To write that Beth Howard loves pie is not telling the true story.  As we see it, she is a pie fanatic and that's good because Beth views pie as a means to making the world a more peaceful place.  She says, "Pie represents comfort, purity and simplicity, it's the perfect antidote to today's highly stressed-out world."

Beth is an Iowa native coming back to the state to judge 22 categories of pie-making beginning August 13 at the Iowa State Fair.  Whether it's apple pie, French silk, savory or oh-my it's peach pie, Beth will eat her way through hundreds of entries during the Fair's 10-day run.

Born in Ottumwa, Beth got her start baking pies in a most unlikely fashion.  Also, her pie fixation has helped her through some trying times.  Join us on this week's episode of Great Taste to hear about Beth's pie journey and how it's lead her back to the state of her birth.