Page 471 - Pie Squared

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I always believed that pie was just another word for happy, and the
joyous way in which this book came together makes me even more
certain. Bonnie Benwick asked me to write about slab pie for the

Washington Post. Marilyn Pollack Naron (see her work here and
here), mentioned the story to her agent, Lori Galvin, who thought the
world needed a book about slab pie. Lori became my agent and,
over a few weeks while I moved from one home to another, we
conjured up a book proposal with dozens of telephone calls, a

messy, shared Google document, and text messages at all hours.
And then she helped Pie Squared find a home at Grand Central Life
& Style.

I thank my lucky stars this book was in the capable hands of a
pie-loving editor, Karen Murgolo. I am grateful for her sharp pen,
insightful take on organization, and encouraging words at just the
right moment. I knew we would bond when she declared sour cherry
pie to be her favorite. Me, too! Morgan Hedden was the unflappable

in-house shepherd for the manuscript. I am encouraged that she’s
come around to Pop-Tart-style pies. It can’t be easy to keep all these
square pies in order, and for that I am in awe of the crack production

team that oversaw the move from manuscript to book. Tareth Mitch
was unflappable, her suggestions made the book better. Deri Reed
copyedited with a keen eye for consistency and clarity. Designer
Shubani Sarkar brought both whimsy and order to the pages.
Spending time with the ace photography team of Christopher

Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton is a sublime experience and it
comes through in the photographs in this book. I spent a couple of
summertime weeks driving through Buck’s County on tree-shaded

roads, finding orange-yolked eggs, thick cream, bicolor corn, and
tomatoes as big as my head. I ate the most glorious white peaches