This town in western New Mexico is predicated on pies.
It’s about 163 miles southwest of Albuquerque, though it’s actually probably a lot closer if you don’t have to take the big L-shaped route on an interstate south, then west on a lonely U.S. Highway 60, which slices through the heart of parched west-central New Mexico.
For nearly a century the tiny outpost of Pie Town has existed to serve up fresh, handmade pastries to cowboys, Dust Bowlers and, today, anyone zooming along U.S. 60. What remains are a handful of homes (population 186), a gas station and two restaurants with pie as a specialty.
One local legend is that the town founder broke down on the side of the road, where he started baking pies to raise money to make it the rest of the way to California.
“Generally, I tell people our founder was just trying to get the hell out of here, and he couldn’t neither,” said Michael Rawl, owner and chef of the Good Pie Cafe (goodpie.com).
On the counter next to him sat a three-tier display case filled with pies. Blueberry, triple berry, apple, each one oozing melted fruit and braided with a golden brown crust.
Plenty of good choices, but I’d made the three-hour trip from Albuquerque for one thing and one thing only. I ordered up a piece of the New Mexican apple: 5 bucks, cash only.
But it wasn’t just apple; Hatch green chilies are the closest thing to a state religion in New Mexico. They are cooked into, sprinkled on or poured over everything from hamburgers and burritos to desserts, even beer. Here, its signature warmth blended nicely with the tartness of sliced Granny Smith apples. If the Good Pie Cafe isn’t enough, there’s always The Pie-O-Neer, just down the street.
Back at the Good Pie, a woman one booth over eventually struck up a conversation. To her, efforts to promote Pie Town would only spoil the place and best-kept secrets like the Good Pie Cafe.
“I’ve seen a lot of places lose their humanity,” she said.
With pies this good, I understood her concerns, and I hoped she would forgive me.
Then I ordered up another slice for the ride home.
— Elliott Teller, Special to Tribune Newspapers
