With all apologies to Barbara Mandrell, Frisch’s served pumpkin when pumpkin wasn’t cool.
We are in the midst of what the Frisch’s people call “pie season,” and though apple, cherry and coconut cream pies are on the menu right now, the pumpkin pie rules them all. Besides, it’s the only one listed in ALL CAPS on its online menu. I feel like it’s earned that distinction.
Long before the PSL became an acronym, before you could find everything from pumpkin spice hard seltzers to crackers to cream cheese – Frisch’s began dishing out its now-famous pumpkin pie. The exact year – like the recipe itself – is a mystery, but we know at least three generations of Cincinnatians have enjoyed them.
The Pie Guy
Head baker Bruce Woods is the man behind that sweet, pumpkiny goodness.
“He’s our pie guy,” explained Abby Suggs, Frisch’s marketing program specialist. “He’s been making the pies for over 35 years now.” I’d have loved to talk to Bruce, but let’s be honest: the man is busy right now.
“He gets in here every morning and makes all the pies,” she said.
That’s right. ALL the pies. All 150,000 pumpkin pies – and 1 million slices that Frisch’s sells in a season. “There’s a team of people that helps,” Abby pointed out, “but he’s the one that puts them in the oven and makes sure they’re cooked to the correct temperature. He maintains the standard you’re used to in a Frisch’s pumpkin pie.”
The pies are made from scratch and never frozen, so that kitchen commissary gets quite the daily workout.
Bruce makes them in small batches at the Frisch’s kitchen commissary in Walnut Hills – and I mean really small. His giant pie gun can fill eight pie shells at a time. That’s a long way to 150,000 pies. No wonder Woods hasn’t missed a day of work since he started with the restaurant chain. Those pies won’t make themselves.
Pumpkin pie is Frisch’s No. 1 seller this time of year, and Abby attributes it all to tradition, something Cincinnati does better than most. “It reminds them of home and gives them a piece of their childhood back. It reminds you where you’re from,“ she said. “And it’s something people can bond over every holiday season.”
Pie Day is coming
The day circled on the Frisch’s calendar is “Pie Day,” the day before Thanksgiving. “It’s by far the biggest day of the year for us. (Customers) come in starting at 5 or 6 a.m. to get their pies.” She suggests ordering ahead from your favorite Frisch’s. And now, you can have pumpkin pie delivered through DoorDash or shipped to friends or family out of town through cincyfavorites.com.
Because no one should be denied a slice of Cincinnati tradition.
Kathrine hates to admit it, but she doesn’t love pumpkin pie. She does love tradition, though, so she makes an exception on Thanksgiving. Catch her weekdays at 10 a.m. on Coffee Break with Kathrine on the Enquirer’s Facebook page.
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