Happy Eating on the Hoosier Pie Trail

There are 19 stops on the Indiana Foodways Alliance’s Hoosier Pie Trail that placed 4^th  “Best Food Trail” by USA Today’s 10Best Choice. Yep! You heard that right! It beat out the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Bourbon and Pie ….I like both equally but we were pretty stoked with the honor of this award.

As many Hoosiers, the Sugar Cream Pie is the Unofficial State Pie in the Hoosier State. It started out by honoring the late Mr. Duane “Wick” Wickersham and his family business for manufacturing Wick’s Sugar Cream Pies. They produce more than 12 million pies and pie shells per year using the Wick’s family recipe that originated in the nineteenth century. The delectable creamy and sugary goodness is sold in 25 states.

Many are newbies to this semi-opaque, creamy dessert but the 150-year old recipe adorns restaurant menus, bakeries, bake shops and markets all over the Crossroads of America.

Our Nation’s pie folklore depicts Indiana’s State Pie as Sugar Cream Pie a.k.a Hoosier Pie, Indiana Farm Pie, Amish Pie or Finger Pie.  Sugar Cream Pie, was also made when fruit was not available, also called Desperation Pie. During tough years when fruits were not easy to come by,  folks would make sugar cream pie because it was made with easily available ingredients such as heavy cream, flour, vanilla, milk and sugar.

The Hoosier Pie Trail is not just about Sugar Cream Pie but really any kind of pie!

Bread Box Cafe in the heart of downtown Shipshewana is your sweet tooth headquarters! Order delicious sandwich and soups and cap off your meal with the many assortments made from scratch pies, cakes and rolls.

Bill and Gloria’s Pure and Simple Restaurant inside Gaither Family Resources in Alexandria has something for everyone from their cream pies to their the red raspberry cake. Fill up on sweets and World Famous Gospel Music from this stop! Visitors can even tour the studio where The Gaither’s Grammy Award-Winning songs were recorded.

Ahlemeyer Farms Bakery in Columbus has just about everything your taste buds could want!  Their blueberry pie is something fierce but some of their most popular are their pecan and cream pies. The taste is revolutionary and Foodies across America find it awakening their taste buds in comparison to other regional favorites such as Kentucky Bourbon Pecan or Dutch Chess Pie.

Owned by the Baker Family for 60 years, Clay’s Family Restaurant on Lake George in Fremont, Indiana is a Steuben County institution! Save room for dessert, the Signature Berry Pie is a must-have for a tasty treat. The flaky, made from scratch crust, has a layered cream cheese mixture with chopped pecans to add a sweet surprise to their berry pie creation!

Enjoy your pie as you snuggle up in the quaint and cozy Bread Basket Cafe and Bakery in Danville. They have 12 varieties of homemade pies made daily. The Triple Berry Pie is a crowd favorite. (Read more for other things to do in Hendricks County)

Moser’s Austrian Cafe is known for their delicious schnitzels and Austrian/German food however their pies are a great way to end the delectable meal. Their choices include Derby and Custard Pies – Pecan, Derby, Custard, Dutch Apple, Peanut Butter. Seasonal Pies – Blueberry, Strawberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry.

The Patio Steakhouse in Tell City has pie galore on their weekend buffet and regular menu! Round your steak dinner or their popular seafood buffet with choices such as chocolate or coconut cream pie.

Storie’s Restaurant in Greensburg has tenderloin sandwiches the size of your head but the made from scratch pies will tempt your tummy! Storie’s Restaurant serves 7 different homemade pies everyday: coconut, banana, graham cracker, butterscotch, peach, apple and cherry.

Hoosier Pie, is an Indiana staple, find a Hoosier pie or other homemade fruit or cream pies at these IFA Member bakeries and restaurants in Indiana: check out our entire list of Hoosier Pie Trail Stops Here.

Feel like giving it a whirl yourself and need a recipe? Here’s one that I use every time we have a family gathering. My family loves this recipe which was given to my mother long ago by Ramona Kleber. Happy Baking!

Just like a pie with double crust there are double celebrations for the delicious goodness. One “Pie Day” is a National Food Holiday on January 23, 2017. The other is Pi (3.14) day celebrating Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi  is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant – the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter – which is approximately 3.14159. Pie/Pi Day has two days celebrating. As these two days are celebrated in the United States and around the world, Indiana Foodways Alliance uses these quirky days to honor our Hoosier Pie Trail.

Indiana Foodways Alliance is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to the celebration, promotion and preservation of the authentic food culture of Indiana. www.indianafoodways.com