Life & Work with Ann Lewis of Easy As Pie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Lewis.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always loved baking, but I had never baked a pie until I was in a FACS (home economics) class in high school! I can’t remember exactly how it turned out, but I was hooked on baking pies after that. I would always be the designated holiday pie baker, and I’d try to make the pies better and prettier each year! in the fall of 2017, my now-fiancé encouraged me to make a post on Facebook about selling my pies for Thanksgiving. Thinking I would sell maybe five pies, I made the post!

A few days later, I had sold 4o pies and was completely overwhelmed (in a good way)! After that Thanksgiving, I did a bunch of recipe testing, figured out the name of my business, and started doing pop-ups pretty regularly. My first major pop-up was the Strawberry Swing! It was so busy that I sold out within an hour, went home and baked for three more hours, came back, and sold out again! Events and meeting people are definitely some of my favorite aspects of the pie biz!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most of the struggles I’ve dealt with have just been getting in my own way! Sometimes self-doubt creeps in, and if I don’t sell out in a certain time, I think that the world is crashing and everything is doomed. I then remind myself that I have built this business by myself from the ground up, and it’s continuing to grow on a daily basis.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
By day, I am a middle school choir teacher! I spend my days helping 6th and 7th graders find their voices and find an appreciation for all different types of music.

Once I get home, I fully switch hats and become a baker! I do a lot of custom orders for people (mini pop tarts for events, quiches for a shower, a birthday pie, etc.), and I am regularly doing pop-ups at local businesses and events as well. Although I bake cookies and cupcakes on occasion, I am definitely all about PIE. Mini pies and pop tarts are adorable for events, but I love making full-size pies in both savory and sweet flavors. I am constantly striving to outdo myself, so I have a very high bar in terms of aesthetics and taste. I pride myself on my pies looking as good as they taste and vice versa.

How do you define success?
For me, success is as simple as putting a smile on someone’s face when they take a bite of something I made. Success is someone telling their friend or family that they have to try my pies. It’s the little things for me!

Pricing:

• $5 pop tarts and hand pies
• $2.50 mini pop tarts
• $8 mini 5″ pies
• $25 full size 9″ pies
• $22 full size 9″ quiches

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.easyaspiekansascity.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easyaspiekc/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/easyaspiekc