Superabundant dispatch: How Marionberry became Oregon’s official pie

March 14 is colloquially known as Pi Day (get it? Pie day) and we in the Northwest have a tendency to take our pie very seriously. Since 1978, Hermiston-born restaurant chain Shari’s Cafe & Pies (originally Shari’s Restaurant & Pie Bakery) isn’t just for 24-hour breakfast; it was originally a pie spot. Franz Bakery’s hand-held chocolate creme and fruit pies are a taste of childhood. Whether you look in a restaurant, a farm stand or the grocery store, a quality pie can be found all over the region. Heck, in Myrtle Point, they even sell mini hand-made pies at their local library during their annual Harvest Festival.

There are savory pot pies to go from Tualatin’s 150 year-old family farm, Lee Farms Market & Bakery. And don’t forget the pizza — from family-style buffet Abby’s to Pietro’s taco pizza to artisanal wood-fired Ken’s, we’ve got a pie of every stripe.

Pie has always been part of the Northwest’s culinary landscape. It traveled west with Overlanders and was quickly adapted to the local ingredients of the new country. Pie has maintained its place on the gastronomic throne ever since, its humble ubiquity belying its influence and appeal.