Who Knew? Derby Pie Isn’t Really About the Kentucky Derby
The Kern family wasn’t horsing around. Photos courtesy of Kentucky to the World
Yes, plenty of Derby Pies get sold around the Kentucky Derby, but I never knew it wasn’t specifically named for the famous horse race.
Non-profit Kentucky to the World (KTW) sent out a news release sharing the story of a well-known Kentucky family - the Kerns of Kern’s Derby-Pie® fame and how the Kern family developed their pie business into an internationally recognized brand. KTW and Kern’s Kitchen will also partner for a special holiday deal – a pack of Kentucky to the World playing cards, featuring 52 Kentuckians, with every Kern’s Derby-Pie® online order while supplies last. (Order details are below.)
“Kentucky to the World highlights the successes of Kentuckians, and the Kern’s story is one of real entrepreneurial spirit,” KTW Executive Director Shelly Zegart said in the release. “They started in a small home bakery making pies on a wooden table that also doubled as a card table on the weekends, and grew to so much more. A nod to history, we thought it was only fitting to serve up our deck of Kentucky to the World cards with holiday orders of pie.”
The still-secret recipe for the chocolate nut pie was created by Walter and Leaudra Kern along with their oldest son George, when the Kerns managed the Melrose Inn on US 42 in Prospect. They taste tested the now famous pie with the Inn’s guests and chose the name “Derby Pie” out of a hat, and not as a direct nod to the Kentucky Derby.
“Despite its name, just as many, if not more, Kern’s Derby-Pie® chocolate nut pies are ordered during the holiday season,” said Rupp, president of Kern’s Kitchen. “It’s been amazing to watch this business grow throughout the years, and we love that we can help tell our family story and the story of fifty-two other Kentuckians through this partnership.”
It was the actually couple’s grandson, Alan Rupp, who ultimately drove expansion of the business when he moved the operation to Bluegrass Industrial Parkway and purchased new ovens that significantly increased output.
To support KTW with this sweet deal, people can visit here to pick up a pie and deck of KTW playing cards illustrated by Louisville Artist August Northcut for $40. The Kern’s family legacy will also be available to read on the KTW site.
