An atrium full of pies and tasters for Pi Day
The students and staff at the Faculty of Science celebrated Pi Day with… pie! More than twenty participants baked a pie for the first edition of the Leiden Science baking competition – people queued up to sample the creations.
As a mathematics faculty, it makes sense to do something for Pi Day, and now that we have a semi-finalist from Heel Holland Bakt (the Great Dutch Bake-Off) at the faculty, the link to pie was made all the more quickly. The baker Jurian Calis was keen to take part, and with Tessa van Velzen (president of De Leidsche Flesch) and Gianne Derks (scientific director of MI), the judging panel was complete.
No fewer than 25 students and staff were keen enough to have their pies judged by the jury. The pies arrived lovingly wrapped, some chilled with frozen peas, whilst others were still warm from the oven.
Time to taste
Before long, the atrium was filled not only with bakers but also with tasters. Over 150 people – mainly students – queued up for a cake plate, which they could use to help themselves to a few small pieces.
The tasting began symbolically at 3.14 pm. The jury had the unenviable task of tasting all 25 pies, but the other attendees were also allowed to sample some pies and vote for their favourite. Within ten minutes, only crumbs were left from most of the pies.
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The jury tasted all 25 pies -
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But the audience were also allowed to vote for their favourite!
And the winner is…
The jury’s choice was Andrea Gibilaro’s tiramisu cake (which he called Gibbimisú), whilst the public voted for Sabine Bos’s blueberry cheesecake. Both won an orange Leiden Science apron. All the bakers went home with a lovely blue pin.
We can safely say: the atmosphere was great… and the sugar rush probably was too. It leaves a taste for more…
Sleutelstad was also there, and has produced a lovely report on the event (in Dutch): Getal pi inspireert taartenbakkers: 'Een mooie nerdy dag'
Pi Day
If you write 14 March in the American style (3/14), you get the number pi (3.1415…). That is why that date has been designated Pi Day, and since 2019 also International Mathematics Day.
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Audience favourite Sabine Bos and jury winner Andrea Gibilaro -
All participating bakers -
The ‘We are Science’ pin that every baker received