"They're just so good": Northern California bakery remains a Thanksgiving staple
YUBA CITY — Folks are gearing up to set the Thanksgiving table, but no feast is complete without dessert.
It's a holiday rush at the Stephens Farmhouse bakery in Yuba City. Lines went out the door as customers secured stacks of their popular pies.
"I think I saw someone pulling up around 6 (in the morning), maybe even 5:45 just to see if they could get in," said owner Allison Hickman
The not-so-hidden gem along Highway 99 began as a community staple and has now drawn customers from as far as Yosemite. Hickman said customers visited the Yuba City bakery after finding a Stephens Farmhouse jam at a store in Yosemite
Despite their popularity, they've still managed to keep that hometown feel – even keeping track of orders the old-fashioned way.
"Our phone rings and rings and rings, and in order to not lose anything data-wise, we just keep these index cards, basically with everyone's information," Hickman said.
From rhubarb to olallieberry, Stephens Farmhouse's decades-old recipes stand the test of time.
"The love in the pies, we can tell it," said customer Shellie Petty.
Because of that, this Northern California bakery remains a staple in folks' Thanksgiving feasts.
"If you were to show up empty-handed without one of these pies, what do you think would happen?" CBS13 reporter Sakura Gray asked a customer.
"I would be killed!" said customer Sukh Purewal. "No, I'm serious. It's just that nobody makes pies like Stephens. They're just so good. It's a tradition."