Best of Cleveland 2015: Pies

After one slice of pie from Diane Sikorski, you might think the owner of Humble Pie Baking Co. spent a lifetime perfecting its velvety crust. Although the Avon Lake resident watched her mother and grandmother make the dessert as a child, she didn't begin rolling out dough until seven years ago. "I wanted to master the pie crust," she says. "It always eluded me." She found success by using a mixture of hormone-free butter from Minerva and nonhydrogenated lard from local pasture-raised pigs in her recipe. "The butter has a higher fat content than most American butters, which helps make the crust flakier," she says. Working out of her home, she fills 9-inch, deep-dish pies ($24) with about 20 flavors, including year-round fruit varieties and seasonal favorites such as pumpkin, Hubbard squash and chocolate pecan. "I love making a really well-made product and watching how people respond to it," she says. "People have emotional attachments to pie. It's nostalgic." 440-933-3317, facebook.com/humblepiebakingcompany