#InlandEmpire #NationalPieDay Guide

illustration by Rosie Piter exclusively for Acclaim Images

Hi neighbors!

The weekend is drawing to a close but I'm not too sad.  I've been working hard this weekend and I could use a rest from working long nights.  Can't wait for a time where I only work during the days on the ieshineon.com site.  Sigh, one day.  But I digress.

I can't wait for the weekend to end also because I can't wait for #NationalPieDay, January 23rd!  Some super helpful Inland Empire Funsters on Twitter and Facebook - like @dine909, @keatingaround, @ie_foodtrucks and Mary Beth A.  have been giving me some great suggestions on where I should go to celebrate yet another holiday dedicated to baked pastries.  Love it!  So here is a list of some local Inland Empire favorites.  If we've missed any please don't hesitate to steer us in the right direction by leaving a post on FB or tweet us.

Oh and if you partake in Pie Day we'd love to see a pic of your deliciousness!  Post a picture and tag us @IEShineOn.  We'd love to see.

Bon apetit!  Till next time...

PIES PIES PIES
1. Mommie Helen's Bakery (Colton) - Enjoy this behind-the-scenes video of their bakery!

2. Mrs. Redd's Pie (Colton)

3. Corky's Kitchen and Bakery (Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Corona)

4. Apple Annie's Restaurant & Bakery (Oak Glen)

5. Law's Oak Glen Coffee Shop  (Oak Glen)

6. Apple's Dumplin's at Parrish Ranch  (Oak Glen)

7. Julian Pie (Julian) - While right outside of the IE they still sell to a lot of places in our neighborhood.  Here's where you can find them.  Plus did you know that Julian Pie is also listed in the Serious Eats List of Best Pie Places in America?

8. Thelma's Restaurant and Bakery (Big Bear)

9. Gerrard's Market (Redlands)

10. Kalura's Trattoria (Palm Springs)

11. Polly's Pies (so many locations, check out their site for more info)

12. Village Grille 50's Diner (Claremont)

13. Big Bell's Sweet Potato Pie (Palmdale) - never heard of this place but was doing some research and they sound amazing!  Here's an awesome video about them.  Honestly, now I can't wait to try!

14. Loma Linda Market (Loma Linda) - Have never been here before but they say it has a bakery.  They're a large, all vegetarian grocery ran by the Loma Linda University.

Ok, I know we have a ton more to list but this is it for now.  If you want to learn more about pies you can go to the American Pie Council's site - yes, there's actually a pie council.  Again, if you think we've missed one please give us a shout on FB and tweet us!

Till next time...nom nom nom....

** EDIT **
We apologize, but we forgot a huge local favorite - Flo's Airport Cafe in Chino!  How could we forget their huge servings and their featured pie of the day?  Forgive us, Flo's!  Thanks for the reminder, @davidallen909!

Riverside Food Truck Festival Day Itinerary

Hi neighbors!

Not sure if you've heard but we're gearing up for the Riverside Food Truck Festival and we want to share the experience with you by giving away 2 free VIP tickets. All you have to do is Like our FB page and leave a wall post telling us of a spot/destination/event/attraction in the IE that is "one of a kind" and unique.

So, I'm an over planner and since I plan on being out in Riverside I've decided to make a day of it and create an itinerary. Here are a few spots I plan on checking out that day. What about you? What's on your day's itinerary?

ITINERARY
1. Put on stretchy pants and head to the Riverside Food Truck Festival
2. Head to the Sweeney Art Gallery and take a look at the world's largest photograph
3. Get more of my photography appreciation fill in by heading to the California Museum of Photography
4. If I can swing it I may stop by the Dinosaur Truck Stop (Attn: Pee Wee Herman fans, the "Big Adventure" was filmed here!)
5. And after all of the above I know I'll be hungry again (I get exhaustingly hungry every two hours - it's annoying haha) so I'll head to Cafe Sevilla for some tapas
6. Then call it a day by catching a couple flicks at the Van Buren Drive In

Well, till the day of the festival (9/3), here are some pictures of Riverside to help inspire us. I hope to return with more to show you and better shots.

Till next time...

Are you excited about the IE Food Truck Festival? I AM!

As some of you may know I am really excited about this summer. I'm looking forward to a lot of fun events (*ahem* like the launch of my site) and one of them is the IE Food Truck Fest happening this Saturday, 6/18. I was lucky enough to snag some time with the fantastic lady behind the event Ashley Eliot. You may know her from other gourmet food truck festivals like the ones from LA and OC. I had the pleasure of asking her a few questions about the event that's got the IE all abuzz.

IESHINEON: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me about the event. I'm really excited about it coming to the IE. What made you decide to put this event on in the IE and specifically in Ontario?

ASHLEY: The IE Weekly approached me about putting on a gourmet food truck festival in their area. So, I started looking into the [Ontario Citizens Business Bank] Arena and we started working it out from there. It's a beautiful venue and they're wonderful to work with.

IESO: Was it difficult to get the 50 food trucks on board with coming out to our neck of the woods?

ASHLEY: It was a little difficult at first because they were unfamiliar with the area. But they quickly realized it's an opportunity for them to get more exposure and meet their existing IE followers.

IESO: What type of support have you been getting from the community?

ASHLEY: It's been a great partnership with the Arena and we've been getting a lot of support from IE Weekly. We've also been getting a lot of attention from local media, support from food blogs and love from roaminghunger.com.

IESO: In addition to the food trucks what other fun things can we look forward to this Saturday?

ASHLEY: Well, we've got lots of things like the kids area with educational lessons about planting herbs and other events like the skate demo provided by Active Ride Shop, Syndicate Roller Girls skate demo, live local music and DJs, and free samples of Popchips and Fuze. We'll also see local businesses getting in on the action like the wonderful cupcake shop from Ontario My Delight Bakery. They host lots of events with food trucks so they've been great!

Oh, and one more thing! We know it gets hot waiting in line so we're going to have a unique new treat. We're going to have "rolling bars." Basically they're golf carts with all types of beverages so you can wait more comfortably.

IESO: Well, that's just neat! I could not be more excited about this. Thanks for your time, Ashley!

So, I'll see you there this Saturday, folks! I'll be the one double fisting an ice cream sandwich in one hand and something else equally mouth watering in the other.

Till next time...