* * [background conversation]
- We got free pie samples, folks.
You guys are gonna hurt my feelings
if you don't try my pie. C'mon.
Pie is very universal.
And I think it can be a bridge.
Thank you, ma'am.
I'm definitely doing my part for diversity at some markets.
[chuckling]
Sometimes it's culture shock for some people, you know.
I'm black and Puerto Rican.
I'm from the city. I'm from the hood.
Thank you so much.
Sometimes, just looking at me,
people, they don't know how to take me at first.
I'd be happy to help.
But I'm selling pie.
I know that you're going to love me at some point 'cause I--
you're going to love this pie and I make the pie.
You're going to love me. I know this.
- Woman: Best pie on the entire planet right here.
- You become kind of safe when you bake pie.
- Don't miss your chance to get a pie
before we sell out yet again.
- There's a picture of 'em.
[click, clack]
I've got two brothers.
One is three years older.
One's three years younger.
And so, I was the middle child.
From my grandma, I learned to,
how to take care of people with food.
She would cook for about
34 people every Thanksgiving.
I would hang out with her and just watch.
And then after a while, you know,
you can only hang out in the kitchen so long
before they, you know,
"Grab this, do this, put this in there."
And then, they put you to work.
That's how I learned how to cook.
This is another one of my grandma's pots.
I got two of them. [tap, tap]
Literally, the business was built with that pot.
[click, hum]
You know, that was the pot I used to even cook sweet potatoes
and do whatever.
She passed
and I always felt that she's with us anyway.
But, you know,
she has to know that I'm selling pie.
You know, she has to know that.
[click, clack]
This is me back selling investments,
my investment days.
I sold investments for ten years.
The prospect of helping people
with their investments was attractive to me.
And the funny thing is I used to think that
being an investment adviser was really rewarding.
And, uh, it is.
But it's nothing compared to somebody gets one...
one forkful of pie.
You're not going to love your mutual fund.
You know, you're going to worry about it.
To get to that love, you know,
where you can get there so quick with a pie or with food.
Yes, it's true.
Baking and cooking, for me,
was definitely a stress reliever.
You're getting big, man.
- Think that's good? - Ah, little more, little more.
When Johnathan was born, it's become
kind of full circle.
- Johnathan Pye: That's kinda' cool.
[blender buzzes]
[small talk, chuckling]
- I had already had thoughts of starting a pie business
down the road.
I was in an Asian grocery store,
and I discovered these Okinawan purple yams.
Then one day, the light bulb went off,
like, "Wow, I bet I could make a pretty mean sweet potato pie."
Fortunately, I was out of work,
and had been out of work for quite some time.
I got to the point where
I wasn't going to ask anybody else for a job.
I just needed to figure out what was next.
And we went and got a couple dozen eggs and got started.
[whistling melody]
I knew what I could do, you know.
I knew I could make the pies.
I knew I could sell the pies.
- Woman: The pecan has something in it.
I'm trying to figure out what the taste is.
- Man: Well, is it good?
- Mr. Dye: We put love in it.
[man chuckles] - Woman: It's good.
- Man: Man,...delicious. - Thank you, sir.
It kind of grew organically and slowly in the beginning.
- Thank you so much. - All right, sir.
- Thanks a lot. - Nice meeting you.
- A good day would be,
I get up and bake a few pies, and I'd sell them.
And, you know, I'd pick Johnathan up from school,
and, you know, we would make dinner.
And, you know, I make enough money to make dinner.
Felt better than most of the days
that I had selling investments, you know.
Something about working for yourself.
If there was criticism... what would it be?
- It's too tasty.
- "It's too tasty"? That's not criticism.
- Yes, it is.
- We got free pie samples, guys, c'mon.
Then, the farmers markets came along.
Best pies anywhere.
The first time somebody called me the "pie guy,"
I wasn't ready for it.
And they yelled across the street,
"Hey, Pie Guy!"
I'm like, "What? Who?"
I'm thinking, "Nooooooo..."
And then, pretty early, pretty quickly, I got--
I love it now. It's awesome, you know,
to be recognized for something that you do.
When someone genuinely takes a bite
and they're like shocked that it's that good,
that's, you know, that's the best praise you can get.
You know, a pie can remind you of your grandma.
It can bring you a warm feeling back,
and that is very necessary.
It's not a necessity, but it's close.
[background conversation]