The Life of Pie in Abilene answers the age-old question: cake or pie?
“Oh, it’s got to be pie,” says Cory Bivens when asked which of the two he would prefer on his birthday. You would expect that from the chief pie maker at the neighborhood bakery.
As pie season approaches, Cory’s got you covered, whether it’s cream, fruit, nut, sweet, savory, traditional, or creative pie that you desire for your family’s table.
“If you don’t have a good crust, you can’t have a good pie,” he says. He learned how to make the pastry in his grandmother’s kitchen.
Cory didn’t aspire to be a pie maestro, he kind of fell into it organically. After a series of physically demanding careers and approaching middle age he knew he needed to find a less strenuous line of work.
When he won the Grand Championship at the 2017 Cisco Pie Festival with his honey habanero pie, Cory thought he might have something. With the help of his wife Leslie and father-in-law Mike Johnson, he opened the pie shop in 2019.
He started with four pies: honey habanero, Key lime jalapeño, caramel apple with bacon topping, and a cinnamon roll crust pecan pie. The good folks of Abilene showed their sweet-toothed support.
It has been through innovation that the bakery has grown in five short years. Cory is truly a “pieologist,” always finding new ways to serve pies and new flavors to go with the traditional versions.
Growth has seen the pie shop add a lunch menu. The real game changer came when they added the vending machines out front to meet the city’s pie craving after closing time.
Life of Pie is in Southwest Abilene at 3386 Rebecca Ln. about five minutes off U.S. Highway 84. The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday with pie by slice or whole, frozen or ready to eat.
1,729th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
This article appears in November 15 • 2024.