Crack Pie is no more as Milk Bar changes name of famous dessert | CNN (2024)

CNN

From this day forth, Crack Pie is no more.

The famous pie, served at the New York-based bakery Milk Bar, will change its name, according to a letter written by the bakery’s founder, Christina Tosi.

“We’ve made the decision to stop using the name Crack Pie. Starting today, it will be known as Milk Bar Pie,” Tosi wrote. “While change is never easy, we feel this is the right decision.”

Crack Pie is no more as Milk Bar changes name of famous dessert | CNN (1)

The pie formerly known as Crack Pie, now Milk Bar Pie, from the bakery Milk Bar.

Crack Pie is a butter pie with an oat crust.

The change comes after continued controversy, with the name’s reported allusion to the addictive nature of crack cocaine, which decimated mostly African-American communities in the 1980s and ’90s.

Devra First, food writer for the Boston Globe, wrote a column blasting the name last month.

“A bakery would never try to market something called Fentanyl Cake, and the name Crack Pie feels offensively off-key,” she wrote.

Other food writers have also written about the name before First’s column.

Tosi wrote in her letter that showing respect, having integrity and loving the job were the fuel of her employees whose mission is to “spread joy and inspire celebration.”

“The name Crack Pie falls short of this mission,” she wrote.

She decided on the name Milk Bar Pie because “it’s been on the Milk Bar menu since day one” and that “the old name was getting in the way of letting the gooey, buttery slice bring happiness— my only goal in creating the thing in the first place.”

Crack Pie still shows up on Google searches, but once the link is clicked, Milk Bar’s website says “Milk Bar Pie.”

Milk Bar was founded in 2008 by Tosi, an award-winning pastry chef. Tosi was featured on the Netflix docu-series “Chef’s Table” last year.

Crack Pie is no more as Milk Bar changes name of famous dessert | CNN (2024)

FAQs

Crack Pie is no more as Milk Bar changes name of famous dessert | CNN? ›

From this day forth, Crack Pie is no more. The famous pie, served at the New York-based bakery Milk Bar, will change its name, according to a letter written by the bakery's founder, Christina Tosi. “We've made the decision to stop using the name Crack Pie. Starting today, it will be known as Milk Bar Pie,” Tosi wrote.

Why did Milk Bar rename Crack Pie? ›

In the letter addressed both to consumers and employees, Tosi writes that “the old name was getting in the way” of the bakery's core mission “to spread joy and inspire celebration” — essentially making people feel unwelcome. “While change is never easy, we feel this is the right decision,” she writes.

Is the Milk Bar Pie the same as Crack Pie? ›

Milk Bar Pie, also known as Crack Pie, is a dessert created by the American chef Christina Tosi in 2008 while working at the New York City restaurant wd~50. It became the signature dish of Tosi's bakery, Milk Bar.

What happened to Crack Pie? ›

We changed “Crack Pie” to “Milk Bar Pie” in April 2019, but in doing so, we did not properly acknowledge the insensitivity of the original name in our statement last year (below). We sincerely apologize for the insensitivity of the name.

What is another name for Crack Pie? ›

Momof*cku Milk Bar Pie (also known as Crack Pie) is an utterly delicious recipe perfect for a sweet indulgence.

What is the milk bar controversy? ›

Milk Bar's eight staffers at the Harvard Square shop voted to unionize “after nearly a year of unsavory work conditions, severe pay discrepancies, and a blatant steady decline in investment of its staff and physical space,” the statement on Instagram reads.

Do milk bars still exist? ›

By the close of the 20th century, many families retired and sold their business, but a significant number simply chose to close up shop, according to Mr Janiszewski. “A dwindling number of these evolved milk bars still exist, particularly in Melbourne, but most have been relegated to memory or oblivion.”

What does the Milk Bar Pie taste like? ›

This impossible-to-put-down fan favorite filled with gooey buttery goodness and delivered straight to your mouth in a hearty, toasted oat crust will have you coming back for more.

Does Milk Bar Pie need to be refrigerated? ›

How do I store my items and what is the shelf life? Cookies stay fresh at room temperature for 5 days and can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. Milk Bar Pie and cake truffles, which all require refrigeration, stay fresh in the fridge for 7 days and up to 1 month in the freezer.

Why is Boston cream pie not called cake? ›

A Boston cream pie is a cake with a cream filling. The dessert acquired its name when cakes and pies were baked in the same pans, and the words were used interchangeably. In the late 19th century, this type of cake was variously called a "cream pie", a "chocolate cream pie", or a "custard cake".

Why did pie crack? ›

Those cracks you see in your pie are the result of overcooked eggs, eggs that have tightened up so much, in an uneven way, that they've created fissures in the filling.

What does crack mean in cooking? ›

Tosi was not the first to use the word “crack” to indicate that a food was difficult to stop eating, and she definitely wasn't the last. The word is used to describe slow cooker chicken , saltine toffee (though some argue the “crack” comes from the crackers), and sauce.

Why did pecan pie crack? ›

Like the pumpkin pie, the filling will crack if the pie is over-baked or cools too quickly. But unlike pumpkin pie which has pumpkin puree to give it structure, pecan pie filling is mostly just sugar, corn syrup and eggs, so the tendency to soufflé and fall is even greater.

Why did Milk Bar change Crack Pie's name? ›

The change comes after continued controversy, with the name's reported allusion to the addictive nature of crack cocaine, which decimated mostly African-American communities in the 1980s and '90s. Devra First, food writer for the Boston Globe, wrote a column blasting the name last month.

What drugs are pies slang for? ›

What does pie mean? To most of us, pie conjures up an image of a pastry with fruit filling, yum … but to drug dealers (or users) pie refers to a kilogram of drugs, usually cocaine.

What is it called when you poke holes in a pie? ›

The rest comes down to properly baking it, and one simple technique that can help ensure a better bake is docking, the culinary term for poking holes in a pie crust.

Why is Boston cream cake called a pie? ›

A Boston cream pie is a cake with a cream filling. The dessert acquired its name when cakes and pies were baked in the same pans, and the words were used interchangeably. In the late 19th century, this type of cake was variously called a "cream pie", a "chocolate cream pie", or a "custard cake".

What is another name for a milk bar? ›

(small cafe): dairy bar. ice cream parlor. delicatessen.

What was the milk bar in the 1950s? ›

In the 1950s, milk bars sold 73 per cent of Melbourne's confectionery, ice cream and soft drinks, and 33 per cent of its tobacco. The milk bar was more than just a mixed business; it played an important social role in the community.

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