Cambro’s Business of the Week: Pie Junkie

By Cambro Manufacturing on March 14, 2022 • ( Leave a comment )

After you get a look at their sweet treats, it’s not difficult to understand why someone would become a regular Pie Junkie. Darcy Schein and Leslie Coale-Mossman started cooking together in 2010, and three years later they were opening a brick and mortar location in Oklahoma City solely focused on pies. They’re able to thrill thanks to traditional recipes passed down from their grandmothers and innovative creations like their famous Drunken Turtle and Bird Dog Buttermilk pies. Every year, Pie Junkie sells more than 100,000 slices of pie and thousands of whole pies out of their shop. Coale-Mossman explains why their customers keep coming back for a piece of the pie.

What inspired you to get into foodservice?

“Darcy and I were stay-at-home moms and just wanted an opportunity to use our brains in a different way. We rented a kitchen and started teaching cooking classes and providing weekly meals to folks in OKC. Once our pie-making started taking off, we switched our focus to only making pies and opened a store in a cool arts district in OKC. We just love cooking and baking for folks, just like our families taught us. While we never set out to open a pie shop, our love of baking, and the joy it brings, has been an inspiration to keep moving and growing.”

What do you love about your business?

“We love having fun! We don’t take ourselves too seriously and, as you can see from our social media, we love to be silly all while making delicious food. Food made by joyful people just tastes better.”

What’s the most interesting thing to happen to your business?

“We were chosen to represent Oklahoma in 2017 at the Google Small Business Meet Up. It was an incredible opportunity for us to learn from the tech pros at Google, while networking with other fantastic small businesses across the country. We still keep in contact with Google and have participated in other small business events they’ve hosted. Their support has been amazing, and it’s crazy to think they’ve taken such an interest in a tiny pie shop in Oklahoma.”

What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

“This is no surprise, but the pandemic changed us and the way we conduct business. We had to immediately be creative to keep business coming in the door, and we are so proud of our staff for embracing change and meeting demand. We have several products and processes in place that were born out of the pandemic that have become part of our everyday life.”

Which Cambro products help make your business work?

“We use so, so, so many Cambro storage containers for our ingredients – everything from pie fillings, freshly-squeezed juices, and prepped savory ingredients for quiche. Our walk-in coolers are packed with Cambro containers in every quart size!!”