Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Bodine-Lederman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Heather. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started selling pies at small little popups and markets in Chicago and quickly discovered that there was an incredibly huge demand for vegan baked goods. Special orders started flooding in every week, I got offers to sell my cakes at a few of my favorite restaurants, and things just kept escalating from there until I ultimately ended up quitting my job to bake full time. This was never meant to be a career and now that it is, I can’t imagine my life any other way.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The only struggle for me has been keeping up with the ever growing demand, which I suppose is a good problem to have! Every time I do a popup, I sellout within the first hour, and holiday pre-sales always sell out the first day. Running the business 100% on my own, limits the amount that I’m able to do but this just pushes me to work harder towards expansion in the future.
Please tell us about Pie, Pie My Darling.
I offer 100% vegan pies, cakes, cookies and more all baked fresh from scratch, without the typical “vegan” taste or health food focus. My aim is to make vegan treats that are just as indulgent (if not more indulgent) as their dairy laden counterparts. What I’m most proud of, is the fact that my whole business image is just me, and people accept me for who I am–no gimmick, no bullshit. The name Pie, Pie My Darling was inspired by a song by the punk band the Misfits (die, die my darling) and I love that, I was able to incorporate and continue to incorporate parts of myself and my interests in my work. I’m also very proud to make vegan baked goods that non-vegans order just as much as vegans do. I want to show the world that being vegan doesn’t have to be a compromise.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Desserts! When I think of childhood, all that I remember is the treats, the hostess cupcakes, the rice crispie treats, the birthday cakes, the Christmas cookies. These are the memories I cherish the most.
Pricing:
- Cakes, $40-$70 depending on size
- Pies, $35
Contact Info:
- Website: www.piepiemydarling.com
- Email: piepiemydarling@gmail.com
- Instagram: @piepiemydarling
- Facebook: facebook.com/piepiemydarling
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
