This spring, the ever-burgeoning neighborhood of East Walnut Hills will become home to the city’s first pie bakery when O Pie O opens its doors.
The choice to build their first brick-and-mortar shop in East Walnut Hills was a natural one for the Ginocchio family.
“Our family goes back a long time there,” says Louis Ginocchio III, co-founder and marketer for O Pie O. “My grandfather was born there and family members were married in the Saint Francis de Sales Church. I attended Purcell Marian High School, and we’re just really excited to be a part of Walnut Hills’ history in Cincinnati and to play a part in its resurgence.”
Ginocchio also assists head baker and co-founder Ian Sobeck. Sobeck, Ginocchio’s sister’s significant other, was formerly the sous chef at Seattle vegetarian restaurant Sutra. In fact, the whole extended Ginocchio family has been involved in the business right from the beginning, even before the decision as to what type of company they should start was made.
“My father Louis Jr. just retired, my stepmom Deborah just retired and everybody wanted to do something,” Ginocchio says. “I was in Alabama getting my Ph.D. in philosophy. My sister Laura wanted to come back to Cincinnati; we both have kids the same age and we wanted to have something that was family. The impetus was that my dad was in Brooklyn, N.Y., and he went to Four & Twenty Blackbirds and he just walked in and said that this is something we should do. A pie shop has a different atmosphere. You sit around and have pie, you know, everyone gets a slice of the pie. It’s about sharing.”
O Pie O started small, sourcing from grocery stores and Findlay Market and having various family members man a stand at the market selling sweet pies that were produced in kitchen space rented from Hebrew Union College. Due to the kosher rules of the college, Sobeck wasn’t allowed to bring in meat. However, once they’re in their own space, O Pie O will offer savory pies as well.
In addition to pie, the shop will offer coffee and ice cream. And, since the family is envisioning a spot where folks will want to gather as opposed to a “pick up food and go” sort of place, they’ve acquired a liquor license and will be serving wine and beer.
As the business grows, Sobeck is trying to keep things as local as possible by developing a list of sources that includes regional farmers like Hollmeyer’s Orchard, which provides apples for pie flavors such as four apple with rosemary caramel.
“Ian is trying to establish relationships now and sourcing is progressing more toward what we want it to be,” Ginocchio says. “We try to keep things as local as possible, and as the seasons progress they’ll stop moving farther and farther away. You know, I think it was our strawberry balsamic pie, at first we were getting the strawberries from Michigan, and then they were from Canada, and then after that we were like, ‘We’re not going to Chile.’ So we do draw the line after a certain time, and we’ll only go so far. Certain things, like the chestnuts, I don’t think you can get them locally. So sometimes you have to bite the bullet.”
Flavors for the pies are developed seasonally after Sobeck speaks with all of his suppliers to see what’s coming in and what they have that’s at peak season. From there he uses traditional recipes but likes to make a few adaptations, like with the aforementioned apple with rosemary caramel or O Pie O’s juniper pear pie and vegan options.
“There’s nothing really new in pie,” Ginocchio says. “Pie’s been around for a long, long time so we’re probably not going to invent a completely new pie, but Ian likes to add a little bit of a twist.”
Currently, you can purchase O Pie O pies at Findlay Market, Sprout Market in Mount Adams, Park + Vine, Reser Bicycle Outfitters in Newport, Ky., and Clifton Natural Foods. The Ginocchios are planning to open the shop on March 14, which coincidentally is Pi Day — an annual celebration of the mathematical constant pi (3.14159…).
“We’re envisioning this gathering place for the people of East Walnut Hills,” Ginocchio says. “Especially around DeSales Corner, but beyond. Obviously we want to bring people from other places, but you know you have these bars and restaurants that are going in and we’re well positioned in between them for people to come in for lunch or dinner and then maybe go on to one of the other places or come to us after another place to cap the evening off with a slice of pie.”
O PIE O will be located at 1527 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills. For more info and to see current flavors, visit facebook.com/opieobakery.
This article appears in Jan 7-14, 2015.
