Instead of trying to sell lard by itself, we knew we were going to have to do some customer education.
It was lard that sparked the idea, not pies. Meghan Fennell and Charles Fischman wanted to sell and promote cooking with healthy animal fat, but knew that they would need a palatable vehicle to demonstrate its benefits. Fennell happens to be a self-taught baker who specializes in pies, and Friday Pie Club was born. They rented a kitchen in the basement of a non-profit in Yarmouth, Maine, and started out by delivering their pies and turnovers to friends and family on Fridays.
Why lard? In recent years, cooking with animal fat has seen something of a renaissance as new information about the healthy effects of saturated fats has emerged. In addition to being considered a “healthy fat,” lard can be produced from the fat of pigs raised on Maine farms, as opposed to imported cooking oils. Lastly, lard lends itself extremely well to savory pies and turnovers, a bestseller for Friday Pie Club.
Fennell and Fischman have a strong interest in the local food movement. As a method of distribution, Friday Pie Club partnered with four area CSAs, using ingredients from that week’s share to make pies or turnovers for CSA members. In summer months, they participate in farmer’s markets and farm-to-table dinners with local farms. “We felt it was important for us to support all the great work that farmers are doing in Maine and to incorporate sustainable and local foods into our product,” says Fischman.
This community-driven approach is a significant part of Friday Pie Club’s business, and is also how they overcame one of their biggest challenges early on: finding a space to work from. Unable to afford building one from scratch, they rented the commercial kitchen in the basement of Yarmouth’s non-profit 317 Main Community Music Center. They now have a retail shop on the first floor, and with their landlords, are hoping to organize gatherings at the space, for people to come together, listen to live music, and enjoy pie and coffee.
Looking ahead, Fennell and Fischman hope that they can continue to spread the word about eating local, using lard, and potentially bring their business to other small towns in the area. “We want to be part of vibrant Main Streets,” says Fischman. “We see so many great small towns in Maine, and strong local businesses helps towns to be more viable.”
Photos by Luke Boelitz
*Since the publishing of this story, this business has closed its doors.