A beacon of light shouts “EAT PIE” in red neon letters through the window of a mint green building. Inside, a pie case displays apple pie with a perfect crust, walnut pie glimmers with sticky honey, and a banana cream pie is smothered in whipped cream.
Mission Pie is a sweet spot located at Mission and 25th Streets.

The chairs are recycled, the black table-tops are made out of recycled paper, the bookcase has a Farmer’s Almanac, and the bureau that acts as a coffee station has a drawer with games. If you go on the right day you might also be able to get some local organic apples before they sell out. This is a place that, in addition to having a trash bin, has a compost and a recycle bin.

Mission Pie opened in January 2007. In about six months the little shop will be expanding, “We’re going to build a baking kitchen in the building to integrate all staff and students in a baking process,” says Heisler, and the café area will be moved to the front of the building.

“We’ve been blessed by a very warm reception,” says Karen Heisler, the owner of Mission Pie. “People seem to be happy, not only because they love pie, but they also like what we’re doing."

Heisler is also co-founder and co-director of Pie Ranch, a non-profit educational farm where urban high school students can learn how to grow food and turn it into a product. Its purpose is to bridge urban and rural communities, and Mission Pie is an extention of that. As many of the pie ingredients as possible are secured from local farms. Heisler says she wanted to create a place that would bring the farm to the city.

“We all share a commitment to ensuring that farming continues to be a viable and thriving activity and share a passion for strengthening relations between farms and people in urban communities,” says Heisler about herself and her Pie Ranch co-founders. “It’s important that we deepen our understanding of food development in a healthy way—healthy for the environment and healthy for people.”

In order to make Mission Pie a reality, Heisler sold her home. “I had that asset. It makes sense to transfer that into supporting something we’re trying to do,” she says. “I like living over a pie shop as it turns out...I love this neighborhood. There’s an appreciation, there’s a vibrancy and a really beautiful range of experience in this community.”