It Happens Here: Table Talk Making 40,000 Pies A Day At New Worcester Facility
WORCESTER (CBS) - Worcester, the second largest city in all of New England, is where a lot of stuff was invented, like candlepin bowling, the birth control pill, the typewriter, the yellow smiley face, and even shredded wheat.
Since 1924, it's also been the home to a beloved sweet treat - Table Talk Pies.
The Table Talk Pies store on Green Street is the place real pie lovers come to for the hard-to-find favorites, the extras and the test pies.
For store manager Caitlin Enck, the customer loyalty comes from history and tradition.
"I get to sell pie every day with a smile on my face and know that people are going home and continuing a tradition that deserves to be continued," she told WBZ-TV.
Just down the street, that loyalty and love has them baking around the clock.
"We are making almost 3,000 an hour," Table Talk Pies president Harry Kokkinis told WBZ.
Thousands of pies an hour equals 40,000 a day.
It's a long way from where it all started with Kokkinis' grandfather, a Greek immigrant.
"My grandfather, I could go on about him, he was just such an amazing guy and that's really the secret of our success, the foundation he built for this company and his approach," he said.
Now almost one hundred years later, Harry is not only carrying on the family business from his grandfather and father, but he's busting the mold.
This brand new facility just opened and they are able to pump out pies at a record pace to meet the demand. But the family recipe for success has not changed.
"We try to have that consistent quality in every one of our pies so when our customers come and buy it they know what they are going to get. They're going to a great tasting pie," Kokkinis said.
And bringing that taste to your table is what really drives this third-generation pie guy.
"The joy that a Table Talk Pie brings to people is just so great and that's what I live for," Kokkinis said.
Thanksgiving is the busiest time of the year for Table Talk. They're working around the clock to meet the demand. Table Talk ships to stores all over the area and as far away as Hawaii.
They make 250 million pies every year. For more information go to tabletalkpie.com.