Meet Chef Maia of Lord of the Pies

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Meet Chef Maia Harrell! She's the mastermind behind Lord of the Pies, an Atlanta-based, Black-woman owned pie shop. Maia cooks up some of the best pies around, and we're excited to now offer them in our local market. Pecan pies, hand pies, pot pies, quiches–you name it, Maia can master it. Keep reading to learn more about how she started the company!

How did you get started baking and how did that evolve into Lord of the Pies?

I got interested in baking—particularly pies—when I started working at a local pie shop in high school. I have always believed that baking is science and cooking is art, but when I started working at the shop I saw how pie is the perfect combination of both! I kept this idea in the back of my mind all the way through college. I got my bachelor’s in Chemistry and planned on going on to get my master’s in Food Science—but then Covid hit. I was sitting on my mom’s couch, trying to finish up my last semester of college, and hearing from graduate programs that they weren’t sure there was going to be funding and space for me because of the pandemic. I decided to start Lord of the Pies as a time fill, until the pandemic ended and graduate programs/jobs started to open up again. After a few months, I came to realize I didn’t want to go back to school or find another job, so I have been baking pies ever since!

When did you officially launch your company?

I opened officially in April 2020, and had a small grand opening in my mom’s garage in May 2020. In the beginning, most of my business was online orders and delivery. Now, as things have opened up, I can do in-person markets and actually meet my customers!

How did you land on the name ‘Lord of the Pies?’ (We love it!)

I wish I could say i had a vision or thought long and hard about the name, but truly, I was driving past my high school and started thinking of words that rhyme with ‘pie’. I thought about my English teacher, and when we read “Lord of the FLIES”. I remembered the kids having a pig’s head on a spear, and I thought, “That would be a fun logo, but with a pie!”. So, I took it and ran with it lol.

Which markets can we find you at around Atlanta? Do you have any events coming up?

I am regularly at the Decatur, Ponce City Market, Oakhurst, Virginia Highlands, and Dunwoody farmers markets. I have some other events and things coming so stay tuned!

If you yourself were a pie, what kind would you be and why?

That is the most fun question any has asked me! I think I would be Sweet Potato: classic, Southern, a little sweet and little spicy, with a splash of bourbon (that’s how I make mine anyway)!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

I am getting ready for Thanksgiving already, so make sure to follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my emails to place orders! I am so excited to work with Garnish and Gather and I hope everyone enjoys the pies!