Pie competitions can be ruthless.  For bakers who want to strut their crusts without the pressure of high-profile judges, esteemed chef-tasters and strict rules, there’s the "all are welcome," noncompetitive Bubby’s Pie Social, at which everyone gets a blue ribbon. Last Sunday marked Bubby’s fifth annual pie social at its Dumbo, Brooklyn location. The wet weather may have resulted in fewer attendees than in years past, but there was no shortage of bakers or eaters prowling the restaurant’s second floor.

A $10 entry fee and a homemade pie got you only five tasting tickets (or $25 for tickets with no pie), but the proceeds benefit two NYC public schools, so carping was left to a minimum. Noshers were still choosy, rounding the tables a few times before indicating their slice of choice with a point of the fork. (Side note: My s’mores pie disappeared in less than 30 minutes—just sayin’.)

The usual fare—apple, pecan, peach, sweet potato—was decent for the most part, but the most points went to those who thought outside the pastry box. Self-proclaimed amateur baker Will Holton, 25, from Cobble Hill made a sour cream–pear pie with an all-butter crust and oat topping. Anna Le Mon, 33 and her partner, Emily Brouwer, 28, from Park Slope, displayed a beautiful apple-cranberry-ginger pie, with a "tiny splash of whiskey to finish it off," said Anna.

Author (and TONY contributing editor) Sarah Goodyear had patrons clamoring for her Obama blueberry pie (no surprise, in blue-state Brooklyn), though her Biden strawberry pie ("Very tasty, but a little messier-looking") didn’t receive quite the same reception.

Due to a plea on Bubby’s application form, many contestants brought savory renditions: mushroom, cauliflower-Gruyère, taco, broccoli, cheddar and sundried tomato, bacon and egg, and more.  A nice counterpoint to the all the sweet stuff, and definitely helped me avoid the collywobbles.

But it wasn’t all good will. One baker extraordinaire, at her third Bubby’s pie social, didn’t think the pies were nearly as renegade as the previous year’s. The standout for her had been Litterbox pie, tricked out with crushed Oreos and Tootsie Rolls. Somehow this is still more appetizing than the pie one of the young future bakers of America conned me into tasting: a deep purple-black goopy pie with the title "*@*#ING DUCK CONCORD GRAPE PIE."  Somehow the duck part didn’t really register as I accepted my slice and trotted it back to my tablemates. Pasty, stringy, pretty much completely inedible; I later found out the pie was made by Bubby’s esteemed owner, Ron Silver. What the *@*#, Ron?—Jacqueline Beach