The phone starts ringing in September with holiday orders at Elsie’s Plate & Pie.
“(Customers) want to make sure they are going to get whatever they want,” says Paul Dupre, Elsie’s chef and owner.
The orders start coming in faster and faster as the week of Thanksgiving approaches. Soon, the kitchen works its way through anywhere from 600 to 800 pre-orders. (At press time, this year’s pre-order count is up to around 800.) On this episode of 225 Magazine’s Between the Lines, we sat with Dupre and his team about how they manage the rush.
Pre-orders close the Sunday before Thanksgiving. After pre-orders close, customers can still pick up pies from the counter leading up to the holiday.
This year, Elsie’s is offering a variety of pies on and off the menu.
“We’ve got Apple, Chocolate Cream Pie, Turtle, S’mores, Coconut Cream Pie, Almond Joy and Fall Harvest,” Dupre says, pausing before he continues the list. “We’ve got Pumpkin Streusel, we’ve got a Pumpkin Fluff this year, Lemon Ice box Pie and the Eye of the Tiger.”
During the two days before the holiday, Dupre and his son, along with pastry chef Brant Palazzo, fulfill the mountain of tickets. They prep everything they can—dry ingredients and fillings—and then form an assembly line, with each member assigned tasks.
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“We make everything by scratch,” Dupre says. “I think that’s why we’re so successful, because we’re not taking shortcuts. We’re doing it the old-school way—and we’re putting our hearts into it. ”
And pre-orders are already open for Christmas, too.
For a more in-depth look at what goes into making the pies, check out this month’s episode of 225 Magazine’s Between the Lines,.