OUR STORY
Hi Friends! Amy here! I don’t think we have ever shared our story.
Our story starts in a little church kitchen in Arvin, California — the kind of place where faith, family, and food always seemed to go hand in hand. My Grandma Smithee had this fried pie recipe that, to this day, we’re not sure where she got it. We never thought to ask how far back it went before she passed, but what we do know is this: those pies brought people together.
It all started as a church fundraiser. We’d pre-sell pies to friends, coworkers, and neighbors for weeks, then gather early on a Saturday morning for what we called fry day. From age seven to ninety-seven, everyone had a role to play. Lawrence manned the fryer, the ladies rolled dough by hand and filled each pie with care, and the men dipped the hot pies in glaze. The whole church smelled like heaven — sugar, dough, and laughter filling the air. Those days weren’t just about making pies; they were about making memories.
Somewhere along the way, life got busy, people grew older, and the tradition faded. The recipe went quiet for over twenty years.Then, in 2017, we lost Grandpa Smithee. The months that followed were full of change and reflection, and one afternoon in 2018, Grandma said, “Why don’t we make some fried pies?” It was as if something long dormant in our hearts woke back up. We started small, just making a few batches, but word spread quickly. Before long, people were asking for more — and Amazin’ Glazin’ Fried Pies was born.
The name was inspired by our roots — Amazing Grace — paired with the part of the process that always made us smile: the glaze. It felt right. And just like that, what started decades ago in a church kitchen became something bigger than we ever imagined.
At first, it was Grandma and my mom — a mother-daughter duo frying their way through local markets and festivals. After we lost Grandma in 2021, the torch passed to the next mother-daughter pair: my mom, Helen, and me. And while it may have started as a family tradition between the two of us, there’s one person we couldn’t do this without — my cousin, Kylie. She’s been a steady part of our team from the start and even carried the business back in 2024 when my dad was in the hospital fighting cancer. This little pie business has walked with us through seasons of joy and loss, laughter and grace, and through it all, it’s kept our family close.
Our dough is the heart of what we do, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, made without dairy, and perfected over the years with just a few tweaks from that original recipe in Arvin. But beyond the dough, it’s the people that make this business special. Our customers have become family. We know so many by name, and they show up at events just to grab a pie and share a story.
We’ve always said our pies should take you back to your grandma’s kitchen, to childhood memories of something warm and homemade. We bake nostalgia into every bite. We want each pie to remind you of love, family, and simple joy.
And of course, we had to find a phrase that fit our fun, Southern spirit. We tried a few — “As good as money can pie!” and “Don’t worry, you’ll be back!” — but the one that stuck, the one that made people laugh and lean in, was “Shut Your Pie Hole!” It started as a joke, but it’s become our motto — a playful way to remind people to stop talking, take a bite, and just enjoy the goodness.
Seven years later, we’ve never had to give anyone their money back — and we’re still just as proud of each pie that comes out of that fryer as we were on day one. Because to us, these pies aren’t just food. They’re a story. A memory. A legacy.
So from our family to yours — thank you for being part of it. Now go on… shut your pie hole, and taste a little piece of our history.