This week’s #FeatureFriday is Rain Tilley of HipPies, located in Tuscaloosa! Come visit her at the farmers market on Saturdays all year long from 7am-12pm for the best all natural, made from scratch pies and treats for you and your dog!
“I have loved cooking since I was big enough to pull a chair up to the stove. I started with a carrot soup when I was about 6, and have been cooking ever since. In college I studied Commercial Arts, Health/Nutrition, and Culinary Arts... And I used all of that knowledge to create HipPies!
In keeping with my HipPies name, everything I make is 100% from scratch and all natural. I created a crust recipe that I hoped could rival my, or any great grandmother’s crust recipes’ flavor and flakiness, but with a bit more nutrition and fiber, by using my own special pastry flour blend. I try to avoid the waste I’ve seen at past culinary jobs by using everything I can, like turning excess juice and fruit scraps into jams and jellies, oat bran sifted from my flour blend goes into dog biscuits, I even compost and recycle!
My Old Fashioned Pecan Pie is also a recipe I hoped could impress even the most critical of southern palates, and I think I succeeded! Oh, and I never use corn syrup! I love creating new recipes. The challenge of creating recipes for those with dietary restrictions is especially rewarding, as I know how hard it can be to find good, healthy food when on a specialty diet.
I try to always have a good mix of regular, gluten free, and keto options. But, if you want something specific, I am always happy to take custom orders as well! My focus is mainly Pies, but I also make cookies, brownies, cakes, cobblers, and dog treats.”
