Walnut Creek Bakery Makes Best Pie List

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Some holidays would not be the same without pie — strawberry or raspberry pie on Mother's Day, pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, or blueberry pie on the Fourth of July.

But any time is the right time for pie, especially when fresh berries and fruit are in season. The Bay Area News Group recently put out a list of 12 pie shops to try around the Bay Area, including Le Gateau Elegant in Walnut Creek.

"When pastry artist Karen Del Bonta moved her bakery from Martinez to downtown Walnut Creek in 2013, she kept to her French patisserie theme," the newspaper wrote. "A large mural depicting a sunny cobblestone courtyard lets visitors imagine they’ve stepped in off the rue to pick up the day’s tarte aux pommes. As the bakery’s name suggests, those gateaux — Del Bonta’s custom-designed wedding cakes and a Christmas-season Buche de Noel among them — are Del Bonta’s claim to célébrité. But when loyal customers began asking for holiday pumpkin and pecan pies, Del Bonta complied."

These days, she's selling pies year-round, baking up classics like banana, coconut and chocolate cream, as well as fruit pies made with the bakery’s signature buttery streusel topping (YUM!). Pies range in price from $27-35.

The customer favorite? Most love a pecan pie, "but Del Bonta’s apple pie — with its fresh fruit, butter, sugar and cinnamon filling — is just outstanding," the newspaper wrote. "And it’s a harbinger of what’s to come as cherries, peaches and other stone fruit come fully into season, bringing the flavors of summer."

Hours/Location: Open 9 a.m. -6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 1479 Newell Ave. in Walnut Creek.

Social: Facebook and Instagram

Phone: 925-937-CAKE (2253)

Website: www.legateauelegant.com

See the full list of pie shops.