Sue Wilkinson, the family matriarch, internalized her mother’s tales of privation growing up in World War II-eraEngland during the 1940s. Back then, Sue’s grandmother did the best with whatever scraps she could get to feed her family and adhered to the highest standards possible under the circumstances. “Somehow, she figured it out,” says Sue. “They once had stuffed lamb’s hearts, which sounds gross, but they made it delicious and that ethos passed down to my mother.”
Unlike her grandmother, who fussed over preparation and cooking to elevate substandard sustenance, Sue has ready access to top-quality ingredients that are enhanced by the old-fangled, cut-no-corners approach.
No surprise, it’s a family affair at Braised Pies in Wappingers Falls, where Sue focuses on the recipes and husband Andy and their six children—four of them born here—pull the levers and keep the cogs turning.
Second-oldest son Oliver, 25, oversees business affairs and practical matters. He always favored his mother’s cooking and founded the business so his mom could leave behind a school gig with a long commute and widen the circle of fans.
After saving some money working as a mover, soccer referee, and chicken coop builder, Oliver devised a plan in late 2022 to tap the family’s talents and put his concept in motion. The place is named after the slow-burn cooking method for making the savory pie fillings, a step that makes them authentic because many large-volume pie-makers take short cuts, says Oliver.
“Lots of people tell me, ‘I fell in love with these pies in England and could never find them here,’ ” says Andy, the family patriarch. “Like soccer and the monarchy, they define us.”
Meat Lovers, Rejoice
Launching the brand at farmers’ markets in Beacon, Pawling, Hudson, and elsewhere throughout the Hudson Valley helped build a strong customer base, says Andy, as he served a steady stream of regulars on a chilly gray day at the Cold Spring Farmers’ Market.
Shepherd’s pie is a well-known staple, but Sue also specializes in hearty beef, lamb, and chicken recipes. Boozy beef pie contains ground beef braised for hours with onion, mushrooms, and red Burgundy wine. Steak & Ale blends beef, Guinness, beef stock, mushroom, onion, and thyme.
More adventurous meat recipes include BBQ pulled pork (extra sharp cheddar and barbecue sauce), chicken & bacon (with spinach and white wine) and coq au vin (chicken, bacon, mushroom, peas and “buttery white wine”).
She also makes a turkey pot pie, chicken curry and a coconut mango masala recipe that includes 27 ingredients, not including the crust. Gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options cater to current preferences. At the brick and mortar, six-inch pies sell for $20. Nine inch versions range to $35.
The family twins, Ellen and Isobel, 16, also help out. Ellen is the resident pastry chef who crafts the sausage rolls and Cornish pasties, which resemble empanadas ($5 each). Oliver plans to send his younger sister to France so she can hone her craft.
Go Team
The family lives in LaGrangeville and rented kitchen space at a church in Kingston to prep for farmers markets. As business began to bustle, they needed a place to work from 6am to midnight uninterrupted.
Oliver scouted locations in the valley and settled on Wappingers Falls, but it took some time to seal the deal on a former pizzeria space in the heart of the village. After many months of construction, the bakery and small storefront opened on March 2.
All the baking and preparation work, along with rolling and cutting the dough, takes place right behind the counter. What people can’t see are the freezers, microwaves, or heat lamps because there are none.
Like many businesses that experience early growth, expansion plans are tempting. “We could go to other Hudson Valley towns or to New York City, but we want to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond and help serve the community,” says Oliver, who sometimes sounds like a self-help guru.
Born in England, he plays and coaches soccer. Sports metaphors and pep talks translate well to business situations. “Years ago, I said to my mum, ‘you should open a restaurant,’ and she shrugged it off, but if you stick with what you know, play to your strengths and do your best, everything becomes aligned,” he says. “It’s fulfilling to put all the chips in, work hard, and be in charge of your own destiny.”
Braised Pies is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm; Sunday 11am to 6pm.
Braised Pies
2665 East Main Street, Wappingers Falls
www.braisedpies.com
[email protected]
