A Pie Story from Albuquerque: Who Wants Cantaloupe When You Can Have Cherry Pie?

I am always on the lookout for pies and pie stories, and they can pop up in the most unexpected places. I found this story in the Albuquerque Museum. As I was going through a room with a display of the city’s history, my eye was drawn to the caption, “Who Wants Cantaloupe When You Can Have Cherry Pie.” The headline told a story about the Alvarado Hotel, which was at a train stop for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. This hotel was part of a system of eateries along the entire rail route developed by visionary entrepreneur Fred Harvey, who established the first “chain” restaurants, which were known for their good food and good service.

People: Harvey Girls. The Harvey Girls, as the servers at Fred Harvey’s hotels and restaurants were known, were young women 18 to 30, unmarried, and “of good character,” who were selected to work in the restaurants and lived nearby in “Harvey Houses” that were one of the benefits of being a “Harvey Girl.” Of course, one of the items they served was cherry pie! For a flavor of the era and role of the Harvey Girls in settling the wild west watch, (on Amazon Prime) the musical “Harvey Girls” with Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, and Cyd Charisse.

Places: Museums who house memorabilia and stories of the history of their city.

Pies: Cherry Pie, Albuquerque Style. Walking through Albuquerque’s Old Town on a very hot and dry day, I found a restaurant that served a cherry pie. The borde de la tarta (crust) was buttery rich with southwest flavors and, fortunately, there were no hidden chili peppers in the cherry filling, as I found could happen with everything else from Margaritas to muffins!