie together, but still, the choice is problematic. The poster reads: "It makes the time we spend together, just a little sweeter. Pie. Catch a slice of life."
The pie is a pastry in a round pan with low sides that are filled with salty or sweet fillings. The pie can be used as a cake with fruit, whipped cream, cheese, chocolate, custard, nuts, etc., or as a pie with meat or meat substitutes, fish, vegetables and more.
How to celebrate Pie Day?
Of course the best way to celebrate Pie Day is to eat your favorite pie, at home or in a cafe. Many cafes serve a pie with a savory filling or a sweet dessert with a scoop of ice cream and whipped cream next to it. If you are in the US, there are many businesses that offer slices of pie in honor of Pie Day at special discounts or even for free when buying a meal, you can see the list here.
January 23 is also Handwriting Day and Liechtenstein Foundation Day