Feature Photo: Brian Kachejian
Everyone loves Apple Pie. And if you’re not a huge fan of Apple Pie, perhaps it’s Blueberry or Cherry or a classic Strawberry-Rhubarb. Regardless of your favorite type of pie, the next question is always where to find the best pies. There are many places in New York that one could argue serves the best pies. Of course, which place you choose to argue sells the best pie depends on the type of pie in question, or does it? New York City is host to some of the greatest bakeries and restaurants in the world.
However, if one is willing to take a trip out to the North Shore of Eastern Long Island, one will encounter a farm that sells the best fruit pies we have ever tasted. Briermere Farms located in Northern Riverhead has developed a reputation over the years as selling the finest and freshest pies that you just may ever consume.
For years I had heard stories about the amazing pies sold at Briermere Farms. These stories always seemed a little bit over the top. People go nuts over these pies. WHY? My family and I decided to take a ride out to Briermere Farms last week to find out firsthand for ourselves. My younger son could not understand why his father would want to take an hour drive just to buy some pies. He does now.
During the summer months, traffic can be a little heavy on the eastern end of Long Island, especially on the weekends. We arrived at Briermere Farms at about 2.00 pm on a Sunday afternoon. Not exactly the best time to visit Briermere Farms because that’s when they tend to be the most crowded, from what they told us. It’s a pretty small parking lot which is typical of most Long Island Eastern end farm parking lots. It probably could hold about 25 cars. There was a relatively long line of people formed waiting to order.
As we stood in front of the worker waiting for us to decide what we wanted, this incredible sense of panic overwhelmed us as we tried to choose which pies to buy. There is a very long list of pies to choose from.
They are all 9′ pies Apple Pie, Apple Crisp Pie, Blueberry, Blueberry Crisp, Peach, Peach-Cherry, Strawberry-Rhubarb, Raspberry-Peach, Blackberry-Apple, Blueberry Cream, Cherry Cream, Raspberry Cream, Chocolate Cream, Lemon Meringue, Coconut Meringue, Peach Cream, Peach Raspberry Cream, Peach Blueberry Cream, Fresh Blueberry Cream, Strawberry Cream Strawberry Blue. Cream. Plus, they also sold fresh baked cookies, other various desserts, fresh produce, and jam and jelly. How in the world can one choose between such an abundance of fresh pies in just a matter of seconds?
Most of the pie prices were around $20 to $25 The creme pies were much more expensive selling at $38 -40 a pie. We decided to go with an Apple Crisp and a Strawberry-Rhubarb. I also brought a small pack of cookies and some fresh fruit for the ride home. The ride home was even longer because all I could think of was that fresh Apple Crisp pie. The cookies were okay. Nothing really special, but they did seem like they may have been a day old. I was a little disappointed in them and it did cause a little concern that maybe the Briermere Farms were not going to be as special as everyone had made them out to be.
When we got home, I decided that I was not going to heat the pie up. I was going to taste it at room temperature the way it was sold. As I opened the box, an aroma of freshness hit me instantly. The pie looked beautiful. It was risen high because of the crisp and it was heavy. The pie was sliced very easily. The color of the apples was perfect. I cut a nice sized slice and took the first bite. OMG! no wait…let me spell that out OH MY GOD! I have tasted many great apple pies. I grew up in NYC where there are so many incredible bakeries.
I have traveled throughout the South in the U.S. where apple pie is amazing. I have eaten some of the most incredible apple pies in Paris, Switzerland, and Germany where apple strudel pie is an institution. Yet, I have never tasted an apple pie that tasted as heavenly as the apple pie I purchased from Briermere Farms. This pie was in a league all its own. All the stories were true.
So why does Briermere Farms Sell The Best Pies in New York And Beyond? Well, first off we would not have attempted to argue that statement if we had not tasted them first and agreed 100% with the title of the article. However, there are multiple reasons why these pies are so good. The first is as basic as it can get. The pies are filled with fresh fruit that is grown right there on Briermere Farms. It is not fruit that is picked somewhere else and begins to age in transportation. No, it’s the fruit that comes right off the trees and vines and goes directly into the pies.
The second major reason behind Briermere Farms’ success is that it is a family-owned farm, where farming and baking experts define every aspect of the farm and the store. Briermere Farms is run by three brothers Clark, Michael and Phillip McCombe. The three brothers are experts in their fields. These are not just three brothers who grew up on a farm and never left. These three men are graduates of Yale and Harvard Universities. One of them even studied cooking in Paris. With the combination of their education and experiences learning from their parents Leonard and Gertrude who opened the farm in 1961, the three brothers have continued to run a farm that simply sells the best pies you will ever eat.
Briemere Farms is located at 4414 Sound Ave., Riverhead, NY 11901. They are open seven days a week during the summer months. If you live in New York or plan to visit New York, we highly recommend that you take the time to visit this amazing place. You will not be disappointed.
