Bang Bang Pie Founders Broach New Baking Venture
By Melissa Wiley in Food on Apr 17, 2014 8:30PM
Sometimes easy as pie is a little too easy. Spousal duo Dave and Megan Miller have sold their share of Bang Bang Pie Shop to partner Michael Ciapciak to launch Baker Miller Pie Co., set to open mid-July in Lincoln Square. The new venture takes inspiration from Megan’s great-great grandparents, Bertie and Alvie Neibert, who sold their own pies and meats in Athens, Ill., while making dough and lard the hard way. Together, the Millers will resurrect many of their recipes as well as their 19th-centry heritage cooking, milling flour, churning butter and relying on local ingredients for baked goods that will expand on Bang Bang’s success.
According to Restaurant Guru's Matt Kirouac, they have also taken heart from Cellar Door Provisions’ commitment to sustainability and local ingredients.
Flour milled on site in varieties including corn and gluten-free will be for sale at the counter, according to DNAinfo. In the spirit of starting where Bertie and Alvie left off, the Millers will also offer classes on heritage baking and milling as they work to foster a community as much as bake pies and pastries tasty enough to make this gambit a profitable one.
Ciapciak, meanwhile, will continue to refine Bang Bang Pie Shop’s menu and keep its local fan base intact. Only last month, the threesome were in negotiations for expansion to a Pilsen storefront.