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A slice of Indiana in the heart of Chicago
Eyes on the Pies
Did you know the Sugar Cream Pie LV ´7KH 2IÀFLDO Hoosier State Pie?” FUN FACT!
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edible INDY winter 2016
astry chef Paula Haney’s love for pies is homegrown. “I grew up eating pie,” said the Chicago-based pastry chef, owner of the successful Mama Hoosier Pie Company. “That was the dessert of choice at our house.” The company operates two bakeries: The original shop in downtown Chicago and a larger outpost in Evanston, which offers a wider assortment of savory pies and quiche, in addition to its sweeter mainstays. “There’s a reason I became a pastry chef,” Chef Haney admitted, “I have a tremendous sweet tooth.” Chef Haney, who hails from Indianapolis, didn’t originally set out for a life of baking. While studying journalism at Indiana University, she got a side job making pastries at the Runcible Spoon, which is where her career path began to cement. A few years later, she decamped to Chicago to work towards becoming a pastry chef. Her first job in the Windy City was working in a hotel, which handled a high volume of banquets. “I would segment two cases of oranges, or I would separate 200 eggs. It wasn’t highly skilled, but they were patient and willing to teach me,” she said. From there, she moved on to an assistant job and eventual pastry chef position at Trio, Chef Grant Achetz’s first Chicago-area restaurant. “The expectations were very high,” she said. She was tasked with creating desserts to follow Achetz’s innovative courses. On her days off from the restaurant, all she wanted to eat was a simple piece of pie. “I developed this fantasy pie shop in my head,” Chef Haney continued. She and her husband talked for several years about the idea of opening their own bakery. “One day I was, like, ‘You know, we might as well do it.’”
Photography courtesy of Paula Haney
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BY KRISTEN TAUER
