Homemade Pies Deemed Illegal in Pennsylvania

The long arm of Pennsylvania law reached out and smacked a homemade pie from the hands of 69-year-old Josie Reed. The former teacher, a member of St. Cecilia Catholic Church near Pittsburgh, was told the pie she was donating for sale at her church's fish fry was illegal because it was not prepared in a state-inspected kitchen.

The Wall Street Journal reported that under the state's food-safety code, Reed's pie, along with the dozens of other pies baked by similarly sweet old ladies, did not pass muster. Although many churches like St. Cecilia hold fish fries during Lent, their kitchens have paid the costs of inspection while private kitchens, like Reed's, have not.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture shielded their inspector from the outcries of the pie-loving public. Despite the notoriety garnered by the incident, regular donations have still dropped by 10 percent, according to Father Michael Grebs, pastor of St. Cecilia's. The church is clearing about $3,500 on each fish fry. Money from the sales goes toward expenses such as repairs. Other churches in the area don't seem to be shaken by the warning. As one fish fry director at another church put it: "We're ignoring it. Don't tell anyone."