We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather Kemp. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.

Heather, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

Yes, we donate $1 from every City Sampler we sell, and we pick a different organization to give toward usually every month. We have given to great organizations like, Hope House, The Northland Christmas Store, Feed Northland Kids, Nourish KC, Midwest Transplant Network, Mother’s Refuge, and more! We love being a part of this great city and giving back! This is an amazing opportunity for people to partner with us in a small way to make a huge impact!

Heather, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I LOVE PIE!!!! I love taking a few simple ingredients that seem unimportant until they all come together and create this amazingly delicious dessert. I used to make wedding cakes and due to my perfectionist personality it really weighed on me. I started to hate baking (sad day), but one day, my Dad wanted a cherry pie like Grammy used to make. I had never had her cherry pie or even knew how to make one, but I took it as a challenge and I was going to make my Dad a cherry pie just like Grammy. I got all the ingredients out to make my first pie crust and I was so nervous, but I loved how it didn’t have to be perfect. It was rustic, on purpose!!! It was great and as the beautiful fruit pie baked I smelt the most wonderful smell ever, BUTTER!!!! Yes, butter is a food group lol!

As I brought the pie out of the oven I felt so proud. I took the pie over to my parent’s house the next day for a family dinner. My Dad was so excited to try the first cherry pie I had ever made and I was anxious. I wanted it to be just like Grammy’s and thought, “Oh no, what am I going to do if it’s not?” My Dad took a bite, chewed it slowly, looked up at me and said, “Now that tastes just like your Grammy’s.” I was filled with such joy and knew that I had found my love for baking again.

I have made countless pie dough recipes over the years. I have stayed up late nights baking for holidays and celebrations. It took 25 attempts for me to make a chocolate chip cookie that my sister could eat because she is allergic to dairy, eggs, and sugar. I have had bad baking weeks, but I don’t let it stop me because I have found something that brings joy to my life, it’s bringing joy to others, and it’s meeting needs. That is something that makes me the most proud of City Pie. We love being a part of other people’s celebrations, gatherings, and holidays, but giving back to Kansas City is what brings Ben and I the most reward.

Our customers are so loyal. Ben and I love getting to know them and their families! We know their cars when they come for pick up, their faces, and their smiles! We really appreciate our City Pie Family, and we could not do it without them!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing our City Pie clientele has been word of mouth and consistency. When we have a customer that keeps coming back shows we are consistent. They know what they are going to get every time they order from City Pie, and it’s going to be the best! Then, they tell their friends and family members and boom, more customers!

How did you build your audience on social media?

I think the advice that I would give to someone starting to build their presence on social media is what I was told. I tried really hard to be on Facebook and Instagram all the time, but noticed that the demographic that was ordering from me weren’t on Instagram, they were only on Facebook. So, my coach advised me to really focus hard on Facebook only because that’s where my audience was. If I kept putting time into Instagram and getting frustrated that no one was coming from there then it was just wasted time. You won’t be everything to everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.citypiekc.com
• Instagram: @citypiekc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityPieKC

Image Credits
Heather Kemp