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Amanda Peterka
You used to have to go home to get mom’s baking– warm pies, straight out of the oven, the crust barely able to contain the cherries oozing from the middle. Not anymore. Grand Traverse Pie Company, since its founding in 1996, has taken the art of making pies from mom’s kitchen to one that often produces up to 80 pies a day. And now you can get a slice of those pies for $2.99 right here in East Lansing with the recent opening of a branch on East Grand River Avenue. In this day and age people don’t have the time to make their own pies,” said Liz Banks, a manager at the new branch and someone who’s worked for the company for four years. “How many times has Mom made a pie today?” The company’s biggest seller is by far its signature cherry pie, made from Michigan cherries – in fact, the original store is located in Traverse City, a place famed for its cherries. But the restaurant sells more than just cherries – there are also about six types of apple pies, along with blueberry, blackberry, lemon meringue, peach, pumpkin, key lime and a variety of cream pies. Banks, whose favorite is peach crumb, said that Thanksgiving orders are already pouring in, and that even though the restaurant has only been open about a month, there are already regulars. “Some people come in maybe everyday,” she said. “Okemos regulars are coming over here because it’s closer,” she added, referring to the Okemos branch of the company. MSU students are among the store’s biggest customers and employees. The majority of the 48 people on staff are either from MSU or Lansing Community College, and the restaurant has become a place to study, much like Starbucks or Espresso Royale Café. “Already in the first week people were coming here to study,” said Banks. Many students generally stay until the restaurant closes at 10:30 pm. The environment does cater to studying. A fireplace, jazz music, walls painted in soothing dark red, dim lighting – all signature elements of the more traditional places to study, like the mainstream coffeehouses. Plush leather couches make a semi-circle in front of the stone fireplace – a perfect place to whip out that laptop and take advantage of the free wireless. Lindsey Rossman, a first year medical student, was doing just that on a Wednesday afternoon. Although she hasn’t eaten any of the pies yet, she’s already a regular, enjoying the restaurant’s proximity to campus. “I come here to eat quickly and then go back and study,” she said, adding that it’s a bigger place than just a coffeehouse and that the crowd tends to be older. Most students tend to find out about the place by word of mouth, said Banks. But some have been going to the original Grand Traverse since its beginning in Traverse City, like Chelsea House, a freshman in chemistry. House, whose favorite part of eating pie is the warm crust, said the new place in East Lansing is just as good as the original. “I go here and see the pictures from up north and recognize the places – it reminds me of home,” she said, referring to the photos on the walls of the restaurant. “It’s a good atmosphere, especially when people are homesick. It’s close to the holidays and you can go in and get warm.” It’s not just about pies for House. She also enjoys the chicken potpies and the quiches, which are “amazing.” Grande Traverse offers a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads and pies for lunch and dinner. Banks said one could draw a comparison with Grand Traverse and Panera Bread Company. “Pie is what we’re selling, but the way we compete with other places is with lunch and baked goods,” said Banks. “It’s grown – when I started all we had was pie.” But it’s definitely the pie that sets the restaurant apart. “The best thing about buying pie is that it means your friends and family are getting together. After the Thanksgiving meal you have a slice of pie with the family,” Banks said. “To give that to people in today’s busy world is great.” |
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