Looking for a freshly-baked pie for Thanksgiving? You’re in luck – Petee’s Pie Company, the New York City landmark that left Hell’s Kitchen when Gotham West Market closed last December, is back.
Petra “Petee” Paredez, owner of Petee’s Pie Company, in front of her new location on 11th Avenue (bw W44/45th St). Photo: Brennan LaBrie
The pie shop quietly re-opened last Saturday, next door to the shuttered market on 11th Avenue (bw W44th/45th St) — and this time in a much bigger space.
Petra ‘Petee” Paredez, who founded Petee’s Pie Company in the Lower East Side in 2014, opens up the new shop every morning. Arriving around 6am, she pulls out the mixing bowls, fires up the oven and prepares up to 15 varieties of pie for her first customers at 9am.
Petra hasn’t done much promotion for the shop – it’s only listed on her website for takeout orders – but business is picking up quickly.
On Wednesday morning at 11am, she was flying around her small kitchen, pulling fresh pumpkin, apple and chocolate pies out of the oven while cutting slices and boxing up pies for delivery drivers who were a constant presence at her register. As to-go bags piled up, Petra had to briefly pause online deliveries.
Petra Paredez, owner of Petee’s Pie Company, pulls chocolate and pecan pies out of the oven. Photo: Brennan LaBrie
Petra opened the shop just in time for Thanksgiving – and that’s no coincidence.
“This is our most important holiday,” she said. Next week, the shop will contribute to more than 12,000 pumpkin, apple and sweet potato pies baked across Petee’s three locations.
For the company’s inaugural Thanksgiving 11 years ago, Petra baked 100 pies. The year after, she and her growing team baked 1,000. Now, the Houston Street and Clinton Hill shops average 50 pies a day.
Cherry pies are just one of the 15-plus varieties you can find at Petee’s Pie Company on 11th Avenue. Photo: Brennan LaBrie
“We’ll probably catch up to the other stores really soon, based on the response from the customers so far,” she said. By noon on Thursday, she estimated she had already surpassed 40.
While apple and pumpkin pie top the shop’s sales chart, the low-key launch has resulted in many new customers who aren’t influenced by word-of-mouth recommendations.
“Everybody is going on what looks good to them personally, which is nice because people are trying things that aren’t the biggest sellers and I like that,” said Petra, who hopes to see more patrons try her personal favorite Thanksgiving dessert, the sweet potato pie, this year.
The new shop offers Hell’s Kitchen residents a few perks not found at Petee’s other locations. One is the fresh quiches Petra bakes each morning – soon to be joined by biscuit breakfast sandwiches with eggs, cheese and Canadian bacon. She is also excited to serve local brews from Brooklyn’s Parlor Coffee.
While she estimates that 60% of her business is takeout, the Hell’s Kitchen store offers plentiful seating, and Petra is thrilled to see locals quickly making themselves at home in the space.
“It feels really good to be part of the neighborhood in that way,” she said.
Petra Paredez slices a fresh banana cream pie for an online delivery order. Photo: Brennan LaBrie
Patrons who pop into Petee’s will be greeted by Petra – for now. When she isn’t preparing and packaging pies, she’s on the road, procuring fresh ingredients. Her grass-fed butter guy is in Ithaca. Her organic flour guy is in Lancaster. In preparation for Thanksgiving, she drove a 22-foot truck to her parent’s farm in Leesburg, Virginia. There, she prepared thousands of pie crusts in an industrial mixer owned by her parents – who trained her as a baker in their own bakery – before hauling back over a ton of kabocha pumpkin, butternut squash and sweet potatoes for her holiday pie orders.
“We’re really, really proud of what we make,” she said. “We’re really proud of the quality of the ingredients, and people who live around here will really appreciate it and enjoy having a place to tuck in and enjoy a quiche or a pie.”
You can drop into Petee’s Pies from 9am to 10pm daily at 600 11th Avenue (bw W44/45th St) – or order a pie online at www.peteespie.com.