Meet Dawn Bennett | Owner, LOVE Pie Co.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dawn Bennett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dawn, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up in rural West Virginia, but very close to most of my extended family. Food was an excuse for our family to gather, and we did it often! My grandma was a school cook, and she would make meals for our BIG family every Sunday, and on all the holidays! I remember calling her for recipes, and she’d mention using 10 pounds of flour, or a gallon of mayonnaise…because she was used to cooking for SO many! She knew how to demonstrate her love for others…by feeding them!

In my 20’s I took over the responsibility of pies for our BIG family Thanksgiving dinners, and we now know that was the beginning of the LOVE Pie Co. story! Fast forward a *few* years to 2020. When we found ourselves locked down due to COVID-19, my girls and I were baking more than we could eat! One day we began to dream about what it might look like to share our goods with the local community, and very quickly, LOVE Pie Co. was born!
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have a Masters Degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology. No culinary degree or experience in the food business at all, really. Because I have four children, I have always chosen jobs that have worked well for our family. While I was still working when COVID hit, my salary was significantly impacted. I began to pray about what I may be able to do to fill in the gaps. The girls and I had been baking A LOT during quarantine, and I saw a friend’s post one day that inspired me to start thinking about the possibility of a pie business. We began to talk about it as a family, and things came together quickly!

We knew that we wanted the name to reflect who we are and what we believe. That’s how we landed on LOVE Pie Co. We wanted to use this “business” to show love to those around us, and encourage others to do the same! We came up with a tag line that is SHOW LOVE WITH PIE. Because pies are labor of love (if you’ve ever made one, you know!), and ours are made with TONS of it! We believe that every time you share a pie, whether it’s with your family, friends, co-workers or a stranger…you’re demonstrating love!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Wow…I can’t imagine having a free week to spend in the city. But if I did. We would definitely try to plan to see a show at the Fox Theater. Hopefully we could also take in a Braves game at Truist Park. Those two things top the list of things to do in ATL for our family! In addition, I’d also love to bike the Beltline and visit many of the locally owned restaurants and shopping establishments in the area. Since we started the pie business, we’ve had exposure to SO many amazing local artisans! I would definitely want to share that experience as well through a local market or a store that showcase those artists…like the Gibson Co. in the Collection Forsyth!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
LOVE Pie Co. is 100% a family affair! From our roots back in West Virginia where my Grandma laid the strong foundation for food and family, to our current immediate family that is all hands on deck, all the time, we couldn’t do what we do without the strong family support. Currently, my mom does tons of behind the scenes work…peeling apples, building boxes, labeling products, etc. My three teenage daughters BAKE SO MUCH PIE!! They have recipes memorized and can crank out more pies than you can imagine. My son creates promo material, helps with digital marketing and makes deliveries when he’s home. And my husband helps set up for markets, makes grocery runs galore and does deliveries. This holiday season we even had some extended family here from WV jumping in to help. It’s all family, and it couldn’t happen without them!

Website: www.lovepieco.com

Instagram: love.pie.co

Facebook: facebook.com/lovepieco

Image Credits
1st picnic pic IG: @photosby_amber (Amber Laws)