All about Pie

Krystal Day to continue making pies at beloved deli.

It all started with an award-winning apple pie. Krystal Day has officially found her calling and it is all about pie. While working at Townhouse Café, patrons would ask for her family’s apple pie. Once she started making pies and other desserts, she found that she really enjoyed it.

“Pie is nostalgic. It’s not a thing, it is a person,” Krystal said. “It reminds you of people who made a certain pie.”

Since Townhouse, Krystal worked at the Alpena Deli and then decided to get closer to home. A trip to Florida and a pie wagon later, Krystal opened a food truck on December 3. Her truck specializes in meat and sweet pies. Ten days after opening The Pie Wagon, a new opportunity came out of the blue.

Jimmy Kirkland reached out to Krystal to see if she would be interested in buying Kirkland’s Deli.

“It truly feels like a dream come true,” Krystal said. “When it is a good thing, you don’t expect it.”

This will allow Krystal to expand what she has started with The Pie Wagon and will allow her to continue to challenge herself and her cooking.

When Kirkland’s was opened, it was a family run business. Krystal and her family will now be continuing that mission. She and her mother are partnering together in the restaurant and plan on bringing the whole family on board to keep the tradition alive.

“We plan on continuing using the Kirkland name and for it to truly be a family owned and operated business,” Krystal added. “That’s what it should be!”

Kirkland’s Deli will open under new ownership on January 3, 2022. Krystal plans on keeping all of the customer favorites along with expanding the menu. Hours will expand including Saturdays. Each day, Krystal and her team will offer “Gourmet to Go” which will be a hot and ready meal for patrons to enjoy. Specialty coffees will soon be added to the menu. The hours and days of operation will also be expanded.

Krystal is looking forward to continuing making pies and to serving her regulars and new customers again very soon!