Salsa Dancing Adds Flavor to Westville Pies

While eating a slice of berry treasure pie, Rachel Broderick enjoyed the added sweetness of salsa in her bite.

Salsa music, that is.

“We’re here for pie, but we’re really enjoying the salsa. It actually goes really well together,” Broderick said. ​“The pie is really good, and the music is extremely good.” 

Rachel Broderick, Caitlin McKenna, and baby June Broderick were just three of about 100 people who gathered Tuesday evening on the closed-to-traffic Central Avenue ​“Patio” in Westville for a combined pie competition and salsa dance night. 

The occasion was a fortuitous merging of two outdoor community events that usually take place separately in Westville in the nice weather: weekly pie-contests with concerts; and weekly salsa lessons.

The Hifi Pie Fest, led by Naomi Senzer and her family, was rained out twice, once last Monday and again this Monday. So organizers decided to combine forces with Alisa Bowens Mercado, who hosts the community salsa nights every Tuesday and has owned Alisa’s House of Salsa for over two decades. Both events are sponsored by the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance.

The pie competition was judged by Ana De Los Angeles, owner of Manjares and longtime pie baker herself. When she first opened Manjares, she exclusively sold pies. Now, she has stopped baking them, but they remain a family favorite.

“I can look at a pie, and even before I taste it, I can see if it’s made with love,” De Los Angeles said. ​“That is why I’m here supporting every year, supporting the community and tasting the pies.” 

There were six savory pies and four berry pies submitted to the competition. De Los Angeles declared the ​“Berry Treasure,” created by Kerry Brown and Theo Brown, winner for the sweet category; and Kate Bradley’s ​“Roasted Tomato Pie” winner of the savory pies.

“We have amazing families doing this every year,” De Los Angeles said. ​“It’s really beautiful for the neighborhood. The most important thing is bringing people together.”

Following the announcement of the winners, Bowens Mercado gave a free salsa lesson while the live band added to the tunes. Dozens joined in. 

Bowens Mercado saw Tuesday night’s melding of two traditions part of a broader decades-long growth of community in Westville.

“It is so heartwarming to see a community get together that’s so diverse. To see everyone connected through dance and music makes me really appreciate what we’ve been doing for 22 years: building a community,” Bowens Mercado said. ​“To see the fruits of your labor through the smiles on everyone’s face; there are no words for it.”