Birdie’s Pie Shop

For the 119th week of "7 QUESTION SUNDAY" we shine the spotlight on another influential individual from the PNW Birdie’s Pie Shop is serving the eastern PNW with absurdly delicious desserts and savory pies all made by hand.

4EVRGRN: Hey, BPS! Tell us a little about yourselves.

BPS: With two locations in Post Falls and Hayden Lake, Idaho -- we serve fresh, hand-crafted pies to the entire Spokane and Coeur d'Alene region. We offer sweet pies and savory pie as well. We typically sell out each day so feel free to order in advance to guarantee the best dessert in the region! If you don't see a pie you want, we take custom pie orders too!

1. What is the first pie someone who is new to your bakery should try?

BPS: Oh my, that's a tough question. Either our Apple Pie or whatever is the "special" pie that day. Why apple? Well, it's a signature apple pie that is different from most. Grandma Birdie loved her apples fresh and crisp. So they are not cooked down or soft. This throws people off sometimes because they're simply not used to the texture. But, once you embrace the natural sweet and tart crisp, it's like falling back in love with someone you didn't think you could be more in love with. It's also the secret recipe that won her State Fairs and kept the bills paid as she raised a family 50 years ago. Why the special? We have one or two special pies in the shop EVERY day! We have our staples every single day too (apple, pecan, triple berry, key lime, chocolate cream). But each morning we have a craving and want to spice things up in the shops. It may be a chocolate pumpkin cream or a huckleberry rhubarb. Certain specials have a following too! If we do our raspberry cream or candy bar pie, for example, you better get in by mid-day or it will be sold out.

2. What is the most popular pie you make?

BPS: That's a toss up. Huckleberry Cream or Chicken Pot Pie. The Huckleberry Cream, when we post that it's going to be in the shop that day, draws a line down the street. Seriously. And, the Chicken Pot Pie is in the shops every day but it's our most talked about pie in our reviews.

3. What is your favorite pie to make?

BPS: If I have to make just one pie, my favorite one to make is a Strawberry Rhubarb. That doesn't mean it's my favorite pie -- it just reminds me so much of my sisters, mom and Grandma. So, I take my time with it and enjoy the nostalgia. We make hundreds of pies every day - so if I'm making pie for the shop, my favorite is something cream cheese based. Fast and easy!

4. How does the PNW inspire your baking?

BPS: The Pacific Northwest's mountain gold, the huckleberry, is an ideal metaphor on how the region inspires us. Like a good pie, the huckleberry is not easy to find. When you do find a secret spot, you don't like to share it for the fear it goes mainstream. However, you also want your loved ones to partake of the goodness. It's a perfect parallel for our region entirely. This is where we grew up. It's a sacred place to us and we want to take care of it and the people who live here. Sure, there are amazing fruits and ingredients that would inspire any baker in the Pacific Northwest, but it goes beyond things you can see.

5. Favorite place to visit in the PNW?

BPS: There is a loop at a park named Q'emiln in Post Falls. During the loop, you can see so much. Waterfalls, a meandering river, huge boulders, thick vegetation and even a secret cave. It's our favorite little hiking loop and super family friendly. All six of my kids love it!

6. Best meal in the PNW?

BPS: If you haven't had the stuffed quail from Italia Trattoria in Brown's Addition near downtown Spokane, go now! Second, the Once in a Lifetime Sushi roll from Syringa Café in Coeur d'Alene.

 7. Favorite local product?

BPS: Peaches!