Tara Campbell (pictured) has been known to transform into a Christmas elf bearing gifts of pie at this time of year. Busy as an elf would be a good way to describe she and her husband Matt as they begin moving their Mountain Pie Co. business into a new commercial kitchen at 1228 E. Fillmore (adjacent to Ranch Foods Direct.) Here, they share more about what the holidays mean to them and what’s ahead in the new year.
Q. When it comes to food at the holidays, are you personally more traditional, unconventional or a combination?
A. It’s kind of a combination. We usually do a prime rib or something along those lines, which is pretty traditional, but we like to do some different sides to spruce it up a little bit.
Q. Is there a food you can’t do Christmas without?
Mine would have to be pumpkin pie. My grandmother always made one for me at the holidays, and hers were the best.
Q. How will the holidays be different now that you have new baby Rory?
I’m really excited about his first Christmas. He’ll be five months old. He’s always been a really expressive little baby so it’s going to be a lot of fun. For me, it’s a little bit like seeing Christmas through a child’s eyes again.
Q. Are you selling any special pies for the holidays?
We’re doing some 9-inch family-size sweet pies: a local organic pumpkin and buttermilk made with locally grown, organic pumpkins; a berry, berry cherry (mixed berries and cherry pie) and a festive apple rum raisin; classic flavors, but with a little bit of a twist.
Q. Have you sold 9-inch pies before?
No, this is a new thing for us! We plan to offer them throughout the year, in both sweet and savory flavors. They are a great family option; warm one up and you can feed the whole family.
Need holiday catering?
Seeds Community Cafe and Mountain Pie Co. both offer catering for groups of any size.
Seeds Cafe provides traditional full service catering which also creates jobs for those in need of developing vocational skills.
Meanwhile, Mountain Pie Co. offers “drive-by” catering: “We bring everything already bagged up and ready to display,” says Mountain Pie’s Matt Campbell. “We make sure everything looks good and then the party takes care of itself. We do a lot of business lunches but we even did a wedding recently.” What makes it an affordable option is that you pay for the food you buy with only a small delivery fee added.
Either choice is healthy for your guests and supports the local economy.
