Mr. Dye’s Pies has done it again. Since 2013, the Milwaukee-based business has been baking up delicious home-style pies including sweet potato, pecan and key lime. But this time, owner Johnathan Dye has taken the flavor quotient to a new level with a delicious new pie that incorporates the flavors of a Wisconsin brandy old fashioned.
The pies, which are now available for sale at the Mr. Dye’s Pies storefront at 8103 W. Tower Ave., are $22 each. Half pies are also available; but you should probably just play it safe and get a whole one while you're there. It will save you a second trip to buy more.
"I’m always thinking about what kind of pie to do next," says Dye, who says he started working on a new cherry pie recipe last spring. "I was baking and baking and eating a lot of other cherry pies. Every time I saw a cherry pie, I’d try it. And I didn’t find a whole lot of them that I liked. But I also wanted a concept that would take it to the next level."
When a friend suggested soaking the cherries in cognac, it sparked inspiration.
"The idea just clicked," he says. "I knew I needed to make the best cherry pie in Wisconsin. And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense that we should go with the flavors of a brandy old fashioned."
The pie features a signature Mr. Dye’s Pies crust filled with cherries, brandy and fresh orange zest topped with crisp streusel. And, although brandy is a prominent flavor in the pie, it’s not at all boozy. In fact, the alcohol has been flamed, so very little is retained in the actual pie.
"One of the first iterations of it had quite a bit more alcohol in it," notes Dye. "And it was boozy. We were at the market in Lake Mills, and we almost got kicked out because someone said we were selling booze at the market."
Fortuitously, Dye says he had a conversation with Gino Fazzari at Calderone Club later that same week.
"He suggested we try burning the alcohol off," says Dye. "And once we started doing that, it really changed the pie for the better. You have all the flavor from the brandy, but not the really strong boozy flavor."
Mr. Dye’s Pies is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pre-orders for available by calling the shop at (414) 759-4992.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
