At precisely 10:30 in the morning, owner Blair Nicole pulled the last rack of Hutch’s fried pies from the fryer on Saturday, February 15.
“it’s time to retire,” she said decisively.
A staple of the Weatherford community since 1935, the Hutchens family has served more than 3,000 fried pies each week, along with sandwiches and soups for breakfast and lunch.
Lines began forming before dawn in the days following the closing announcement. Some customers waited more than two hours to be able to choose their favorite pies.
Peach, cherry, lemon, and apricot were some breakfast favorites, but the BLT sat atop the lunch menu board on the wall inside, according to customers waiting for their pies Saturday morning.
“This is my first Hutch’s,” Elaine Johnson explained, as her husband, LeRoy, joked that it was also her last.
A mother and daughter duo had driven from Houston to enjoy their sweets for the final time.
Terri Gough said her husband, Tim, had traveled from Ohio to Weatherford to get his last pie. Their grandson, Mason Rivera, had his first taste of solid food, thanks to Hutch’s pies.
Beginning in a friend’s garage, ‘Hutch’ Hutchens delivered his fried pies in a 1931 Model T for three cents apiece. After many trials and errors, he came upon the recipe that is pretty much the same as is used today, according to his granddaughter.
“What sets us apart is our flaky crust,” she said, “No secret recipes, just the right percentage of the basics.”
The pies are made fresh every day.
Selling the business to his son and daughter-in-law, David and Sue, in 1977, their fried pies grew into a regional business, eventually selling to wholesalers (ending in 2017) which outsold several local fried pie establishments.
Moving into their final home in 1987, Hutch’s found their niche on College Park Drive, nestled into a shopping center next to Weatherford College’s campus.
Long-time employee Diann Russell voiced her appreciation of David and Sue, remembering how they had always treated her well and were willing to take a chance on her.
It seemed fitting, as the Hutchens took a chance on their fried pies in Weatherford 90 years ago.
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