How About a Fist Bump for the new High 5 Pie Shop?

Dani Cone's the hands-on owner of High Five Pie.

Dani Cone has two great loves: coffee and business. Her entrepreneurial streak started in grade school when she and her sister got a business license so they could buy flowers wholesale for the arrangements they sold. At 15, she got her first official job at a deli, where she split her time cutting meats and pulling espresso drinks...and definitely took to the latter. There she discovered that being a barista meant she could combine skill and artistry to craft an experience from empty cup to finished product while enjoying the constant interaction with people.

She attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where she studied business economics. After a stint in Colorado, she returned to her hometown Seattle. She was a well-loved barista at Caffe Vita for six years prior to opening her first of three Fuel locations in March 2005. She authored the book "Tall Skinny Bitter: Notes from the Center of Coffee Culture" which was published by Sasquatch Books in April 2009.

On a mission to find the best accompaniment to coffee, and never one to turn down a good piece of pie, Dani went straight to the source and consulted her Grandma Molly. Dani decided to start a wholesale pie company in December 2008 called High 5 Pie. An adorable retail shop opened last week. She uses her Grandma Molly's all-butter crust recipe for her sweet and savory deep dish pies, Flipsides, Piejars and Cutie Pies.

SW: Congrats on your new place! Have you heard 2011 is supposed to be the year of the pie? But you were way ahead of the curve. What was your vision when you started High 5?

Dani: : Above all, I like to eat pie. But I noticed that there was good pie available in the city, but it wasn't as widely available as I would've liked. We thought we'd just start with the Flipsides and the 7-inch pies at Fuel. We also sold pies wholesale to other cafes.

SW: How have things evolved from the beginning?

Dani: We've been growing the wholesale business since we started in 2008. The idea for the shop began a year ago. We have so many pie flavors available, but it's hard to showcase all of them through our wholesale customers. It just made sense for us to have a retail space to feature the range of pies that we can make.

SW: What are the best sellers?

Dani: Apple, Savory Potato Dill and during the summer months, any seasonal berry pie.

SW: What's your favorite pie memory growing up?

Dani: My grandparents used to live on Bainbridge and we'd go pick blackberries all the time. My grandma Molly would make lots of pies. Her double blackberry pie was amazing.

SW: What's your personal favorite?

Dani: Lemon meringue or any fruit pie. For savory pie, it's apple cheddar rosemary.

SW: Do you use butter or lard or both?

Dani: All butter - just like my grandma Molly. We use her crust recipe.

Check back for part two of this week's Grillaxin Q and A for more from High Five Pie's Dani Cone.