Pie in the Sky founder and self-proclaimed chief baking officer, Erin Ashley, grew up in Maryland watching her mom making pies and taking them to birthday parties and barbecues.
"People would love the pies and track her down for the recipe," said Ashley.
Yet her mother never shared it with anyone -- except for Ashley who experienced the same response to the pies when she took them to parties in Miami, her home for seven years.
"One day I realized, why am I giving away these pies? I'm just going to start a business."
Ashley started selling the pies to friends and online from her house about a year ago but recently decided to go bigger. She moved into a commercial kitchen and relaunched Pie in the Sky this past weekend to sell to markets, restaurants and customers.
So what makes Pie in the Sky's pies so special?
"It's not a traditional pie in that the fruit is never cooked or frozen," explains Ashley. "The whole pie as a whole is never baked. A lot of people like it because it's not heavy like normal pie. The fruit is fresh; we don't keep it sitting around."
Pie in the Sky sells three flavors: No More Blues Blueberry, Strawberry Pizazz and Razzle Dazzle, a mixed berry pie ($25 each). The pies are currently sold at Farmer's Market in Key Biscayne's Harbor Plaza (93 Harbor Dive) but you can order them online at pienthesky.com or by contacting Ashley at [email protected].
