Hi Elias! Can you tell us the history behind “Legacy Pie Co.” and how you became the owner of this Colorado staple?
I’m Elias Lehnert, my wife Rachel and I own Legacy Pie Co in Denver, Colorado. We are the fourth generation of pie makers! My great grandma Katherine started her business as a roadside stand in Wisconsin — famous for her pies and cider. The second-generation Lehnerts (my grandparents) moved the family to Loveland, Colorado and opened Colorado Cherry Company, specializing in local cherry products and cherry pie. My parents Kristi and Anthony took over in the 2000s and added a few more locations in the Rocky Mountains.
When my wife and I wanted to open our own shop in Denver we eventually decided to change the name to focus on what matters most to us – the family legacy and of course, pie! My wife Rachel and I are both from Colorado! My family has been in Colorado for three generations and we were in Wisconsin before that.
What are some of your most popular pie flavors you have year round? What are some flavors you have special for the Summer or upcoming Fall Season?
Some of our most popular pies are the Classic Chicken pot pie, Tart Cherry pie, and Apple Bourbon Caramel pie. There are so many delicious sweet and savory options on the menu that it’s hard to pick just a few! I’m sure most of the chocolate lovers out there would say that the French Silk is the best and our staff favorite is definitely Mixed Berry pie.
We will have Palisade peach pies for the month of August starting on August 1st. We use local produce as often as we can, and the Palisade peach offerings are definitely a must try!
You also have savory pies- what are those flavors and which is the most popular?
Do you have Pies for dietary restrictions such as Gluten Free?
We have tons of savory pie offerings for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our most popular savory pies would be the Classic Chicken pot pie, Bison Bacon Mushroom pot pie, Pork Green Chile hand pie, and the Bacon and Egg hand pie. We offer all of our pot pies as Take & Bakes as well so folks can keep them on hand and bake them up at home. We have a gluten free 10” Chicken pot pie available for Take & Bake along with a bunch of gluten free sweet pie offerings!
What neighborhoods / cities can we find Legacy Pie Co. in Colorado? Why those locations?
You can find two Legacy Pie Co. locations in Denver, one on Tennyson Street in West Denver and the other in Wash Park. Our first Denver shop was opened in 2020 on Tennyson and we love that location for the vibrant area and wonderful neighbors. We have so many regulars and all of the businesses surrounding us feel like a team working together to support one another and the community. Our newest shop opened earlier this year and has seen an overwhelming amount of support from the neighborhoods surrounding us in Wash Park. We are so excited to continue to get to know that community and bring the joy of pie!
My folks also still own and operate four Colorado Cherry Company locations in the Rocky Mountains and all 6 locations are very much a family business. We share most of the same recipes and help each other out whenever we can. My grandparents have been helping us process Palisade peaches for our seasonal peach pie that will hit the shops next week!
What challenges have you and your family had to face along your journey?
One of our biggest challenges so far has been opening our first Denver location in 2020 amidst the pandemic. We had a ton of support from the community though and were able to make it through by making almost all of the product ourselves without any staff and selling pies out of the front window of our shop. There were definitely some difficult moments but we were blown away by the people who rallied around us and allowed us to push through.
How would you describe the personality or “Vibe” of Denver?
Independent, adventurous and wild spirited yet laid back! Kind of like cowboys running breweries 🙂
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