Baked From The Hart Bakery

Bill Hart baked his first pie in 1971, and we should all give thanks for that day.

It was a bean pie, a rarity in Seattle, with roots that go back to the late ’60s and Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad’s belief that the navy bean was a more nutritious ingredient than the sweet potato. A teen, Hart was deeply intrigued by a recipe he had for bean pie, but his mom — not a particular fan of the Nation of Islam — told him that if he wanted it, he should bake it himself. It turned out so well that he’s kept baking pies since. In fact, that bean pie became the basis for a business.