[14] December 23, 2011
www.rentonreporter.com
From out-of-work carpenter to successful baker [ PIES from page 1] of spices. Without a doubt they are smooth, rich and sweet. A friend, who helped Tynes set up side contracting work in carpentry in the past, encouraged him to go forward with this business venture and helped him get started. “My mom would be surprised out of all her three sons that I’m the one to do something like this,� Tynes said. His mother never taught him how to bake specifically, but she taught him and his two brothers and two sisters how to cook. “But, I’ve been a carpenter for 30 years, I know how to follow the instructions,� he said. It took a little more than that because as Tynes puts it, “Old folks, they don’t measure stuff.� He was able to concoct his pie recipe also adhering to his mother’s recipe, using measurements his mother had given his wife 28 years ago. The recipe has Southern roots, as Tynes’ mother hails from Mississippi, but raised her children in San Jose, Calif. Tynes moved to Washington in the early 1980s and says that Renton is a good place to raise children. As for the pies, Renton seems to love them. “Oh yes, I sold out almost every Tuesday,� said Tynes of his experience at the Farmers Market in downtown Renton. He was also popular at the market at Valley Medical Center on Sundays and again at the annual Harvest Festival in the fall. It was at the Harvest Festival that he met Rex Hashimoto, director of the Renton Uwajimaya store. “He tasted one of my pies and a few days later he sent me an email asking if I could come down and meet some of the managers and also bring some samples,� Tynes said.
Richard Tynes, owner, creator and baker of Ms. Margie’s Sweet Potato Pies, stands in front of a refrigerated case at the Renton Uwajimaya store where his pies are sold. Tracey Compton, Renton Reporter Tynes met with the group and they asked him on the spot if he would like to be in all four of the Uwajimaya stores. “And they had a pretty good laugh at my expense because they could see on my face that I didn’t expect this to happen this soon,� he said. This Thanksgiving with Ms. Margie’s Sweet Potato Pies proved an eye-opener for Tynes as he made so many pies he lost count. He makes them in a local commercial kitchen with friends and family helping him. Customers were still calling him with orders when he was leaving his business for the day. Tynes directed them to Uwajimaya stores and they
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sold out at the end of Thanksgiving Day, he said. Tynes was looking forward to retiring in a couple of years, but now says that’s probably not going to happen. “I’m enjoying this and I tell everybody, I wish I had of done it 20 years ago,� he said. Tynes is still working out the kinks of his business, says that he’s at the crawl stage now, but wants to see if they can walk and then run. Tynes just recently got a contract to have his pies sold in the Popeye’s restaurant off of Rainier Avenue in Renton at 105 S.W. Seventh St. “I think you’re going to be hearing a lot from Ms. Margie’s Sweet Potato Pies,� he said.
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