Pie School

A piece of homemade cake is easy, but a slice of pie? Not so much.

If you’ve ever been at a loss for pastry, nervous about filling, confused by pie lore, or annoyed by fussy recipes, Kate Lebo’s Pie School is here to make it all better. 

Kate’s mission is to teach you how to make the best pie ever, and to invite you, through pie-making, to use your senses, trust yourself, and make what you can with what you have. Her other mission is to have a lot of fun, which should be easy as—well, you know.

You’ll learn how to make dough by hand, select the best fruit, put a double crust pie together, bake it to perfection, and make up your own pie recipes.

Register for Pie School

Kate is currently booking Pie Schools in private homes located within 30 miles of Spokane, Olympia, Seattle, or Portland for groups of at least four. To book a private Pie School session, send Kate a note via the contact form on her “About” page. She’ll be in touch to arrange a place, date, and time that suits the group.

Tuition is $200 per student and can be paid once you and Kate agree on a mutually beneficial date and time. Tuition covers all ingredients and supplies. You’ll leave class with a pie you made yourself, plus a packet of recipes and a copy of Pie & Whiskey or The Book of Difficult Fruit.

Kate is unable to give refunds except in the event that she has to cancel a class.

Gift certificates can be redeemed for any private class of four or more people at a place agreed on by you and Kate (for example, your kitchen or hers).

“Pie School is even more fun than dinner at the Space Needle.”

—Drew, age 8, Seattle, WA

“I had a wonderful time at Pie School and feel much more confident with the pie-making process now. The mini pie was absolutely delicious and I’m excited to try a full-sized one with the dough we made. I will definitely be spreading to word to fellow pie lovers. Hopefully I can attend one of your pie socials too!”

—Sean Palmer, Seattle, WA

“Even though I was very nervous, (Kate) had a way of making me relax and not sweat the small stuff. Before, I would look at a recipe and get discouraged because it looked like a lot of work. I chose the easy way out, store-bought. I don’t even want to go back to that after tasting (Kate’s) crust. It was truly the best pie I ever tasted… I know it will take a lot of practice, but at least I’ll enjoy the challenge.”

—Pamela Fike, Seattle, WA

“Pie is the deep dark mystery of the kitchen. Only wizards, and my mother, could produce them. Kate Lebo smashed that mystique at Pie School, and turned me into a pie maker. If you can smoosh flour and butter and Crisco between your thumbs and forefingers, if you can fluff flower and ice water like you are throwing feathers into the air, then you can make a crust that’s ready for primetime. Be the kitchen-wizard you were meant to be: get thee to Pie School!”

—Gary Luke, Publisher and President of Sasquatch Books, Seattle, WA

“Pie School is a fantastic opportunity. Wonderful hands-on experience learning the art of making pie so you can create your own variations with confidence. Worth every penny.”

—John Krecek, Omaha, NE

“My daughter and I attended Pie School in our own kitchen with another parent and her daughter. Kate Lebo was a delight to have in our home. She is engaging, nice, funny, and TOTALLY committed to helping others learn to make a great pie.  We never would have thought we could produce such a scrumptious result on the first try.  Kate took us through the few but very important steps in producing a great crust and then in filling it.

We baked our way to a fantastic set of pies on the first try.  It was fun, entertaining, and very effective evening.  If you’ve never made a pie in your life (like me and my daughter) or even if you’re an experienced caterer with ovens full of pie under your belt (like our friends), you will be happy you went to Pie School.”

—Mike Racine, Snoqualmie, WA