On Sunday, September 29th at 2:00 pm, the Root Cafe will hold its 8th Traditional Pie Bake-off and Recipe Swap in partnership with the Six Bridges Literary Festival. The event will take place in the courtyard of the Root Cafe, located at 15th and Main Streets in the SoMa neighborhood of downtown Little Rock.

No pre-registration is required. Participants are asked to arrive between 1:30 and 2:00 pm with their best pie (or two), ready to serve, and copies of their recipe if they'd like to swap with other bakers. A panel of four judges will rate the pies based on appearance and taste, and they'll award several red ribbons, several blue ribbons, a couple of best crust and best-lookin' pie ribbons, and one Best-in-Show Trophy, as well as a cash prize provided by the Literary Festival.

Our panel of esteemed judges will include Literary Festival guest and James Beard Award-winning journalist Alice Driver, legendary Little Rock baker Kelli Marks, Arkansas' unofficial Pie Matriarch Kat Robinson, and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Dr. Chris Jones.

Spectators are welcome to attend and watch the judging. The Root Cafe will also be open for service during the event.