In honor of “Pi Day,” the day on March 14 that gives a nod to the mathematical constant, I dug out of the archives an article from “The Waco Tribune Herald” from May 30, 1990. Food writer Teresa S. Johnson wrote this article following the Twin Peaks season one final broadcast on May 23, 1990. Many viewers were surprised by the multiple cliffhangers and no resolution to the murder of Laura Palmer. Johnson wanted to help fans through the long summer before the show’s second season aired in September by offering the recipe to Agent Dale Cooper’s favorite cherry pie. She called the Mar-T Cafe in North Bend, Washington to learn the secret for a heavenly Twin Peaks pie.
MAR T-CAFE IN NORTH BEND, WA – HOME OF TWIN PEAKS PIES
The Mar-T Cafe in North Bend, Washington (known today as Twede’s Cafe) served the film location for the Double R Diner during the Twin Peaks pilot. Once the show aired on the ABC Television Network on April 8, 1990, the demand for pie from the “place where pies go when they die” skyrocketed. At the time, owner Pat Cokewell capitalized on the “Peaks Mania” by placing a black and yellow banner on the building’s exterior advertising the diner as the “Home of Twin Peaks Pies.”
I recently acquired this photograph from an eBay auction containing several film locations in Snoqualmie Valley. Unfortunately, the seller didn’t have details as to who took the photo but this shot is one of the earliest location photos I’ve seen captured by a fan.
This interior shot of the diner shows the location decorated for Christmas. The Snoqualmie Valley Record is being sold for $.35 on the counter. Zooming in, I can see the words “Merry Christmas” and possibly a date of December 20-something, 1990.
When I first visited the cafe in August 1996, the stools had red leather covers, not blue. This makes me think the unknown photographer visited closer to the beginning of the decade.
The unknown photographer also snapped a shot of her or his damn, fine coffee and a slice of possibly huckleberry pie – a must order meal when visiting the small town diner in the Pacific Northwest.
According to Johnson’s article, pie was the one thing that wasn’t fictional in the show.
“And the pie served on the show is one of the few things about ‘Twin Peaks’ that isn’t fictional,” explained Johnson. “It seems during filming of the television movie that spawned the series, the crew ate at the cafe on which the Double R is based – the Mar-T Cafe in North Bend, Washington.”
GARNETT CROSS, TWIN PEAKS PIE MAKER
While Pat Cokewell owned the diner, the magician behind those wonderful “Twin Peaks Pies” was Garnet Cross.
“They tried the pie and liked it and it ended up in the movie and the TV show,” Cross explained to Johnson during a telephone interview from the Mar-T Cafe’s kitchen. The reporter just called the cafe and Garnet was put on the line. The 1990s were a different time.
Cross explained that only three people have the recipe to the world-famous pie – herself, her daughter and owner Pat Cokewell.
“And we’re all sworn to secrecy,” continued the pie maker.
Cokewell shed a little light on the pie mystery with the food reporter, “revealing the the essence that makes Cross’ pies so great is the crust.”
“We went to a ‘Twin Peaks’ party where they served cherry pie and I thought the crust was inedible,” said Cokewell, who is used to the “crisp, delicate and flaky crusts” Cross creates.
“I think part of it is the way she handles the crust when she makes it,” Cokewell said.
Cross’ recipe is one she “found years ago, then reworked till ‘I got what I wanted,” she said.
“We used to sell about one pie a week,” said Cokewell. “Now, we sell as many as she makes.”
Garnet made about 12 pies a day in 1990, which were sold by the slice for $1.75.
“I can’t believe it,” Cross said of the demand for her pies. “Every day, they are all gone, no matter how many I cook. It’s becoming impossible for me to get a day off anymore.”
Visitors in the 1990s reported that pies would be gone by 2:00 p.m. nearly every day.
On television, the incomparable Peggy Lipton played the role of Norma Jennings, owner of the fictional diner near the Canadian border. She made the best pies in the tri-counties according to Shelly Johnson. This 4.75-inch by 3.75-inch color transparency of the Queen of the Double R Diner was a publicity shot captured by Mark Seliger in 1989.
A small blurb about Lipton’s character was included: “Peggy Lipton stars as Norma Jennings, who owns the Double R Diner. Through sheer hard word, she has made it a success, on “TWIN PEAKS,” the hour-long dramatic series airing on the ABC Television Network.”
TWIN PEAKS PIE: FLAKY SECRET’S OUT
Here is Johnson’s entire article which included a Cherry Pie Recipe from “Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook” Granted, you could also just order pie directly from Twede’s Cafe using Goldbelly like I did in 2024.
Johnson shared tips on making the crust gathered from several cookbooks and press releases:
- Have all ingredients, to begin with, at about 70 degrees.
- Handle dough lightly to incorporate as much air as possible and to inhibit the development of gluten. The aim here is a flaky and tender crust.
- Avoid too much flour, which toughens pastry.
- Avoid too much liquid, which makes it soggy.
- Avoid too much shortening, which makes dough greasy and crumbly.
- Chilling pastry dough after mixing tenderizes it, keeps it from shrinking during baking and makes it easier to handle. Refrigerate dough, covered, for 12 hours or more Be sure to remove the dough from the refrigerator at least one hour before shaping, otherwise you may have to overhandle it. Press it into the approximate shape needed. Roll as lightly and as little as possible.
- Choose non-shiny pie pans for good browning.
- Always start the baking in a very hot oven, preheated to the temperature indicated. The contrast between the coolness of the dough and the heat of the oven causes rapid air expansion and contributes to the desired lightness of texture.
RECIPE FOR CHERRY PIE
- Pastry for 9-inch 2-crust pie (recipe follows)
- 2 cans (16-oz.) water-packed pitted, tart red cherries
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/3 c. flour Vs
- 1/8 t. salt
- 1/2 t. almond extract
- Few drops red food coloring
- 2 T. butter or margarine
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out half the pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate. Drain cherries and re-serve cup of the liquid. Mix to-gether sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan. Gradually add the cup cherry liquid: mix until smooth. Cook over moderate heat (about 250 degrees), stirring con-stantly, until smooth and thick-ened. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract and red food color-ing. Pour sauce over cherries and mix gently. Pour into lined pie plate; dot top with butter. Roll out rest of pastry and place over cher-ries. Trim and flute edge. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until crust is brown. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
RECIPE FOR TWO-CRUST PASTRY
- 2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 t. salt
- 2/3 c. soft shortening (not butter, margarine or vegetable oil)
- 4 to 6 T. cold water
Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Add half of the shortening and cut in with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture looks like coarse meal. Cut in remaining shortening until it looks like large peas. Sprinkle water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over flour-shortening mixture: toss with a fork until mix-ture clings together. If desired, chill dough in refrigerator for 12 hours. Take out about 1 hour before handling.
Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll out 1 ball on a lightly floured board or pastry cloth. Form a flattened ball and, starting in the center, roll with floured rolling pin from center to outside edge. Roll out dough in all directions to shape into a smooth circle about 11/2 inches larger than a 9-inch pie plate. Fold pastry in half; carefully lift from board and place fold across center of pie plate; then unfold pastry. Gently ease dough into plate with fingertips. (Stretching dough while putting it in place causes shrink-age.) Pour in filling.
Roll out top crust the same size as bottom one. Fold in half; cut slits with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape as pie bakes. Moisten edge of bottom crust with water. Loosely fit crust over filling. Press bottom and top crusts together along edge of plate. Trim with scissors to leave about 1 inch of pastry beyond plate. Roll pastry under with fingers until it is even with edge. Press to make a high stand-up rim.
To make fluted edge: Place the right index finger on inside of past-ry rim and the left thumb and index finger on outside edge. Pinch fingers together. Repeat all around edge of pie. Sharpen the points by pinching each one firmly.
