Back in September, a family friend approached me about making pies for his restaurants. He shared that he had recently purchased 9 locations of a steakhouse group and wanted to add fresh baked pies as a dessert option...because what's more Texan than a huge slice of pie with ice cream?! I did NOT immediately jump at the opportunity because it was an overwhelming prospect. I had so many questions...how many pies would they serve each week? what flavors were they looking to serve? how could I possibly make a large quantity of pies by myself? how/where could I store any quantity of pies, fresh or frozen? would it be worth the extra time and work involved?
So I baked four Grandma Alice's Apple Pies and a Southern Pecan Pie just for grins and presented them to a group of 11 restaurant GMs. They loved the pies. We agreed on a price. November 1 was the planned start of the new menu. Now to produce 100 pies for pick up/delivery by October 25. Oh, and continue to manage the weekly menu side of my business as well. You know I was panicking at this point, right?
But once again, God in His infinite wisdom, knows what we need before we do. Because I was sharing a kitchen with the resident caterer at PHPC, I met a couple of hard-working individuals that were looking for extra income. And there I found my apple preppers. When I went to the Eagle Scout ceremony for my godson, I spoke briefly with his sister who had moved home to transfer to a local university and was looking for a part-time job. And there I found my girl Friday, the I-will-do-anything-just-tell-me-what assistant. Over the summer, one of my daughter's friends helped me at the Farmers Market and her foodie friend stopped by and we reconnected a couple months later when she was searching for an outlet for her creativity. And there I found my sous chef, who I have come to depend on within just two months of her joining BG. Because the caterer and I were finding it increasingly difficult to work around each other with the approaching holidays, he spoke with the management and I was able to move back to the North kitchen. And there I found my storage space for the pies and the workspace to continue to grow Butterfield Gourmet.
So we are making a lot of pies. And we will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It's an exciting opportunity for Butterfield Gourmet. If you happen by Texas Land & Cattle in Garland, Arlington or the Austin/San Antonio areas, please stop in and order a slice of the fresh seasonal pie because I would love to hear about your experience-- and don't forget to send me a picture!!
