Beth Howard, an acclaimed cookbook author and documentary filmmaker, believes pie possesses a remarkable power to unite people. "No matter what, pie brings us together. Pie is love," says Howard, whose passion for flaky crusts and sweet fillings has defined her career.
From Silicon Valley to Mary's Kitchen
In 2001, Howard experienced severe burnout while working as a web producer for a Silicon Valley startup. During her exit interview, she astonished her employers by declaring she needed to work with her hands—specifically, to make pie. "They said they also wanted to make pie, but they had mortgages and car payments," Howard recalls.
Her journey led her to Malibu's Mary's Kitchen, a gourmet deli renowned for its exceptional pies. When co-owner Mary Spellman asked about her qualifications, Howard blurted out, "I'm from Iowa." Surprisingly, this secured her the position, though Spellman ultimately taught Howard her hands-on, food-processor-free pie-making technique that perfectly matched what Howard had been craving.
Building a Pie Empire Through Tragedy
Howard's obsession with pie flourished as she launched her blog The World Needs More Pie while baking for celebrity clients including Barbra Streisand, Dick Van Dyke, and Steven Spielberg. However, personal tragedy struck in 2009 when her husband Marcus died suddenly from a ruptured aorta just hours before their divorce mediation.
Pie, along with friend Janice Molinari, helped Howard navigate her grief. They embarked on an RV journey across America collecting pie stories, though Molinari acknowledges, "We found lots of pie stories and ate a lot of pie, but that trip was really about helping Beth through her grief."
Howard eventually completed her memoir, Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie, and became a pie judge at the Iowa State Fair before opening the Pitchfork Pie Stand at the American Gothic House in Eldon.
Pieowa: Documenting Pie's Unifying Power
Howard's latest project, the documentary Pieowa (combining Pie + Iowa), explores how pie brings communities together. The film features church ladies, blue ribbon winners, home bakers, and even cyclists from RAGBRAI—Iowa's annual 500-mile week-long bike ride that draws approximately 30,000 participants where pie serves as the official route treat.
Local farmer Doug Seyb, who later became Howard's partner and the documentary's first investor, encouraged her to return to screen storytelling. He notes that while pie-making is generally convivial, certain debates can become heated: "There are pie makers who swear by all butter and then others say you gotta use lard only."
Howard maintains a simpler philosophy: "Just use a light touch with your dough. Don't overwork it. Leave chunks of butter visible. That's it."
Having screened her documentary at over 100 community events, Howard has reconsidered her initial dream of streaming service distribution. "Most often, the community gathers and shares pie afterward," she observes. "The beauty of this film is that it's an equalizer. It's about finding something we can all agree on."
Howard now splits her time between Seyb's farm in Donnellson, Iowa—which she calls Camp Doug(h)—and Los Angeles, conducting pie-making classes that emphasize imperfection over precision.
