Pastry shop is as homemade as homemade gets
Portrait by Rachel Pressley
While attending a wedding in her forties, Kirsten Fuchs got an unexpected piece of advice. “This doctor who was there told me, ‘If you ever get a change to change your career in your fifties, do it.’ That always stuck with me,” she says. “I had been working for a local corporate business, Celtic Sea Salt, starting as a local buyer and moving up to a management position. I tried freelance photography and social-media management, but it didn’t bring me the joy I thought it would.
“So, when I turned 50, I said to myself, ‘Okay, what’s my next chapter?’”
The other catalyst was more personal: Three summers ago, Fuchs and her daughter were out and about one day, hoping to find a place to simply relax and have a slice of blueberry pie and a cup of coffee. They didn’t find the kind of experience they were looking for — so Fuchs created it herself.
“I just studied and had faith that everything would come together.”
Today, Baked Pie Company, co-owned by Fuchs and her sister, Ingrid Cole, is open in two locations — and receiving loads of love from the local community.
What makes your pies special?
They’re made from scratch, the ultimate homemade pies. You can taste the homemade-ness of them — if that’s a word. We don’t use any fillers or frozen pie crust. We have a baking team at both locations who make fresh pies [and other delicacies] throughout each week. People can come in and use our WifFi, have some local coffee from Storehouse Coffee Co. in Hendersonville, and enjoy a slice of pie. Our most popular item is our pie flights. Customers can try three different pies [served from our cold and warm cases] at one time, with ice cream. I was at dinner one night and thought, ‘I would love to get a dessert where I can taste several things,’ so I thought others would like it, too.
This place is filled with antiques. Is there a reason behind that?
Pie is reminiscent of times past, so I wanted this space to feel like you’re going home, while creating new memories with friends and family … a friendly place where everyone feels safe. I’m into repurposing and saving antiques and love decorating with them. It’s good if you can keep things from going into the garbage. I’m always playing Ella Fitzgerald-type music. A lot of people say they like it — and my workers get yelled at if they have Beyoncé playing.
Why did you decide against setting up a shop like this downtown?
We moved here 23 years ago from Ft. Lauderdale because we love the mountains so much. I chose to open this location in South Asheville first because there weren’t that many locally owned businesses on this side of town. I spoke with different people who lived in North Asheville, and they said they never came this way unless they had a doctor’s appointment or something similar. I wanted this to be a nice place for locals where there is plenty of parking — we’re actually busiest when it’s raining. Although we have many tourists come here, we know that locals like myself and my husband don’t go downtown but a couple of times each year. It’s the same with the Woodfin shop. I wanted it to be a place for people in North Asheville to go without having to fight traffic.
Do you have anything exciting in the books for Thanksgiving?
Yes! We have a special Thanksgiving menu. Our deadline for pre-orders is Nov. 12, so we’re trying to get the word out for that. Each year, we have vegan, gluten free, and sugar-free options for our pumpkin and apple pies, and we also offer a keto pecan pie. Last year, we made over 600 orders at both locations, so more than 1,200 pies total.
Pecan pie is a holiday favorite.
Our honey pecan pie is my favorite, and one of our most popular pies. The first time I made it, I knew it was going to be a huge seller. It’s different than your regular pecan pie. It has 2 ½ cups of pecans per pie and is topped with caramelized pecans covered in honey and brown sugar. We also serve it in a chocolate version.
So, what else do you bake here?
We have whoopie pies, oatmeal crème pies, a variety of cookies, cupcakes baked fresh every Wednesday, scones, macarons, galettes, cinnamon buns, honey-pecan-cinnamon rolls, and more.
Baked Pie Company (4 Long Shoals Road, Arden; 50 North Merrimon Ave., Woodfin). The shops are open Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-8pm; Friday and Saturday, 10am-9pm. The Arden location is also open 11am-4pm on Sunday. For more information, visit bakedpiecompany.com. 828-333-4366 (Arden), 828-210-9544 (Woodfin). On Instagram and Facebook: @bakedpiecompany
