It’s all about flavors here.
This local chain of pie shops was founded by Steven Cox and Avis Renshaw. Farmers by trade, the couple was looking for a way to increase revenues and weren’t satisfied with store-bought pies. Mom’s Apple Pie Company was their answer.
“We are called Mom’s but it was actually my dad who started looking at recipe books, talking to family members, making changes to recipes, and perfecting that crispy, butter crust,” says Ansa Cox, who serves as general manager. “I remember first sampling his pies when I was about five years old and helping out my parents when I was just 10 or 11.”
The key to Mom’s pies are all in the ingredients, which come straight from the family’s Lost Corner Farm. “It’s on the Potomac River and the soil is just beautiful there,” says Cox. “We grow fruit like blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries, and corn and spinach for quiches.”
The bakery offers its signature apple pie and other fruit pies along with creative variations like chocolate coconut, sour cherry, strawberry rhubarb, and bourbon walnut. Cox says her personal favorite is lemon chess because of its complexity of flavors and textures.
Now with close to 50 employees and three locations in Occoquan, Round Hill, and Leesburg, Mom’s is still owned and managed by the family. Cox works with her mother to handle the business side, while her brother and father work the farm. “Even my sister is in the pie business and runs her own bakery in New York,” laughs Cox.
The secret to Mom’s pies is how good they taste. Mom’s Apple Pie Company does not use preservatives and uses sugar sparingly, allowing the natural fruit flavors to shine. MomsApplePieCo.com
This article originally appeared in the Best of Virginia 2023 issue.
