Five Questions with Generations Pie Company

Maria Johnson believes “every pie tells a story,” and that’s the philosophy on which her business, Generations Pie Company, is built.

Baked with love and reverence for each of her treats’ originators, Johnson’s array of pies are already among the Circle City’s elite pastries, after only about two-and-a-half years in business.

A former accountant, Johnson learned her baking craft by watching her mother and grandmother meticulously prepare their wares, and now she’s carrying on that legacy.

If these pies could talk, they might very well have much to say; but it’s the care baked into each of Johnson’s pies that have Generations’ fans talking.

Read on to learn more about Generations Pie Company’s sweet tribute to dessert-makers past and present.

Q: Generations Pie Company owner Maria Johnson learned her pie-making craft under the tutelage of her grandmother, Hattie Leota Overton Mann. Your father Eddie Woods Jr. was instrumental in your entrepreneurship as well. What advice did they give you that still helps you in your business today?

A: They did not give me any advice; they just showed me by example. My father owned his business, Eddie’s Ice Cream and Food, on 25th and Hillside [in Indianapolis] many years ago. I worked for him as a teenager and inherited his entrepreneurial spirit.

Q: You are a Butler University graduate who previously worked as an accountant. How did your prior career help you when you decided you wanted to start a business?

A: It has taught me a great deal about the business side and has prepared me well for this experience.

Q: What is your personal favorite pie and what are some of the more popular treats sought-after by your customers?

A: My favorite is the sweet potato pie because of its history and personal connection to my grandmother and great-grandmother. Pies popular to customers are the bourbon chocolate pecan and strawberry rhubarb.

Q: What do you like most about the Statehouse Market?

A: I hear a lot of great things about the Statehouse Market and look forward to serving the customers.

Q: Your company motto is “every pie tells a story,” and each one prepared by Generations Pie Company credits the original baker and shares a bit about him/her with the buyer. How did you come up with this unique way to personalize your pies and share others’ recipes with your customers? What has been the reaction?

A: I wanted to do something to honor those who have come before me. I thought this was a great way to do just that. These pies were made with love and for people to share with their families and friends. I wanted to bring the recipes “back to life” to share with others.

Check out Generations Pie Company at their website  and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.