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Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of The Natural State
Dozens of different pies on restaurant menus from the Delta to the Ozarks await hungry diners, and almost every delectable creation is a masterpiece of southern baking. Join food writer Kat Robinson on a tour through an Arkansas culinary tradition. Kat has traveled the state, sampling more than four hundred different varieties and absorbing stories along the way. Learn where fried pie is king and why a pie called possum should be the official state pie. Meet the North Little Rock man who made and sold one hundred different pies in a single day, and discover the new and innovative pie-making methods of chefs in Fayetteville and Hot Springs. It’s all here in this mouthwatering and informative collection.
291 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 20, 2012
5 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Kat Robinson
16 books10 followersKat Robinson is Arkansas’s food historian and most enthusiastic road
warrior. The Little Rock-based author is the host of the Emmy-nominated
documentary Make Room For Pie; A Delicious Slice of The Natural
State and the Arkansas PBS show Home Cooking with Kat and Friends. She
is a member of the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame committee, a co-chair
of the Arkansas Pie Festival, and the Arkansas fellow to the National
Food and Beverage Museum.
She has written nine books on food, most notably Arkansas Food: The
A to Z of Eating in The Natural State, an alphabetic guide to the dishes,
delights and food traditions that define her home state. Her two most
recent travel guides, 101 Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die and 102
More Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die define the state’s most iconic
and trusted eateries. Robinson’s Another Slice of Arkansas Pie: A Guide to
the Best Restaurants, Bakeries, Truck Stops and Food Trucks for Delectable Bites
in The Natural State outlines more than 400 places to find the dessert, an
extraordinary accomplishment that took thousands of miles, hundreds
of hours and so many bites to properly document and catalogue.
In this book, Robinson shares recipes from her own kitchen, alongside
stories from her lifelong adventures in Arkansas. The book is her
first state-specific cookbook. In 2020, she edited and contribut-
ed to 43 Tables: An Internet Community Cooks During Quarantine, a
Kat Robinson
collection of recipes from social media connected friends who turned to
their kitchens to experiment and to feed their families during the early
days of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Her previous books include the popular Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of
the Natural State (2012), Classic Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas River
Valley (2013), and Classic Eateries of the Arkansas Delta (2014). Robinson
has also served as guest editor for the University of Arkansas publication
Arkansauce: The Journal of Arkansas Foodways, and was recognized as the
2011 Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism Henry Award winner
for Media Support.
Her work has appeared in regional and national publications including
Food Network, Forbes Travel Guide, Serious Eats, and AAA Magazines, among
others. Her expertise in food research and Arkansas restaurants has been
cited by Saveur, Eater, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Outline, and
the Southern Foodways Alliance's Gravy podcast, and her skills and talents
have been celebrated in articles by Arkansas Good Roads, Arkansas
Business and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She has served as the keynote
speaker for the South Arkansas Literary Festival and has spoken before
the Arkansas Library Association and at the Six Bridges Literary Festival,
Eureka Springs Books in Bloom and the Fayetteville True Lit Festival.
While she writes on food and travel subjects throughout the United
States, she is best known for her ever-expanding knowledge of Arkansas
food history and restaurant culture, all of which she explores on her
1200+ article website, TieDyeTravels.com. She is also the host of the
podcast Kat Robinson’s Arkansas.
Robinson’s journeys across Arkansas have earned her the title "road warrior,"
"traveling pie lady," and probably some minor epithets. Few have
spent as much time exploring The Natural State, or researching its cuisine.
"The Girl in the Hat" has been sighted in every one of Arkansas's
75 counties, oftentimes sliding behind a menu or peeking into a kitchen.
Before entering full time into the world of food and travel writing, Kat
was a television producer at Little Rock CBS affiliate THV and Jonesboro
ABC affiliate KAIT, as well as a radio producer and personality for
KARN Newsradio.
Kat lives with daughter Hunter and partner Grav Weldon in Little Rock.
warrior. The Little Rock-based author is the host of the Emmy-nominated
documentary Make Room For Pie; A Delicious Slice of The Natural
State and the Arkansas PBS show Home Cooking with Kat and Friends. She
is a member of the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame committee, a co-chair
of the Arkansas Pie Festival, and the Arkansas fellow to the National
Food and Beverage Museum.
She has written nine books on food, most notably Arkansas Food: The
A to Z of Eating in The Natural State, an alphabetic guide to the dishes,
delights and food traditions that define her home state. Her two most
recent travel guides, 101 Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die and 102
More Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die define the state’s most iconic
and trusted eateries. Robinson’s Another Slice of Arkansas Pie: A Guide to
the Best Restaurants, Bakeries, Truck Stops and Food Trucks for Delectable Bites
in The Natural State outlines more than 400 places to find the dessert, an
extraordinary accomplishment that took thousands of miles, hundreds
of hours and so many bites to properly document and catalogue.
In this book, Robinson shares recipes from her own kitchen, alongside
stories from her lifelong adventures in Arkansas. The book is her
first state-specific cookbook. In 2020, she edited and contribut-
ed to 43 Tables: An Internet Community Cooks During Quarantine, a
Kat Robinson
collection of recipes from social media connected friends who turned to
their kitchens to experiment and to feed their families during the early
days of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Her previous books include the popular Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of
the Natural State (2012), Classic Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas River
Valley (2013), and Classic Eateries of the Arkansas Delta (2014). Robinson
has also served as guest editor for the University of Arkansas publication
Arkansauce: The Journal of Arkansas Foodways, and was recognized as the
2011 Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism Henry Award winner
for Media Support.
Her work has appeared in regional and national publications including
Food Network, Forbes Travel Guide, Serious Eats, and AAA Magazines, among
others. Her expertise in food research and Arkansas restaurants has been
cited by Saveur, Eater, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Outline, and
the Southern Foodways Alliance's Gravy podcast, and her skills and talents
have been celebrated in articles by Arkansas Good Roads, Arkansas
Business and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She has served as the keynote
speaker for the South Arkansas Literary Festival and has spoken before
the Arkansas Library Association and at the Six Bridges Literary Festival,
Eureka Springs Books in Bloom and the Fayetteville True Lit Festival.
While she writes on food and travel subjects throughout the United
States, she is best known for her ever-expanding knowledge of Arkansas
food history and restaurant culture, all of which she explores on her
1200+ article website, TieDyeTravels.com. She is also the host of the
podcast Kat Robinson’s Arkansas.
Robinson’s journeys across Arkansas have earned her the title "road warrior,"
"traveling pie lady," and probably some minor epithets. Few have
spent as much time exploring The Natural State, or researching its cuisine.
"The Girl in the Hat" has been sighted in every one of Arkansas's
75 counties, oftentimes sliding behind a menu or peeking into a kitchen.
Before entering full time into the world of food and travel writing, Kat
was a television producer at Little Rock CBS affiliate THV and Jonesboro
ABC affiliate KAIT, as well as a radio producer and personality for
KARN Newsradio.
Kat lives with daughter Hunter and partner Grav Weldon in Little Rock.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 10, 2019
A very entertaining book of the dozens of varieties of pies sought out and sampled by Kat Robinson, a food blogger and travel writer on a singular mission when it comes to Arkansas cuisine. With colorful anecdotes of driving all over the state to various restaurants large and small, Robinson tells the stories behind some bakery classics and also includes some recipes. Since this book was published in 2012, sadly some of the restaurants are no longer in business.
So enamored of this dessert and not wanting to leave any pie untasted, she published a second updated book on Arkansas pies in 2018, "Another Slice of Arkansas Pie".
So enamored of this dessert and not wanting to leave any pie untasted, she published a second updated book on Arkansas pies in 2018, "Another Slice of Arkansas Pie".
June 29, 2022
I actually learned about this author while watching a documentary on PBS that she did about Arkansas dairy bars. I found this book at my local library and thought it looked interesting. I really enjoyed it, but be warned that if you want to visit the places featured, check and make sure they are still open first, because I know the Red Rooster Bistro in Alma has been closed for a long time (the book is 10 years old so that is to be expected). I'm looking forward to trying some of these places out, and there are also some recipes so you can try some of them at home.
November 12, 2019
I have no where to store this book in my shelves but this was a really interesting cookbook and I now know way too much about Arkansas pie.
January 1, 2015
Lots of Arkansas. Lots of Pie. Included are “hand pies” (turnovers and other filled pies) and the occasional savory pie (what the snooty might call “quiches”). Each essay includes information about the restaurant or coffee shop, including its history and lunch or dinner specialties, so this reveals fun Arkansas restaurants as well as the pie they serve.
The photographs are beautiful and mouth-watering, and the book includes a few recipes, although learning what is in some of the pies can remove the mystery if not the appeal (lots of tubs of whipped topping here). The joy (to me) of this sort of book is the way the pies are used as a justification to reveal the local communities, making this a charming evocation of mostly small-town Arkansas life as well as a compilation of a lot of wonderful food.
The book is divided into sections by topic (e.g., “The Pie Powerhouses,” “Signature Pies of Arkansas,” etc.), not region or county, making the book difficult to use if you’re in, say, Stuttgart, and want to easily look up recommended pie places near you. Maps might have been helpful, including suggested routes or even a “pie trail” for different areas of the state (note to Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism: consider creating a state pie trail). It does, however, have a good index, so if you find yourself hungry in the lovely Ozark hamlet of Jasper (population 452), you can easily discover that it has no fewer than three recommended pie places, one of which claims to have wrangled the state legislature into officially declaring its offering the official state pie (although the record of the actual legislative act seems to have vanished).
“Arkansas Pie” is therefore an excellent book not only to read and enjoy but to keep in your car as a reference whenever you’re driving down an Arkansas country road and hunger strikes. Whether you’re an Arkansan, a visitor to Arkansas, a foodie, or just like pie, you’ll enjoy this book.
The photographs are beautiful and mouth-watering, and the book includes a few recipes, although learning what is in some of the pies can remove the mystery if not the appeal (lots of tubs of whipped topping here). The joy (to me) of this sort of book is the way the pies are used as a justification to reveal the local communities, making this a charming evocation of mostly small-town Arkansas life as well as a compilation of a lot of wonderful food.
The book is divided into sections by topic (e.g., “The Pie Powerhouses,” “Signature Pies of Arkansas,” etc.), not region or county, making the book difficult to use if you’re in, say, Stuttgart, and want to easily look up recommended pie places near you. Maps might have been helpful, including suggested routes or even a “pie trail” for different areas of the state (note to Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism: consider creating a state pie trail). It does, however, have a good index, so if you find yourself hungry in the lovely Ozark hamlet of Jasper (population 452), you can easily discover that it has no fewer than three recommended pie places, one of which claims to have wrangled the state legislature into officially declaring its offering the official state pie (although the record of the actual legislative act seems to have vanished).
“Arkansas Pie” is therefore an excellent book not only to read and enjoy but to keep in your car as a reference whenever you’re driving down an Arkansas country road and hunger strikes. Whether you’re an Arkansan, a visitor to Arkansas, a foodie, or just like pie, you’ll enjoy this book.
July 9, 2017
Loved this book. Now I know all the places in Arkansas I want to eat at when I travel the state. Yummy!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews