A Virginia, U.S.A.-based, family-owned gourmet seafood company has earned the praise of popular media figure Oprah Winfrey with its Chesapeake Blue Crab Pie.
The Van Cleve Seafood Co.’s famous blue crab creation holds a featured spot on the “O” List of Oprah’s Favorite Things in the August issue of “O, The Oprah Magazine,” currently available out on news stands. Van Cleve owners Shelly Van Cleve and her two daughters, Allie Van Cleve-Cushing and Monica Van Cleve-Talbert, have been perfecting the pie’s recipe for more than 30 years, the company said.
The pie, which is inspired by a 200-year-old family recipe, includes blue crabmeat, an assortment of cheeses and coastal seasonings all baked in a flakey, buttery crust.
“Our blue pies are made the exact same way today as they were 200 years ago, by hand and with a lot of love,” Alexandra Van Cleve-Cushing said.
The Virginia’s Finest-awarded pie can now be found in hundreds of grocery stores along the U.S. East Coast, and is often a fixture in gourmet catalogs. The Virginia governor’s mansion also served the pie on its menu two years ago.
“We are so honored to have been sought out and now featured on Oprah Winfrey’s list of favorite things! It’s every food entrepreneur’s dream, this is the “Oscar” of the food industry,” said Monica Van Cleve-Talbert.
The Oprah's Favorite Things list premiered in “O, The Oprah Magazine” in 2002, but Oprah Winfrey herself has been sharing her list of favorite products since the 1990s.
