A Slice of Home

Utica, New York: Home to an awesome 15K road race, renowned performing arts center, snow by the foot and incredible local food. I hit the 'Big U' for a vacation week and brought back a sampling of tomato pie for the office folk. It came to my attention during college that the hometown treat I grew up with is quite a hit beyond Upstate. Roommate visits usually included not-so-subtle requests for a pie, and the folks at Grimaldi's always knew when BC pals were in town. For the tomato pie newbies out there, Wikipedia's simplistic definition is "a rectangular thick-crust bread covered with a sweet tomato sauce, served cold." It's a regular at occasions or holidays, made at home (if you're Italian East-Utican) or bought by the box/slice at your local bakery or pizzeria. This sampling came from Ventura's Restaurant where The Mother attended a bridal shower Sunday. (No door prize, but a large order of tomato pie was a decent consolation!) She's a big fan of their spicy pies, while I prefer the saucier versions from Tony's Bakery and Rosario's. Whichever you choose, you can't miss with tomato pie...and a slice of home is always good for the soul!