Baked In A Pie
story: Amber Galushaphotos: Kathi Rodriguez
Stacey Clark’s Hand-Crafted Pie Birds
Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday for Stacey Clark; giving thanks is something she does daily. She is thankful for community and for creativity, and she is thankful she’s been able to combine both to build a thriving ceramics business.
Clark is no stranger to the world of ceramics. “Before I was born, my mother met a lady who owned a ceramics shop in Santa Cruz and started taking her classes,” she says. “After I was born, she’d take me down there, where I would sit in my bassinet while she painted.”
When Clark was 10, she began painting ceramics alongside her mother. Today, she continues to apply her artistic talents to her handicraft company, Two Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in Shingletown.
Clark’s business was born out of a need to help her mom fulfill a personal desire. “My mom was collecting pie birds and wanted to increase her collection,” says Clark. “She said she was going to get a mold and pour her own because she couldn’t find them very easily.”
Familiar with eBay – she had been supplementing her income selling items she found at flea markets and thrift stores on the worldwide market – Clark typed “pie birds” into the search engine. To her surprise, more than 500 listings displayed.
Realizing pie birds were hot commodities, Clark began crafting and selling the ceramic utensils not only from her virtual storefront but at local craft shows and boutiques. The birds were a hit, and it wasn’t long before her business “took off like crazy.”
Clark attributes her success to the public’s renewed interest in the birds. “People are coming back around to the old-fashioned way of baking pies,” says Clark. Since Victorian times, these adorable kitchen helpers have been used to let off steam when baking double-crust pies. This venting prevents the filling from bubbling over and keeps the crust from falling.
And they’re simple to use. “You put your bottom crust down, then your pie bird, then your filling and the top crust over the bird,” says Clark. “You make sure the beak is clear and finish your pie as usual.” When the birds aren’t being used for baking, they bring cheer to any kitchen decor.
Keeping her customers’ individual tastes in mind, Clark offers a wide assortment of designs. “I try to make sure there is something for everyone,” she says. Her styles range from the classic blackbird to fruit themes featuring vibrantly painted strawberries and apples. And for the holidays, she offers special motifs relevant to each season.
Her uniquely crafted birds set Clark apart from her competition. “People who collect pie birds want to buy something that’s made special, not just mass produced,” she says.
Clark’s dedication to quality has paid off. Over the past 11 years, she has sent a flock of more than 5,000 pie birds into the culinary world. Many of those birds can be found in kitchens across the North State, a community that Clark cherishes.
Since moving here from the Bay Area a year ago, Clark finds the close-knit community refreshing and inspiring. “It’s so nice to get out and see people supporting local businesses and to see neighbors spending time with one another,” she says. •
Two Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
(530) 474-5802
piebirdsandmore.weebly.com
