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SugarJam begins pre-orders for Thanksgiving pies

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Patrons looking to score a warm, 9-inch-deep dish pie from SugarJam The Southern Kitchen to serve at their Thanksgiving dessert have until Nov. 13 to get their orders in. SugarJam is offering nine �lavors: apple, caramel apple, apple crumb, cherry, cherry crumb, southern sweet potato, SJ pumpkin, bourbon pecan, chocolate pecan, and peach cobbler, and the restaurant is looking to get as organized as soon as possible ahead of the controlled chaos that is expected on the pickup dates of Nov. 22 and 23.

“I’ve always started taking pre-orders on Oct. 1 and this year, because the demand is so high, we were going to stop the pre-orders as of Nov. 13 so that we have enough time to produce the pies and not be too crazy at the last minute,” said Dana Dumas, head chef and CEO of SugarJam The Southern Kitchen.

So far, Dumas has received over 220 orders and in the past, she has �illed more.

“Last year we did 2,800 pies and then before the year before – when I was in my SugarJam bake shop and bistro amid COVID, the heavy part of COVID – we did 3500 pies,” Dumas said.

“My biggest year on pies, I would say, was the years of 2017 and 2018 and we were doing nearly 4,000 to 4,500 pies and we almost got to 5000.”

Dumas also sees a surge of corporate orders around this time as well.

“Corporate doors usually are the week before Thanksgiving and we typically do anywhere between 500 to 800 pies for corporate people,” she said.

Dumas attributes her soaring demand for her delectable desserts to her commitment to simplicity. “At the end of the day, my �lavor pro�ile is not taking fruit and a little bit of sugar and a little bit of this and then thinking back to pie,” she said. “It really is putting love and care into the batters that we made.”

Not only is love put into the batter, but each batch of batter must pass the approval of Dumas as well as her staff.

“We taste all our batters to make sure the �lavor pro�ile is where we need to be so when it bakes, it bakes up your pie full of �lavor and people enjoy it,” Dumas said.

Pie is not her only top seller as peach cobbler will be returning for a second year after successful sales last year.

“I also do a peach cobbler that we were in such high demand for last year that I said ‘OK, let me put this on the menu this year to make sure that we have it available,’” Dumas said.

Dumas is already plotting how to orchestrate pickups on her two pickup dates.

“Since we’re starting pickups on Tuesday, we begin to make the �illings and line pie shells that Thursday and Friday before and we’ll start to wrap and freeze them,” she said.

“We then start baking off pies on Sunday and Monday for Tuesday and then Monday and Tuesday for the Wednesday pickup.

The pies are getting made all around the clock so we’re trying to bake and make them as fresh as possible.”

On pickup day, Dumas will do her part to control the chaos. When customers place an order, they will �irst be asked to select a pickup date and time and will have a twohour window to pick up their pies.

Since she has the added space of her retail shop, The Market by SugarJam, Dumas plans to line customers up there and usher them into her second dining room near the bake shop counter during their allotted pickup time.

Guests will also be asked to show a virtual order con�irmation or printed receipt of their order when they come to pick up their pies.

Although Dumas admits her pies can be enjoyed at room temperature, she recommends that customers heat their pies in an oven at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes and serve them with vanilla bean ice cream. For pies sweet potato and pumpkin pies, she recommends that customers leave them refrigerated overnight and then keep them out for about an hour before serving.

Although Dumas typically sees record pie sales ahead of Thanksgiving, she also says that pie sales soar following the holiday too, as people want extra slices of her famous pies.

“It’s crazy because we get people that order pies that pick up on Wednesda y, and then they have a standing order for the Saturday after Thanksgiving,” Dumas said. “Most of the time they told me, it’s because their guests want a fresh pie so they can have their own.”

SugarJam The Southern Kitchen head chef/CEO Dana Dumas has gained a big following with her pies.

(Courtesy Dana Dumas)

SugarJam The Southern Kitchen is taking pre-orders for Thanksgiving pies like pumpkin, sweet potato, apple and pecan online until November 13.

(Alex Gallagher/ Progress Staff)

What's Cooking

With JAN D’ATRI JAN D’ATRI

Progress Columnist

Planning a party? Think paella and plenty of sangria

It was on this day, decades ago, that my momma and I celebrated my birthday in Madrid, Spain.

She took me on a magnifi cent trip to six European countries on our way to her hometown of Treviso, Italy. It was in Madrid where we both fell in love… with paella. The place was Restaurante Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world, according the Guinness Book of World Records – and to this day, one of the most charming establishments I’ve ever visited.

We bought our paella pan there and have loved making this authentic Spanish dish ever since.

If you’re in the mood to party, a paella party (with plenty of sangria to wash it down!) can be a very tasteful get-together!

Seafood Paella

3 cloves garlic, minced 1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped fi ne 1 red bell pepper, diced 1/3 cup olive oil 1 ½ tsp salt, divided 1 lb. calamari, cut into rings ½ cup tomato sauce 1 teaspoon black pepper 12 raw jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined ½ lb Spanish chorizo, cut into small pieces 12 fresh mussels, cleaned ½ teaspoon smoked paprika 3 cups fi sh broth (Can be made with Better Than Bouillon Seafood Paste) 1 teaspoon saffron threads or powder 1 cup uncooked Carnaroli or Arborio rice 1 cup fi nely chopped parsley 1 large lemon, sliced into wedges

Directions:

1. Mince 3 cloves of garlic. Chop onion fi ne. Dice red bell pepper. 2. Slice calamari into thin rings. 3. Heat a paella pan with a medium-high heat and add in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil. After 1 minute season the olive oil with 1 teaspoon of sea salt.

4. Add the calamari and cook for 2 minutes then remove from the pan and set aside. 5. Add the garlic and onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and continue to sauté until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 4 minutes. 6. Add the tomato sauce, smoked paprika ½ tsp salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate and then cook for 2 minutes or until the tomato sauce has thickened. Add the calamari back into the pan and stir. 7. Add the fi sh broth and bring to a boil. 8. Add Carnaroli or Arborio rice, mix well and cook for 20 minutes. 9. Add the shrimp and mussels, and cook for another 10 minutes. 10. Lower the heat to medium low, and simmer until the broth has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender. 11. Return the heat to medium high, stir the mixture once and then leave it undisturbed to achieve the socarrat. (Socorrat in paella is the thin layer of toasted rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan. The rice should smell toasted, make a crackling sound.) 12. After 5 minutes, garnish the paella with lemon wedges and fi nely chopped parsley. Serves 6

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