Gary Collier and his son, Cory, personify family tradition with their father-and-son bakery, Papa C Pies. And they make the best pie this side of the Mississippi.
Papa C Pies, in its brand-new bakery on 99 Seaboard Lane, had been a staple at the Franklin Farmer’s Market for nearly a decade before popular demand and other stars aligned and they opened in Brentwood in November.
The father-son duo specializes in deep-dish pies, their signature pies include apple, peach and pecan, blackberry, blueberry and more, and have been selling their creations since April 2009.
But their recipes are much older and come from the Collier family.
“It all started in my grandmother’s kitchen,” Chad said. “My dad [Papa C] is the oldest of five, so he was her right-hand man. He was forced into kitchen duty, but developed a passion for cooking. Growing up, apple pie was his forte.”
One Christmas, Chad asked grandmother Elsie for her apple pie recipe. But it turned out she never wrote it down- rather it was passed down to her from her own mother. Chad got the idea to write them down, and the idea turned into a partnership with his dad, and they became Papa C’s Pies.
The duo had been using the kitchen in the First Tennessee Bank building on the square in Franklin, but the ongoing renovation made them look for a more permanent spot. Eventually, they found their new spot, which is just a stone’s throw from Costco in Cool Springs.
They have branched out to more than 15 dishes, and use only natural preservative free ingredients. And only the best of those. Their pecans come from Texas; their sweet potatoes from Mississippi. Their menu is on their website.
The holiday season is, among many other things, the season for pie. They take pre-orders, they ship their delicious southern homestyle desserts all around the country. To order, customers can visit their website. For more information, go to their facebook page or call 615-414-3435. Their normal store hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Their holiday hours are this Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and then from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
[scroller style=”sc1″ title=”More Local Small Businesses” title_size=”17″ display=”tags” tags=”local-small-business-of-the-week” number_of_posts=”12″ auto_play=”5000″ speed=”300″]
