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Elegant Farmer
You can try to find a more American soul soothing dessert than apple pie, but we bet you won’t succeed. There is a version in almost every deli, diner, and home cook’s kitchen across the country. But while even mediocre apple pie is still pretty good, truly amazing apple pie is worth reaching for. When the bakers at The Elegant Farmer in Wisconsin discovered that baking their pies in a brown paper bag helped to develop crisp, buttery crust and tender filling, they went with the unusual method, much to the delight of anyone who has ever had the pleasure of tasting one. And if you head to the intersection of Highways ES and J in Mukwonago, you’ll see exactly what we mean. In the heart of Wisconsin Dairy Country, back in the late 1940s, Dave and Elmer Scheel took over the family farm. While their herd of Guernsey’s kept them pretty busy, they also managed to produce more fruits and vegetables than their families and workers could consume, and they opened a small stand on the corner of their property to sell the surplus. It didn’t take long for the community to figure out that the Scheel Farm was producing exceptional produce, and the stand was quickly replaced with a permanent roadside market a few years later. When Elmer’s son Dan took over the farm in 1970, he honored his dad and uncle and their farming philosophy by renaming the market The Elegant Farmer. Dan and his wife Karen continued to grow and expand the business, branching into prepared foods, and launching their now famous Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag. From a tiny roadside stand to a booming marketplace, from the Scheel brothers impeccable fruit and vegetables to the new generation’s bakery, deli and market, you can taste the tradition and history in every delectable mouthful. No wonder the Wall Street Journal and Gourmet Magazine named it the “best pie in America”! And since it is our privilege to bring you nothing but the best, it only made sense to choose this apple pie from among all the others in the country.