Sunday, November 16, 2008

Thanksgiving Bonanza

Hey all!

Yes, I know it has been a long time, usually I'm up on this every week. However, with the holidays it has been... well, staggering, which is a good thing. First, let's get to our holiday flavors and I'll go over how to order.

This Thanksgiving we're doing:
Traditional Pumpkin $20.00
Sweet Potato $20.00
Apple Ribbon $22.00
Classic Pecan $25.00
Walnut Maple $25.00
and Naughty Pumpkin Pie $24.00
(The Naughty is Pumpkin fused with brandy and covered in candied pecans.)

I am extending the order deadline date to Friday, November 21st. Get everything in by then or NO PIE!

How to order:
Give us a shout at 401 331-2414 to place an order directly with myself, Iris, or Shea. We'll take care of you. If you get the machine we'll get back to you within the hour. Or drop us an email at cutiepiepies @ cot . net

All orders must be pre-paid. I will not make pies for folks who won't show up. That said you can pay cash or check at the Blue Elephant at 312 Wickenden St. or send a check to our home office. You'll get the address upon your order.

Pickup this year is at the Blue Elephant. Pickup hours are Mon. 24th until Weds. the 26th from 7am til 3pm and Thursday the 27th, Thanksgiving day, from 7am till noon. Please clearly indicate a date at the time you order.

We have stopped taking credit cards, I'm very sorry for that. Our machine was destroyed in a freak office accident (don't ask) and we will not be getting a new one from the company until the 28th.

We have also stopped taking special diet orders. No more sugar free, gluten free or vegan. I'm very sorry, but there were only a limited number of slots and they have been filled. It is too hard to stop and constantly retool the kitchen, so we've taken what we can.

That said, thank you so much, guys! We've had an amazing Holiday season so far and I greatly appreciate it. As soon as Thanksgiving is over we'll be putting out our Christmas, Chanukah and New Years menus. Lots of good stuff in there!

Thank y'all so much for your patents and patronage this season, I thank you and wish you good eating.
~Iris

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Cutie Pies Makes the Election Edition of the Providence Journal

Well Hello again everybody, This is Shea with an update on the amazing week of change here in Cutie Pie Land.

A week ago everything seemed so different for all of us.

Iris and I had a wonderful election day. We got up early to vote and saw a huge amount of our neighbors there in line at our local poll. After that it was off to the dog park to convince a few people more to vote yes on 2 the farm bill in RI. Next we joined the huge crowd of people in the RI Obama offices. Everyone was sitting on the floor wherever they could find a spot and using cell phones to call out to voters in Virginia. We passed out tiny tasters of Sweet Potato Pie, Obama's favorite, to the callers and staff as our thank you for helping. I got to see both our Senators, Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed at HQ and at the ball at the Biltmore afterwards. We stayed long enough to See that Prop #2 passed and we headed home to watch the victory returns and speeches at home.

The Next Morning I Wake UP at 6am.

And I race out to get a Newspaper...

Because I have TWO reasons to buy a paper...

You see, a couple weeks ago the Providence Journal came by to do a story on us. They gave us a choice on whether We'd like it to run on the 5th or the 12th....

Thank god that Iris chose Nov. 5th.

The Projo Story on Cutie Pies Came out in the sold-out election edition of the Providence Journal. And ever since then the Phones Have Been Ringing Off the Hook. We have been inundated with orders for a darn week.

Here's a little sample and link to the story, (you might have to sign up to get to the content but I think you don't have to give them a real mail)

http://www.projo.com/food/content/fd-cutie_pies_11-05-08_UIC46TM_v22.1942305.html

Cutie Pies just right for home enjoyment

01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, November 5, 2008
By Gail Ciampa

Journal Food Editor

Iris Monroe shows off a pecan pie at the Blue Elephant Restaurant on Wickenden Street in Providence. She is currently taking orders for holiday pies for home use that can be picked up at the restaurant.


The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

Iris Monroe considers that her Cutie Pies business got started in a Providence dog park earlier this year, but its roots go deeper.

A fourth-generation baker, Monroe learned to cook with her great-grandmother Grant in New Orleans, where Monroe was born. She moved to Providence in 2003, but it wasn’t until she returned home from visiting her mother in Florida last winter carrying a suitcase with 50 pounds of key limes that the pie baker in her was reborn.

She started zesting the limes to make a classic key lime pie when nature called to her dog. Off they went to the dog park where she ran into her friend and fellow dog owner, Jesse. He asked her what smelled so wonderful and she knew it was the aroma from the fresh limes. She told him what she was making and he offered her $20 to make him a pie, too. With all her Southern hospitality, she said she would happily just make him a pie. But he wouldn’t let her do that, what with the cost of ingredients, and she delivered him a pie.

The next time he saw Monroe, he gave her a list of 25 people who wanted to each buy a key lime pie. Thank goodness she brought back all those fresh limes, was her first thought. Her second was this: “That’s a pretty nice profit,” — and she made all the pies and delivered them.

“Then I sat down and started listing all the different pies I knew how to make and I stopped at 400,” she said.

And so her Pie of the Week campaign was born and her customer base became established as was her Web presence at www.cutiepiepies.blogspot.com

“I think if I have 1,000 patrons, I can make a living and hire others,” she said. “Because what is better than pie?”





Take a look at the link for the rest of the article. You'll see why we've been so busy. The Projo even listed all the types of holiday pies we are making for Thanksgiving this year.

We are going in for Bake night tonight.

Our Flavors available in Cutie Pie form at the Blue Elephant will be Apple Ribbon and Sweet Potato. We will be taking Thanksgiving orders through Nov. 17th. That's five days left for you to order a delicious pie for Thanksgiving.

Thank goodness we here at Cutie Pies have so much to be thankful for this year, we hope you do as well.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The He-Can Pecan

Hello all!!

Wow, what an amazing couple of days!! I would love to go into the politics of it all, but will simply say I'm joyful and any falling all over myself will happen in personal blogs and strictly with friends.

That said, let's head into different politics! Tuesday before last I ran into David Cicilline, Mayor of our fair city, at a neighborhood business association meeting. He was so tickled over my election pies that I offered to make one for him. I have, after all, voted for the man.

So I've come up with the He-Can Pecan, a wonderful Chocolate Pecan pie. I know Pecan Pie is sweet, but with a chunk of dark chocolate at the bottom it is perfect with just a little more. We've made this the pie of the week, so delivery will be this Friday between 5:30-7. This pie is $24 because, as I'm sure you can understand, these ingredients are a little more expensive.

We've also got Chocolate Puddin' Pie up for you at the market. It's not very jiggly, just moist in the middle with a power punch of chocolate. After last week, I felt chocolate was in order. This pie, should you like to order it, is only $20, just like usual.

Get your orders in before Thursday at NOON!

Today, Wednesday, is the last farmer market of the season, at least for Cutie Pies. We are going to be at the Winter Market, which starts on Dec. 6th, that's a Saturday, at the American Locomotive Company on Vally St. Do join us, there's going to be a whole lot of wonderful farmers, bread bakers, cheese makers and, of course, Cutie Pies, for your eating pleasure.

Now, on to Thanksgiving.

Cutie Pies was featured in the ProJo's Food and Lifebeat section today. The calls and emails have been... ah... well, overwhelming is a good word. I recommend y'all get your holiday orders in as soon as you can, because we're cutting off after 1,500. We're not there yet, but it won't be long. Pick up a ProJo, it's a pretty good article.

What flavors are we offering this season, you ask?
Sweet Potato Pie $20
Traditional Pumpkin Pie $20
Apple Ribbon $22
Naughty Pumpkin Pie $24 (fused with brandy and covered with candied pecans)
Walnut Maple $25
Classic Pecan Pie $25

We'll be taking orders via email and over the phone, the number is located at the bottom of this post. All orders are pre-pay and pick up is from Monday the 24th to Thanksgiving day, Thursday the 27th at the Blue Elephant. Yes, you can order at the Blue Elephant as well. Payment: We'll be taking credit cards, cash or check. Whatever is best for you.

Ok, so I'm very excited about the future, not just in pie world, but in all the world. I hope you guys feel this, too, and join me in working toward better days. And, of course, eat some really good pie. Thanks, and hope y'all had as good a night last night as I did.
~Iris
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Cutiepies - Our only competition is Mom.
Make your holiday order NOW!
(401) 331-2414
cutiepiepies @ cox DOT net