In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Seattle Refined, a program run in partnership with Seattle based KOMO News, awarded a So Northwest Award in the category of Best Pie in the Pacific Northwest to Snohomish Pie Company on Nov. 17.
The So Northwest Awards are based on votes received from the communities in a variety of different categories. Over the Thanksgiving week, Snohomish Pie Company sold over 2,000 pies, designating the Tuesday before Thanksgiving as being exclusively for picking up pre-ordered pies.
Snohomish Pie Company was previously named as one of the 24 best pie bakeries in America by Buzzfeed News in 2015.
Snohomish Pie Company was founded in 1996 in Snohomish and opened its second location in the West Plaza shopping center in Mountlake Terrace on March 14, 2015, a day commonly known as Pi Day due to its abbreviation, 3/14, containing the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi. Congress designated March 14 as Pi Day, a national holiday, in 2009. Pi Day 2015 was a special occasion, as the abbreviation, 3/14/15, contained the first four digits of pi, 3.1415, rather than the typical first two digits. Mountlake Terrace Mayor Jerry Smith and a crowd of over 130 customers attended the second location’s grand opening.
In addition to their two permanent locations, Snohomish Pie Company often sets up stands at state fairs such as the annual Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, where they sell their pies to throughout the duration of the event.
Current owner Jenny Brien was a longtime friend of the company’s founder, and when she heard that they were ready to sell the company, she couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to become the owner of the pie company she loved and often helped out in, as a lover of baking. However, Brien was seven months pregnant at the time and unsure if she was ready to own a business.
“I was like, oh man, I’m having a baby, but then there was just something about it and to have a piece of Snohomish and have something that means so much to me. And so, my husband and I thought about it, and he was just like, ‘you need to just go for it,’” Brien said in an interview with Seattle Refined.
Brien ultimately decided to buy Snohomish Pie Company and has owned and operated it since her purchase in 2009. She often works alongside her staff in the kitchen baking the pies, especially during special occasions such as the lead up to Thanksgiving.
Their most famous pie offered is the Apple Berry Crumb Pie, with the Northwest Berry Pie not far behind. Each pie is made precisely following the recipes followed largely since the company’s foundation, with each Northwest Berry Pie bearing a guaranteed two and a half pounds of berries and a crust weighing seven ounces.
“This is what makes a good pie, is your crust,” Brien said in the same interview.
In addition to pies, Snohomish Pie Company also offers a varied selection of sandwiches, salads, cookies, soups, cinnamon rolls and pie milkshakes.
