ENGELWOOD — Soon pie lovers can buy unique flavors like Bleu Cheese Praline Pear Pie, Bourbon Pecan Pie and Salted Caramel Peach Pie from the Englewood Whole Foods Market, which opens Sept. 28.
Justice of the Pies founder Maya-Camille Broussard was selected to sell her products in the new store, as well as seven other locations, including Hyde Park, Lincoln Park and the South Loop. Her pies will also be at a campus cafe at the University of Chicago.
“I’m very excited about the pies and to work with Whole Foods," she said. “We’re growing quickly and gaining a reputation for the creativity of our pie flavors. I’m really happy with the growth of the business and the brand recognition.”
The South Side resident launched the company in memory of her late father Stephen J. Broussard, a criminal defense attorney who also had a passion for baking.
“He called himself a pie master,” she said.
The culinary artist comes from a family of bakers and cooks, which is how she developed her own skills. Before launching “Justice of Pies,” Broussard was the co-owner and curator of Three Peas Art Lounge, a South Loop gallery. It opened a few days after her father’s funeral in 2009.
A relative suggested they bake pies or start a foundation in his memory.
Baking had always been her other love, but with the recent death, it wasn’t the right time to officially launch a business, she said.
“I couldn’t do both,” she said.
After a few years she closed the gallery and felt ready to pursue the new endeavor. In 2014 she launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $7,500 and exceeded the goal. From there, she began setting up tents at farmers markets throughout the city. Sometimes she’d sell at art shows.
Broussard bakes several different kinds of pies. She has banana pudding pie, Sweet Potato Praline pie, Mayan S’more pie and more. Some flavors are temporary so after a few weeks she won’t bring them back.
“Sometimes I’ll do a pie for two weeks and then won’t do it again just to keep it interesting,” she said. “The pie flavors that will go into the larger retailers are pies that you don’t see anywhere else. That’s what I wanted to do to really set myself apart from the other pie bakeries.”
Some of the more popular pies that will be in the stores are her blue cheese crawling pear pie, virgin pecan pie and salted caramel peach pie.
Right now she does all the baking, but said she will be looking to hire help in the future.
People can still visit her at the Daley Plaza Farmers Market, near the fountain, from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. every Thursday.
Holiday pre-order sales will begin soon and customers can pick them up Nov. 23 at one of two locations. Visit her website at www.justiceofthepies.com.
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