Small bites: Sweet spots for Pi Day

No matter how you slice it, people love pie. “Nobody ever leaves here unhappy,” says Sarah Melton, who has been managing the original location of Baked Pie Co. in South Asheville for two years. (A second location is in Woodfin.)

Four Sisters Bakery, which opened in October 2018 in Black Mountain, does all types of baked goods (except for cakes), but pie hits the sweet spot. “Our favorite thing to make is pie,” says Krista Bowman, co-owner and retail manager.

Both businesses will celebrate Pi Day on Saturday, March 14, with special offers and events in honor of the mathematical constant and the country’s favorite dessert.

Baked will open at 10 a.m. for what Melton predicts will be a nonstop day selling Pi Day slices for $3.14, a couple of dollars less than the daily slice price. “We’ll have 10 flavors of pie on hand that day,” she reports after consulting with their head baker.

Last year, the shop sold out of pie well before closing time. “This year, Pi Day is a Saturday, so I’m a little scared,” says Melton. Baked Pie Co. will offer 10 flavors during this year’s event, including the store’s two most popular pies: honey pecan and fudge brownie.

Four Sisters will host its second Pi[e] Day Party 1-3 p.m., including an encore of last year’s inaugural pie competition. Anyone can enter, but all pies must be 100% made from scratch. Contestants should bring a whole pie and $5 entry fee to the shop by 1 p.m.

Voting tickets are also $5 and include tastes of every competing pie. Pies will be judged in two categories — presentation and taste — and a first-place finish takes home a cash prize. Last year’s winner was a peach pie with ginger snap crust.

Baked Pie Co., 4 Long Shoals Road and 50 N. Merrimon Ave. bakedpiecompany.com

Four Sisters Bakery, 136 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain. foursistersblackmountain.com

Green genes

Tuesday, March 17, is the day everyone claims a bit of Irish. Or at least a taste for the Irish when it comes to beer, bangers and corned beef and cabbage. Asheville and surrounding area breweries, bars and restaurants are ready to accommodate the green-washing with themed beverage and food specials and events.

Because it’s never too early to get lucky, get a head start on the holiday at Paddy’s Day Irish Brunch noon-3 p.m. Sunday, March 15. Blind Pig Supper Club will set up a brunch buffet with Irish breakfast staples (Sausages? Black pudding? Potatoes, of course!) at Catawba Brewing Co. on the South Slope. Advance tickets for $20 include a food plate and a beer; at the door, beer and breakfast will be sold separately. Details: avl.mx/6zj

Downtown soccer pub Olde London Road will partner with Guinness and Highland Brewing Co. to offer a special on half-and-half pours featuring Guinness and Highland Gaelic Ale, as well as full pints of your choice. Guinness will also be doing giveaways and donating $1 from every beer sold in honor of St. Patrick’s Day to support the Guinness Gives Back Fund. Details: avl.mx/6zk

Dry Falls Brewing Co. in Hendersonville celebrates from 4-10 p.m. with live music, dinner by Olive Catering Co. and a special green beer release. Details: avl.mx/6zl

Jack of the Wood doesn’t confine its St. Patrick’s Day celebration to one stinkin’ day. Every night through March 17 is Pint Night, including a 20-ounce pint glass to take home (emptied of course) with the purchase of an $8 Guinness beer. Details: avl.mx/6zm

If you think St. Patrick’s Day is kind of a drag, the Banks Ave. bar has the celebration for you. The bar’s St. Pat’s Day party starts with drinking at 4 p.m., DJ Deven at 9 p.m. and a drag show at 11. No cover. Details: avl.mx/6zn

Sake sake

March 15 is Sake Sunday at WakuWaku Eatery, 674 Merrimon Ave. From 2:30-4:30 p.m., there will be a free sampling of six types of sake, and guests will be invited to provide feedback on the varieties they would like to see added to the bar menu. The Sunday brunch buffet starts at noon. WakuWaku — which means excitement — serves Japanese home-style comfort food such as korroke (a deep-fried croquette) and konnyaku (made from the konjac plant and said to be “favored by the ladies” for its no-sugar/no-fat/low-calorie breakdown). Details: avl.mx/6zp

Makin’ bacon

Hickory Nut Gap Meats wants you to pig out at its whole hog butchery class 4-6:30 p.m. Monday, March 16. Events manager Megan Auten says participants will learn from farm director Asher Wright about heritage breeds and how Hickory Nut Gap raises its hogs while enjoying house-made charcuterie and locally crafted adult beverages. Head butcher Brian Bermingham will direct students’ attention to a processed half-hog laid out on a butchery table. “I’ll walk the class step by step through how we break down a hog, from skin to bone,” he says. “I’ll talk about the cuts, what to do with them and the best cooking techniques for each cut.”

The class is observational; attendees will take home portions of cuts to cook at home. Space is limited, so tickets ($100) should be purchased in advance. Details: avl.mx/6zo

Pack it in

UPDATE: This event has been postponed. PubCorps, a nonprofit that addresses food insecurity and childhood hunger, is looking for volunteers on Sunday, March 15, to help pack 100,000 meals for distribution locally by MANNA FoodBank. CANarchy Craft Brewing Collective is also a partner for the event, which will take place at The Collaboratory, 39 Lexington Ave. The first of five shifts begins at 10 a.m. with the last at 4 p.m. Every volunteer age 21 and older will receive a free drink. Details: avl.mx/6zq