
For years now, when I’m actually free on a Saturday I mosey over to DeValls Bluff to pick up some pies at Ms. Lena’s. But they’re only available on Saturdays -- and always have been, except for about a year there from spring of last year to this one.

But what if I were to tell you that you could have those fried pies five other days of the week -- for the price of another 30 minutes worth of drive time?
I’m willing to make that drive.
(Cue Cream’s version of “Crossroads”)


At Casscoe, you pass Highway 33 North and turn right on Highway 33 South. You might see the tiny white hand lettered direction sign; then again you might not.

You go a little further and turn left onto Highway 33’s spur. That’s Cook’s Lake Road -- you’ll know it when you see the little post office.


This… is Ms. Lena’s Fried Pie Shop… version number two. Yes, Viv is still making pies at her place in DeValls Bluff. But here you’ll find Carl. He’s the man who still makes the dough for all those fried pies. And he’s selling them every day, Monday through Friday, for just $2 each.
I’ve been hearing about the new place for a little bit, and I was so anxious to see it I drove out there on opening day, Monday the 20th of June. As I made it further and further out into the Delta, I got worried. How’s this place going to work?
Well, the pies, of course.
See, I went into the kitchen at Viv’s shop when they started selling fried pies again


Carl was in charge of making the crust, that special recipe that Ms. Lena shared only with her children. The dough was rolled into equal portions in balls. He took each one and smashed it with his hand, then rolled it out with a small roller. He’d flip it and roll again, four or five times. How could you tell it was thin enough? When a fully rolled out crust is held up to the light, you can see through it.
Carl would stack those crusts in a floured stack, and Viv would take each one, put it in a crimper, dollop filling into the crust and crimp it over. She would then take the pie and put it directly into the fryer, where it would cook up a good minute or two. Out of the fryer each pie went onto a wooden rack to drain.
Now, because those crusts are thin, there’s sometimes a blowout -- and the rule is in the shop that if there’s a blow-out that pie has to be eaten behind the counter instead of sold. Funny how the chocolate pies are the most likely to blow out.

Those pies, though… they are fat. They’re packed with filling. The crust is amazing. It stays crispy. If it gets a little under-crispy, you just wrap it in a paper towel and stick it in the fridge and it crisps back up. Unreal. They are heavily, heavily addictive.
To be able to get one of those pies on a weekday? Pure heaven. So yeah I went.





Turns out, I’d just eaten the first burger at the new restaurant. Well, there you go.

I was getting set up to head back and ordering the pies I’d take back to Little Rock with me. I noticed he had strawberry fried pies, one of the very few flavors I’d always managed to miss at the other place. Carl let me try one. Aw, man, that was good. The filling -- just strawberries, mashed up a bit with sugar. Nothing else -- no gelatin, no spices, no preservatives. So simple.

If you want to get down to the Casscoe place, put it in your Google Maps as 220 Cooks Lake in Casscoe. You can also call Carl and ask him for directions; the number is (870) 241-9987. Tell ‘im Kat sent ya.
And don't you forget -- Viv's still making pies too in DeValls Bluff. Go get you some.
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