PORT ANGELES — Kate McDermott will demonstrate the pie making prowess for which she is nationally acclaimed at 1 p.m. Oct. 7 at the 16th annual Dungeness Crab &Seafood Festival in Port Angeles.
McDermott’s artisanal pie making technique emphasizes use of the senses and quality ingredients over precise measurements and polished skill. Her demonstration will be on the Chef Demonstration Stage in The Gateway transit center at Front and Lincoln streets.
Her new cookbook, “Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life,” was nominated for a 2017 James Beard Award in Baking and Desserts.
“I’m looking forward to sharing the craft of pie making at CrabFest,” McDermott said. “Pie making is about one thing … love. It’s wonderful that something so simple and humble can bring joy to so many.”
The Dungeness Crab &Seafood Festival is a celebration of the crustacean that derives its name from the Olympic Peninsula town where it was first commercially harvested in 1848 — Dungeness.
The event will take place Oct. 6-8, at the Port Angeles City Pier. Hours will be from noon to 10 p.m. Oct. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 7 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 8 Admission will be free.
Though her interest in baking took hold when she was a girl, it wasn’t until 2005 that McDermott decided to get serious about pie making. For two years she studied pie crust, experimenting with different flours, fats, ratios and recipes until she hit upon the right combination for her signature Art of the Pie crust.
McDermott has been featured throughout the years in publications ranging from The New York Times to the Los Angeles Times, and from O Magazine to Food and Wine to USA Today, as well as in blogs and on TV and radio.
In 2008, McDermott began teaching artisan pie making workshops in Seattle. She now leads the four-hour workshops, as well as weekend pie-making retreats, around the country.
McDermott also answers questions on Facebook and via her website, www.artof thepie.com.
For more information about CrabFest, see www.crabfestival.org, e-mail operations@crabfestival.org or phone 360-452-6300.
