Lanesboro Legend Creates Favored Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Long before Lanesboro was designated the Rhubarb Capital of Minnesota, Beatrice

“Bea” Teigen Burmeister was utilizing the sweet and tart stalk to make her locally famous rhubarb pie.

According to her daughter, Heidi Dybing, Burmeister was making her delicious pie her entire life, perfecting a recipe that continues to be shared throughout the community.

Bea was a wife to Keith, mother to Heidi and Tanya, a music teacher for several generations of students in the Lanesboro School system and a friend to many.

Beyond sharing her love of music with her classes at school, she also taught private piano lessons and served as a choir director at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Her 37-year tenure as a teacher enriched the musical talents of numerous students, many of whom still perform today.

In addition to her musical legacy, Burmeister’s rhubarb pie is a legendary part of Lanesboro’s community as it was served at church functions and Sons of Norway gatherings for many years. Her recipe has been shared through circles of friends and different organizations, making it a favorite of the Lanesboro residents and visitors, alike. The pie booth at Art in the Park begins the day stocked with 60 pies made with her recipe and those pies are the first to sell out - every time! Multiple pies are served at the annual Rhubarb Festival and Burmeister was frequently a friendly face found at the booth.

Her daughter believes the secret to the pie is the bit of cream that is added, which causes the filling to become a custard when mixed with the egg. “Everyone who made pies for the pie booth took the recipe from Art in the Park, and now that is all they ever make too,” Dybing said.

Burmeister died in 2017 but will long be remembered for her musical gifts and her rhubarb pie recipe. “She was a complete giver,” Dybing said. “She never thought she was giving enough. She served as the unofficial welcome wagon in town, giving a sour cream almond coffee cake to new residents. She was extremely welcoming and kind.” z

By Melissa Vander Plas