MOM’S PIES
M
The real Mom's Pies, at the mall BY CAITLIN MCKIMMY
any Eugeneans nostalgically recall stopping
at Mom’s Pies to warm up after a day in the
mountains — the family-run restaurant on
Highway 126 in Vida served fresh, hot pie to
travelers and locals for many years.
Now, after an almost 10-year hiatus, Mom’s Pie’s is once
more concocting pies according to its time-honored recipe.
Instead of making their way up the McKenzie, however,
pie-seekers need not search beyond the food court at Valley
River Center.
BERTHA NYSETH
The owner of Mom’s Pies, Lou Sangermano, says he is
excited to get his family business up and running again.
“We began selling pies in the 1940s,” he says. “I bought the
restaurant from my dad in 1999.”
According to Sangermano, Mom’s Pies closed its Vida
location in 2003 because business was too seasonal. “It was
always in the back of my mind that I wanted to re-open at
some point,” he says, “and now seems like the right time.”
Valley River Center might seem like a counterintuitive loca-
tion for a homegrown family business, but Sangermano thought
the mall would be a good place for Mom’s Pies to “get a lot of
exposure with all sorts of people.” He has been passing out free
samples to shoppers, and says he hopes to re-establish the busi-
ness as a local staple. “People are so surprised — they’ve been
asking me if we’re the real Mom’s Pies,” Sangermano says. “I
tell them yes and have them taste for themselves.”
Indeed, Mom’s Pies continues to use the exact same
recipe that was served on the side of the highway in the
‘40s. The restaurant offers a panoply of pies, from strawberry
rhubarb to apple and berry medley. “I try to keep everything
fresh and simple,” Sangermano says. “One of the great
things about having a pie business in the Willamette Valley
is that we can use awesome local ingredients.”
Bertha Nyseth used to bake for Mom’s Pies at the old
location, and she continues to produce traditional, artful
pies in the mall. All of the pies are vegan, and Sangermano
hopes to soon offer a gluten-free option.
Beyond fresh pie, Mom’s Pies offers soups, sandwiches and
coffee so that customers can enjoy a wholesome, all-American
meal after a hard day of shopping. Frozen pies are also avail-
able for purchase to be baked at home. And, of course, custom-
ers can choose to eat their piping hot pies à la mode.
It’s surprising, but true: Now you can rekindle fond
memories of the McKenzie River Highway at a place
wedged between Arby’s and Panda Express. Mom’s Pies’
traditional sensibilities may seem out of place among chain
restaurants in the Valley River food court, but a warm slice
of pie just might be the perfect antidote to the mall’s bright
lights and sterile consumerism. ■
Mom’s Pies is located at Valley River Center, 868-0904.
PHOTO BY TODD COOPER
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