When you hear the name Marie Callender’s, chances are your mind goes right to pie. You can likely close your eyes at this very moment and picture a slice arrayed on a plate, just waiting for you to dig in. You may even be able to practically taste that warm, buttery crust and filled-to-bursting fruity or more decadently flavored filling, too.
It’s just facts that few whip up a better rendition of this favorite comfort food dessert than Marie Callender’s. But this beloved brand doesn’t just dazzle from the dessert case. In fact, Marie Callender’s has a pretty incredible origin story, starting with an actual woman who became the namesake of those same yummy pies we’ve been waxing lyrical about, before expanding into brick-and-mortar restaurants and even a frozen entree empire.
Following the business from its inception to its becoming a nationally recognized juggernaut is a real page-turner (there may have even been a trusty old bike, plus some free coffee and pie slices along the way). So, before you order another slice of pie (or grab an entree from the freezer aisle), consider this your invitation to look a little closer at the humans behind the glorious grub. Here are 11 interesting, lesser-known facts about Marie Callender’s history, its founders, and how this humble pie business became something much, much bigger.
1. Marie Callender was a real person
If you thought Marie Callender was just a name chosen by the marketing department to make pie sound extra homey, boy, do we have a surprise for you. That’s because there was, indeed, a Marie, who apparently possessed some serious pastry prowess. Marie traces her roots to South Dakota, where she was born in 1907. She headed to the West Coast and married Cal Callender at the tender age of 17. After becoming a wife and then a mother (where she baked plenty), she became a bona fide entrepreneur (how’s that for a housewife beginning her baking journey in a wee Cali kitchen?)…