This week’s Womply Merchant Spotlight is on Dangerously Delicious Pies. We couldn’t think of a better merchant to feature on Pi Day (3.14.12). Dangerously Delicious Pies is not your average pie shop. Not only does Dangerously Delicious Pies have an array of fantastic pies, but the shop was founded by Rodney Henry, a devoted musician. The pie shop works hard to incorporate great music and tasty pie into their everyday routine.

With its added rock ‘n’ roll flair, Dangerously Delicious Pies is a unique pie shop filled with a passionate and dedicated staff that love baking. With savory pies such as their hearty chicken pie (featured on Food Network’s Paula’s Best Dishes) and pork BBQ, you will leave full and happy. Or if you have more of a sweet tooth,DDP bakes chocolate chess, strawberry rhubarb, caramel apple crumb, and many others that will hit the spot. Dangerously Delicious Pies also offers a pie called the “Baltimore Bomb”, which is “loaded with Berger Cookies (a local specialty) that melt down and swirl into a sweet vanilla chess filling”. The Baltimore Bomb was featured on Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Guilty Pleasures”.

Womply got the pleasure of chatting with Sandra Basanti, the Managing Owner of Dangerously Delicious Pies DC. We are thrilled to be able to share with you our interview with Sandra.

Womply’s Interview with Dangerously Delicious Pies

What is your name and position?
Sandra Basanti, Managing Owner

What inspired you to start a pie shop?
Rodney started Dangerously Delicious in Baltimore over 10 years ago but [he] is originally from DC and a very good friend, so as soon as I graduated grad school he was looking to open one up in DC so I moved to DC and got started!

When did you know that this was your dream and passion?
Rodney grew up spending summers baking pies in Indiana with his grandmother. As he got older, he became a rocker and started touring with his band, the Glenmont Popes. While on the road, he was always baking and slinging pies at his merch table and trading pies for places to crash on the road for him and his band. When rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t paying the bills he thought, why not make pie, his second love, [to] pay for rock ‘n’ roll. And thus, Pie and Rock ‘n’ Roll was born.

Can you tell us a little more about your pie shop? We’re fascinated with the way Dangerously Delicious Pies has incorporated tasty food and music together!
The DC pie shop is run [by] my myself and my husband who also happens to be Rodney’s bass player. We offer free weekly shows where local musicians can do their thing and locals can chill, catch a free show, and eat some killer pie. We also are right by the Rock N Roll Hotel and The Red Palace, both [are] music venues, so we make sure the touring musicians get a good meal in their bellies and a mellow place to hang out before a gig…we offer them free wifi and even have been known to offer them a clean shower. What they do is tough stuff, so anything we can do to support them is what we are all about. We also opened up Pie Shop Studios in the back of the pie shop, which is a fully equipped rehearsal space booked in blocks since DC is so short on rehearsal spaces. We will soon be offering music lessons on the weekends, and one day when we get the upstairs bar built we will have our very own pie honky tonk.

What is your favorite flavor of pie to eat here?
If I’m in the mood for something sweet I go for the Chocolate PB or the Key Lime. Otherwise it’s the Spinach and Goat cheese quiche or “Pamela’s Vegan Tofu Curry” (and I’m not a Vegan but yes it is THAT good!).

What characteristics of the pie make it your favorite?
You can tell every crust is rolled out by hand and every ingredient is cut by hand. No machines, mixers, or food processors here!

What is the best thing you’ve ever eaten?
That is too difficult.

What is your favorite day of the week here and why?
Tuesday Nights…[there’s a] local acoustic showcase every Tuesday Night!

Care to share a tip on how to run a successful business/pie shop with us?
Get some hard chargers that ideally can relate or at least have a deep appreciation for the philosophy [that] the business is based on …otherwise known as a little thing called respect. It’s tricky to come by and there are a lotta phonies out there but our crew is solid, and I am a damn good judge of character. No phony balogna in the pie shop :)

What was one of the most enjoyable experiences you’ve had with a customer?
We used to have a regular. She was a single mom with absolutely adorable triplets! They would come to the shop once a week as their special treat. It was MY special treat and she is one remarkable woman. No matter what ever happens to the pie shop in years to come, to think about the kids that come every weekend and that when they get older they will say, “Hey remember when we used to go to the pie shop every sat?”. THAT makes everything all worth it!

What are your thoughts about the future of pies with music?
As far as DC-Pie Shop Studios, expanding to shop and opening up the second floor to have more music and more room for folks to just enjoy themselves, and possibly recording the bands that practice here and starting an online Pie-rate Radio station with all their stuff recorded here. Also with the music lessons, we will have certain Sundays where kids [who are] taking lessons can show off their stuff and perform for their friends and family and pie shop goers.

Then, let’s do it all over again in yet another town we love….slowly creating our pie empire :P

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Sandra and the rest of the Dangerously Delicious Pies team have a wonderful spirit and drive to create a place with such an invigorating atmosphere. The Womply crew was delighted to have the opportunity to bring our readers the inside scoop of this great pie shop.

Here are some additional pictures from Dangerously Delicious Pies for you to enjoy:

Dangerously Delicious Pies DC is located at 1339 H Street N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002

A special thank you to Sandra from Dangerously Delicious Pies DC for taking the time to chat with us!