Episode Details

This week on Five Rules for the Good Life, I sit down with Ron Silver and Liz Clarke of Bubby’s in New York—two seasoned pie‑makers sharing the love, technique, and legacy behind their famous slices. From why the harvest of apples and pumpkins gave rise to the American fruit pie, to the very technical details of dough temperature, cutting butter to the right size, and letting the crust rest properly, they walk us through Bubby’s Five Rules for How to Bake Pie at Home. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a pro pie maker, you’ll walk away from the episode with actionable tips that actually make a difference. If you’re ready to level up your holiday baking game, their cookbook Homemade Pies is the perfect companion.

I’ve always believed that baking is part science, part story, especially when it’s something as comforting as homemade pie. What I love about this episode is how Ron and Liz blend both so seamlessly, the precision of insider knowledge, with the warmth of tradition. As someone trying to bake more intentionally (and maybe a little less messily), hearing these masters break it down with clarity and passion is pure gold.

If you know me, you know I love my turkey necks, a long-standing family tradition that we observe when celebrating Thanksgiving. For everyone who’s ever asked, here is my Mom’s recipe. You can make them any time you want, just make sure you make enough.

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to Five Rules for the Good Life. I’m your host, Darin Bresnitz. To kick off the holiday season, I’m sitting down with Ron Silver, the chef and owner of Bubby’s in New York City, and Bubby’s executive chef, Liz Clarke.

Today, we’re chatting everything pie as they share Bubby’s five rules for how to bake pie at home. They talk about how temperature is the key to everything, how shaping your dough will lead to a less leaky slice, and how resting your pie at the right time will create the perfect slice every time. It’s a great mini masterclass for anyone who’s ever wanted to start baking at home—and some real insider tips for anyone who considers themselves a professional baker.

So let’s get into the rules.

Ron and Liz, so nice to meet you. The holiday season is upon us, and I couldn’t think of two better people to kick it off with than you two.

Thank you. Thank you so much for having us.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa—everything’s coming up. The holiday season. Why does this time of year and pies work so well together?

That is a deep, deep question, really. America really invented pie—the pie as we know it, like fruit pies. Before that, the Romans would have some sort of cooked meat wrapped in dough. And then the English developed these meat pies. But before America was really rolling, they didn’t have these fruit pies the way that we have them. A lot of that is because of the abundance of American agriculture and orchards. And this is harvest season for pumpkins and apples. Once you start harvesting, you’ve got to find something to do with them.

Longtime fan of Bubby’s. And it was fun to learn that you started it as a pop-up for Thanksgiving with pies 35 years ago. What inspired you to start the restaurant there?

What inspired me is my status of being unemployable. It’s always a good place to start. I’m an artist and… my choices were really to either start a restaurant—because that was my skill as a chef—or just because I really had developed a not-the-best attitude working with other chefs in the food of the eighties. I suppose that my attitude towards that food made it impossible for me to cook it. So I was either going to be a dishwasher or my own chef.