Milk District hangout Se7enbites might be known for nostalgic baked goods and Southern breakfasts but, says pastry chef and owner Trina Gregory-Propst, "I'm most proud of our salted caramel dark chocolate pecan pie." It's the pie that started it all for Propst, but perfecting her signature item put the affable, icy-pawed patissière through the wringer. Testing for the filling and the crust spanned more than three months, during which time she became all too familiar with the science of baking. The correct ratios of butter to salt to sugar, as well as the effects of temperature and rest times, all were learned on the fly. The fact that she was still in pastry school also added to the challenge.
"The salted caramel trials were horrible," she says half-jokingly, but when it all came together for the first time, Propst knew she had something special in her hands, and that she had found her passion. Se7enbites regulars have taken to calling Propst the "Magical Pie Lady," and with good reason. Her baked goods put you under a spell, and sweet surrender is but a bite away.
