I'm currently right at 88 Culinarian desynth, and I can tell you that the gap is... painful.

I'm trying to hit ilvl 90 before trying for better crowned pies... but I don't really have an easy way to get them since I don't have that much in the way of leves and aside from potentially blowing all my company seals to buy a mere 11 pies, I'm kinda hesitant to work with them.

Just to confirm, you start at least having a chance to desynth something at ~25 rlvl below it, right? Because if that is the case then if I can just make it to 95, I'm willing to mass desynth stacks icepick at 5% and such at rlvl 120 to raise it up. Once I hit HW fish I have a major stockpile to raise me up quickly.