For Carol Southern, the owner of Oak Street Pie Co. in Roanoke, the shop is not simply selling some of the best pies in Texas—it is also selling the nostalgia of Southern cooking and American life, she said.
“That kind of [Southern] cooking doesn’t require recipes. You just do it,” Southern said. “Pies are so symbolic, and most people have special feelings about one pie or another.”
Established on Oak Street in downtown Roanoke in 2006, the pie company has branched out over the years to provide new offerings, such as fudge and sandwiches, Southern said.
But it is the classic pies of many customer’s childhoods that continue to be the best sellers, such as apple, pecan, chocolate cream and key lime, she said.
“There has been a few out-of-the-ordinary things to keep it fun and help out the community,” Southern said. “We try to stick with the more classic types of pies and branch out a little bit.”
Although she grew up around talented cooks such as her mother and grandmother, Southern did not start baking until she opened her own business.
Since then, she has continued to search for and perfect new ideas as the business has grown.
The pie company has been able to operate under normal hours throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by operating a walk-up window and providing grocery staples and at-home baking kits, Southern said.
Oak Street pies are also sold at Z Bar Cattle Co. in Keller, and the pie company will soon add new members to its baking team due to continued success, she said.
“There is a lot of sentimental value, in addition to how good the pies are,” Southern said. “Pies are just so much a part of our culture, and that is why they are so important.”
Oak Street Pie Co.
110 N. Oak St., Roanoke
817-490-0994
www.oakstpieco.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
