Mini Docs
The Pie Life
Special | 5m 8sVideo has Closed Captions
Behind each of Granny’s pies is a team of immigrant bakers helping to fulfill family traditions.
Making pies has been a tradition in the Harovas family for five decades. Granny’s Pie Factory, in East Hartford, is a family-owned business that is best known for its quaint charm and fresh homemade pies. Tens of thousands of pies sold each holiday season. Behind each one is a team of immigrant bakers making the pies from scratch and helping to fulfill family traditions year after year.
Mini Docs
The Pie Life
Special | 5m 8sVideo has Closed Captions
Making pies has been a tradition in the Harovas family for five decades. Granny’s Pie Factory, in East Hartford, is a family-owned business that is best known for its quaint charm and fresh homemade pies. Tens of thousands of pies sold each holiday season. Behind each one is a team of immigrant bakers making the pies from scratch and helping to fulfill family traditions year after year.
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(gentle music) From the time I can remember, I grew up eating the product we're making now, essentially.
I've been eating it my entire life.
My name is Niko Harovas, and making pies has been in my family since the 1970s.
In 1989, they moved in here and started manufacturing pies exclusively.
A lot of people have been coming for, I don't even know, you know, like people tell me 20 years, they've been coming 30 years.
You know, it's hard to gauge, you know, but we get a lot of people who've been coming here a long time.
This is my first time at Granny's Pies because my father would always come to get the pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and he passed last year.
So I'm carrying on the tradition with him as co-pilot, and this is a beautiful day and a great shop.
We've been enjoying Granny's Pies for as long as I can remember.
So years and years.
(gentle music) The communal aspect of this bakery is, I think, in large measure due to my father.
He cares about people.
He wants to take care of people.
He puts people first.
He puts his family first.
He puts his employees first.
He happened to create an environment where people are very comfortable and, you know, just sort of develop that sense of community.
(gentle music) - My father was born in Greece, came here when he was seven.
He's much older now, but he is still involved, very involved.
He's been out, actually, he's had a couple medical issues.
He's 80 years old, so he needs some time.
But he still comes in, helps me a lot.
He gives me advice, you know, so we still sort of work a side by side, you know, day in and day out.
I don't know if it's necessarily ironic that, you know, the quintessential American dessert is being made by immigrants, you know, I just think it reflects kind of the changing demographics of this country, you know, and I don't think that's necessarily different, and that's what America is.
People come here, they come here for opportunity, and hopefully, you know, if we're doing the right things in this country, we can grant them that opportunity.
They benefit, and we benefit as well.
I mean, I think, that's kind of the, that's the idea of the American dream.
(gentle music)
