I brought my friend a chocolate cream pie yesterday and she gave me a slice...really rich and creamy. I was very pleased. When I picked up the pie on Saturday, I also took home a piece of chicken pot pie and ginger cream pie. I didn't have the ginger cream yet, and although the chicken was very good, I don't think it was especially memorable. Except for the crust.

To show how appreciative my friend was, when I arrived she told her dude and son (at approximately 60 dB) "SHE BROUGHT HOOSIER MAMA!" Shortly after, her son's friend's mother came by to pick up her kid and she stayed to chat. Her eyes never left the plate. My friend sat, nibbling at her slice, and didn't offer this woman even a taste. It was some damn fine pie.

I must say I was a bit disappointed in the ginger cream. It was a delicious pie, but totally devoid of ginger flavor until I got to the candied ginger pieces near the crust. The filling itself tasted like vanilla bean.

I tried a new variation on Hoosier Mama's classic maple pecan pie yesterday. Called the derby pie, it included bourbon (and I suspect GOOD bourbon) in the pecan filling, and had chocolate ganache on the top.

YUM!

I hope this stays in the rotation!

rfleisch1 wrote:I tried a new variation on Hoosier Mama's classic maple pecan pie yesterday. Called the derby pie, it included bourbon (and I suspect GOOD bourbon) in the pecan filling, and had chocolate ganache on the top.

YUM!

I hope this stays in the rotation!

This is a very traditional pie that's served in Kentucky, especially in and around the Louisville area. It was 'invented' at a local hotel or inn (can't remember the name at the moment) and it's actually a registered trademark that's pretty strictly enforced in those parts, or so we were told when we visited Louisville a couple years ago. I guess the folks at Hoosier Mama didn't get the memo.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:This is a very traditional pie that's served in Kentucky, especially in and around the Louisville area. It was 'invented' at a local hotel or inn (can't remember the name at the moment) and it's actually a registered trademark that's pretty strictly enforced in those parts, or so we were told when we visited Louisville a couple years ago. I guess the folks at Hoosier Mama didn't get the memo.

Derby pie is a trademark registered by Kern's Kitchen, an offshoot of the Melrose Inn of Prospect, Kentucky, so if Hoosier Mama is using that same name, the folks there would be well advised to change it.

TomInSkokie wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:This is a very traditional pie that's served in Kentucky, especially in and around the Louisville area. It was 'invented' at a local hotel or inn (can't remember the name at the moment) and it's actually a registered trademark that's pretty strictly enforced in those parts, or so we were told when we visited Louisville a couple years ago. I guess the folks at Hoosier Mama didn't get the memo.

Derby pie is a trademark registered by Kern's Kitchen, an offshoot of the Melrose Inn of Prospect, Kentucky, so if Hoosier Mama is using that same name, the folks there would be well advised to change it.

This piqued my interest, so I did a little research.

Per court cases I found where Kern's Kitchen sued Bon Appetit magazine over the trademark, the trademarked term is Derby-Pie, including the dash in the middle. They did NOT trademark Derby Pie (without the dash) They did patent the formula.

So is Hoosier Mama going to get a "cease and desist" letter? Not likely. First, the patented recipe is for a pie with walnuts, not pecans. No issue of patent infringement exists. As for the trademark, Hoosier Mama did not publish the use of the name, they identified a type of pie, nothing more. And they did not use the trademarked name as trademarked.

So if all Hoosier Mama is doing is identifying the type of pie that they are making, there is really no violation of Kern's trademark.

rfleisch1 wrote:
This piqued my interest, so I did a little research.

Per court cases I found where Kern's Kitchen sued Bon Appetit magazine over the trademark, the trademarked term is Derby-Pie, including the dash in the middle. They did NOT trademark Derby Pie (without the dash) They did patent the formula.

So is Hoosier Mama going to get a "cease and desist" letter? Not likely. First, the patented recipe is for a pie with walnuts, not pecans. No issue of patent infringement exists. As for the trademark, Hoosier Mama did not publish the use of the name, they identified a type of pie, nothing more. And they did not use the trademarked name as trademarked.

So if all Hoosier Mama is doing is identifying the type of pie that they are making, there is really no violation of Kern's trademark.

Thanks for the legwork.

But I'm afraid I'm going to have to purchase said pie and closely analyze its conformation to the "derby-pie" recipe via a piece-by-piece inspection.

So I'm intrigued by the quality of the pies at this place, but I have a reservation about the price. How can a pie possibly be worth 20$? Can someone who's been to this place confirm that a pie from here is worth the price tag?

Suiname wrote:So I'm intrigued by the quality of the pies at this place, but I have a reservation about the price. How can a pie possibly be worth 20$? Can someone who's been to this place confirm that a pie from here is worth the price tag?

Rather than supply "confirmation," which is subjective anyway, let's look at this a different way. (You're at Kellogg, I assume you're an MBA candidate.)

How can a pie possibly be "worth" $20?

(a) When the baker is immensely talented, and has trained at places like Trio.

(b) When the product is special, and there is very little competition for the same/similar product.

(c) When other desserts (cakes, etc.) easily cost upwards of $20.

(d) When there is a developed fan base for the baker's product, established at places like the Green City Market.

I'd suggest going in for a slice (@ $4) and move up from there. "Worth" is pretty subjective - see some of the comments in the Great Lake thread about how a pizza can be "worth" $27.

I would argue that at $20/pie, Hoosier Mama is underpriced. Two different data points to back this up, one subjective, one more objective.

1) It's the best pie I've ever had. I've paid equal or more for pie I enjoyed far less. If I'd never tasted HPMC pie and you told me that for $4/slice I could have a slice of the most delicious pie I'd ever had, I'd consider your proposition too good to believe.

2) I'd bid up that pie. Twice recently, I've gone and they've been sold out (yes, Paula scolded me...). They were cranking out as many pies as they possibly could, couldn't keep up with demand, and I would have bid up the price of a slice of pie to get a part of the limited supply.

-Dan

Is $20 really that exorbinant? If you get 8 slices out of a $20 pie, that comes out to $2.50 per slice; that's slightly less than the price of a mediocre pie at your average diner, and considerably less than the price of a good pie at a starred restaurant. $20 is only expensive relative to the $10 boxed supermarket pies (of which there is no comparison), or a homemade pie (of which you can make the same point about any restaurant).

And to answer the original question, I might kill a man over a Hoosier Mama Lemon Chess pie, but not over a $20 bill. I'm not saying I have, I'm not saying I will, I'm just saying.

I'll chime in, too. I live in the north 'burbs and no longer commute to work downtown.

I go out of my way to find excuses to visit Hoosier Mama. I do so because I consider those pies to be among the finest desserts I have tasted in 55 years of eating.

Paula Haney elevates a chocolate cream pie to an art form, and the slice (1/6 of the pie!) for $5.00 is an awesome value. The maple pecan is a "best in class" pie. And her summer "fresh fruit from the farmer's market" blueberry apricot pie is the gold standard, absolutely the best piece of pie I've ever had.

So I agree with others above... Hoosier Mama's pies are underpriced, considering the high quality of the product.

I just found out that one of my co-workers, who regularly brought in homemade apple pies, is moving back to Boston this week. I guess it's time to order some more pies.

I'm sure if you go back far enough in this thread you'll find posts from me complaining about the price, but I've since come around. For starters, it's a treat to begin with; really, no one should be buying whole pies on a regular basis! Second, it's a pretty hands-on product from a really talented, friendly, community-minded baker. And frankly, to my mouth great pies in Chicago are pretty hard to come by. Toss in the fact that the pies are all fresh, delicious, ready for pick-up and, yes, divisible into several slices, and no, $20 really isn't that bad.

Alright, thanks for all your responses. I guess now that I think about it, I haven't really bought pie from anywhere else since I haven't found many good places in chicago for pie. I do occasionally purchase from Baker's Square, due to ease and location, but their pie is good but not great.

Also, I am at Kellogg but I work here, not getting my MBA.

Made it to Hoosier Mama for the first time last week. Immediate cause: need for chicken pot pie. It was good, very good, but not the impossibly ideal chicken pot pie that I have been seeking. I say that recognizing that it might very well be the impossibly ideal chicken pot pie someone else has been seeking. For me, it was a bit too rich and needed a deeper chicken flavor in the gravy, along with mushrooms, which are probably not traditional, but which I like. I appreciated the chunks of chicken; I wanted more veggies. The crust was terrific, and crust to filling ratio was good.

I did not intend to buy a piece of chocolate cream pie, nor did I intend to eat most of it in the car on the way home (thank goodness I accepted the offer of a fork; I hate to think what the car and I would have looked like otherwise). It was exactly as described above -- the most chocolaty, thick, rich pie you or I have ever eaten, covered in wonderful sweet whipped cream.

As to the question of cost, and is it worth it: I think the relevant question is, knowing exactly what it is, would you pay that price again? Yes, I would.

I went to grab a whole pie the other day and after a bit of soul searching, I decided on espresso cream. I was taken with the fact they use Metropolis Redline Espresso in the pie.

Being that have absolutely no self-control, I also grabbed a slice of ginger custard to eat in.

Unfortunately, I should have flip flopped my orders. The espresso cream was pretty good - I thought the espresso flavor could have been a little sharper and more pronounced, and I thought the filling in general was a little dull and uninteresting. If this were almost any other pie maker, I'd have been happy enough. But since this pie was $21 and Hoosier Mama Pies have resulted in multiple instances of their pie being the best desert I have had in recent memory, I expected a little more.

The ginger custard on the other hand, I loved. The texture of the custard was perfect - creamy and rich, and not at all jello-y as you find in cheaper custard pies. The custard itself had only a very mild ginger flavor, but the candied ginger on top added just enough kick - absolutely perfect.

Next time....

Stopped in for the first time on Tuesday and went with the mini Sugar Cream Pie. Right away I was kicking myself that I didn't go with something chocolate or even a full sized Maple Pecan. I REALLY wanted Peanut Butter but I didnt want to order ahead my first pie.

The Sugar Cream was good but, but it was just too sweet after a couple of bites. I'll be back to try the others as you can def taste the quality.

One funny note from my visit was the presence of Duff from Ace of Cakes. They just finished filming something when I walked in.

Discovered my current, new favorite at Hoosier Mama Pie-- Espresso cream pie!


Espresso cream pie.


Espresso cream pie.


Banana cream pie.


Banana cream pie.


Apple rhubarb pie.


Apple rhubarb pie.

Can you order that Apple Rhubarb pie, or is it only for sale at the shop? I don't see it on the website.

Actually I'd like to point out for the fellow northsiders, Hoosier Mama has a stand at the Green City Market on Saturdays at 1750 N Clark. The Apple Rhubarb was available when I went this past weekend. It looks like the pies available are sort of grab-bag, but they're there and for me, much more convenient that going downtown.

Suiname wrote:Actually I'd like to point out for the fellow northsiders, Hoosier Mama has a stand at the Green City Market on Saturdays at 1750 N Clark. The Apple Rhubarb was available when I went this past weekend. It looks like the pies available are sort of grab-bag, but they're there and for me, much more convenient that going downtown.

Worth mentioning that the cream pies are, to my knowledge, unavailable at GCM (no refrigeration) and I believe that pies that use non-local ingredients such as banana and chocolate (at least with respect to the fillings, I believe) are also not offered.

Independent George wrote:Can you order that Apple Rhubarb pie, or is it only for sale at the shop? I don't see it on the website.

I called in my order and asked if there were any apple pie variations available so that's how I found out about the apple rhubarb. Last Saturday there were other pies available not listed on their website such as vinegar chess, strawberry passionfruit chiffon, pecan chess, and strawberry rhubarb. I can't remember what else...

Strawberry Passionfruit?!
I think I'm going tomorrow for their Friday flight. Does anybody know whether this is an all-day thing or not?

I'm pretty sure it's all day. At least, when I rolled in at 10am last Friday, the sign was up. I'd make sure that Strawberry Passion Fruit is on the list (or even if they still have it) before you go, though.

I tried the passionfruit strawberry chiffon last weekend, and it's very good.

What they didn't yet have available, but I'm dying to try, is the s'more pie. Yeah, that's right, s'more. As described by Allison, it's a graham cracker crust, dark chocolate ganache, chocolate pastry cream, then a marshmallow/meringue* top, which of course gets toasted.


(Photo via Hoosier Mama's Tweet)

Needless to say, the thought of this pie has been burning in the back of my head for the past week.

-Dan

* As best I caught her lingo, it's a gelatin-free marshmallow recipe that is somehow meringue-like.

I should really stop subscribing to this thread!

Is there any such thing as too much pie? I'd have to say no.

I was supposed to go to a party this weekend, and decided I was going to bring a pair of Hoosier Mama pies. Unfortunately, as it seems to always happen on holiday weekends, I came down with the flu, and have been bedridden. Too sick to go food shopping, or to cook with what I had in my pantry, all I had to sustain me was a pair of Hoosier Mama pies. A Fat Elvis (chocolate, peanut butter, & banana - not really my thing, but I'm sure it would have been popular), and a Lemon Chess (my favorite).

Suffice to say, after two days of eating nothing but pie, I feel much better.

Wow...I can't believe I'm saying this, and I hope fate isn't reading this, but I'm jealous.

And apparently Hoosier Mama Pies cure the flu. I suggest telling Paula that so she can capitalize on it.