Pecan Pie and Community

By Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

In the rural town of Greensboro, Alabama, a group of designers is hard at work, baking pies. Three full-time volunteers run an innovative experiment called PieLab: part design studio and part pie shop.

Local residents come in for a thick slice of chocolate peanut butter banana cream or good old sweet potato pie. Then they sit and talk about issues facing their community. The designers hear their challenges and work with them on finding solutions.

It’s an idea that appealed to our curiosity and our stomachs, so we called them up to find out more. Joining us is Amanda Buck, one of the designers and bakers at PieLab.

Fast Company: PieLab in Rural Alabama Serves Up Community, Understanding, and, Yes, Pie

Read Amanda's recipe for fig, goat cheese and honey pie in a lemon crust

PieLab Promo from Project M on Vimeo.

(Photo courtesy of PieLab)

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Hi--I really liked the story on PieLab. But the link to the recipe was broken? I'd love to make a fig, goat cheese and honey pie. Almost as muhc as I'd love to see a PieLab 2 set up shop here in Doverm NH!!

Submitted by Alice Sneary on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 14:43.

Hi Alice - the link should work now. It's http://www.nhpr.org/node/27913

If you make it, let us know how it turned out!

Submitted by Avishay Artsy on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 15:24.

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Word of Mouth is all about what's new. Online and on-air, the show looks at our fascinating and ever-changing world, and puts the latest ideas under a microscope. Word of Mouth investigates everything from science and technology, to health and the environment, to new trends in popular culture. The show airs Monday through Thursday at noon and is hosted by Virginia Prescott.