Sunday evening, Governor Milliken hosted Governor hopeful Rick Snyder at our Traverse City Grand Traverse Pie Company location. They each enjoyed a slice of Michigan agriculture and the comforts of ABC (Apple, Blueberry and Cherry) Pie! Together they visited the beautiful Cherry Capitol of the World-Traverse City, Michigan. We are grateful for their visit, and so glad that they love the fruits of Michigan as much as we do!
This week we attended our second Capitol Lawn Farmers Market in Lansing. The event highlighted products made in Michigan, and had a large number of booths from great Michigan companies and farms. We had a great time serving up our 6" Prime Rib and Chicken Pot Pies as well as some of our most popular baked goods like Michigan ABC (made with all Michigan grown apples, blueberries and cherries), Cherry Crumb, and Apple Crumb pies along with Chocolate Chip and Cherry Oatmeal Cookies. The weather was inviting to the many hundreds of attendees, and among them was our Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm. She made it a point to stop by our booth to not only make a purchase but to say how much she likes Grand Traverse Pie Company! It was a very successful day out at our Capitol and we cannot wait to participate in the next Select Michigan Farmers Market which will take place on September 17, 2010. Hope to see you all there!
When I was all of 10 years old my parents decided they wanted to move from San Diego, California to Traverse City, Michigan and start a new company. They then dragged me up to Julian, a little mountain town in Southern California to visit the Julian Pie Company. At the time I “didn’t like pie.” Once we got to our destination the amount of pies everywhere was overwhelming. I was determined that I did not like pie, and I was prepared to do anything I had to in order to not try one of them. I was not above throwing a fit. Then we met Liz, the owner of the Julian Pie Company. Before I knew it, I was eating (and LOVING) a slice of Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. To this day I have no idea how in the world she could have convinced me to give it a whirl, but I could not be more grateful that she did. Now I have completely changed my ways and I adore pie in all varieties. And more often than not, you can catch me having a slice of Strawberry Rhubarb Pastry for breakfast. After all, both strawberries and rhubarb are in season and fruit is good for you, right?
“I LOVE THE PIE! It is the best pie I have ever had in my life! The service has also always been great!”
-Missy
Many, many heartfelt thanks are being sent your way for helping us during our “crisis”…I called in a panic because we heard the original location booked for our celebration was no longer able to host us for our special event I was in shock. Upon suggestion…I called your establishment and was quickly put in touch with someone who could help us out. He arrived about 3 hours later with enough pie and coffee (along with cups, sugar, stirrers and cream) to serve our 160 guests…What a hit! People were so pleased that we were able to hold this special celebration, even though it wasn’t able to go as originally planned, and much of that is attributed to the fact that Grand Traverse Pie Company was willing and able to come to our rescue on that day.
We will be spreading the word…to let people know of the effort that you took in order to help us out.
-Renee from Okemos
Our Make And Take Road Show was hosted at the Norton Shores location on Saturday, and we all had an amazing time making pies with kids and their parents! The weekend was filled with happy kids, delicious pie, a little bit of magic and great support for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
For franchisee Tina Divita, there were many reasons for hosting the event benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: “I saw the devastating effects of this disease many years ago...A lovely young lady, my secretary, was only 24 years old when she died because of the complications from Cystic Fibrosis. My dream for all young children stricken with this disease is for them to die of old age.” Her daughter, Nikki, was also affected by the disease when a family from her church had a child, Tylor, who was diagnosed at birth and given a life expectancy of 21 years. Now 9 years old, Tylor’s life expectancy has already increased by 16 years. This positive progress is indicative of the success that cystic fibrosis research has had, and will continue to have!
This weekend was about Tylor, his family, and everyone whose lives have been affected by this disease. I think it's safe to say that everyone had a great time making pies, learning about the wonderful fruit (apples, blueberries and cherries) and products of Michigan, and supporting efforts to eradicate cystic fibrosis! Take a look at some of the joyful pictures we took. And thank you to everyone who participated, it was a wonderful experience.
If you would like more information about the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, please visit: http://www.cff.org/Chapters/grand-rapids
We’re spreading good cheer (and the ABC’s of Pie – Michigan Apples, Blueberries, and Cherries) during the month of May, while sharing the fun of making a pie with children throughout our Great Lakes state.
Come join us in Norton Shores on Saturday May 15th, and again on Saturday May 22nd in both the East Lansing and Okemos locations. This is a great opportunity for us to be able to share our passion for community with several communities around the state…while having fun teaching the next generation how to make a pie, just like Grandma did!
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Made with a delicious combination of romaine and spring mixed greens, fresh pears, grilled garlic chicken breast, bleu cheese, toasted pecans, croutons and our very own berry cherry vinaigrette, the Fresh Pear Chicken Salad has quickly become the best selling new menu item! It is the perfect lunch or dinner for a sunny summer day with the refreshing sweetness of pears, tender grilled chicken, and crunch of toasted pecans and homemade croutons. If you have yet to try this wonderful creation, drop into one of our 18 locations and experience the yumminess!
We are pie makers. First and foremost. Pie is a celebration of family and tradition, neatly and deliciously packaged in a flaky crust. Our passion is to re-create those memorable “Pie Moments” from long ago. Our bakers take great pride in crafting each pie by hand and baking them slowly until they are just right. Like our grandmothers, they have the “eye for pie”. To that end, we celebrate pie. Every one of us. Everyday. www.gtpie.com
