The Origins: Simon Hubig and a New Orleans Icon

Hubig’s Pies began in 1922, when Spanish immigrant and World War I veteran Simon Hubig brought his family’s baking heritage to New Orleans. While his pie company operated in multiple Southern cities in its early years, only the New Orleans bakery survived the Great Depression. Nestled on Dauphine Street, Hubig’s quickly became beloved as a “pie for the people”—fresh, affordable, and packed with flavor.

Pie-Making: The Craft Behind the Wax Paper

Hubig’s pies are famous for their old-school, labor-intensive process. Each hand-pie starts with a tender, flaky pastry shell, filled with classic fruit flavors—apple, lemon, coconut, pineapple, and more. The pies are fried instead of baked, creating their signature crispy exterior and soft, glazed finish. Each one is wrapped in wax paper (never plastic), keeping that nostalgic, home-baked feel alive in every batch. The recipes and methods have been fiercely guarded, passed down much like folklore.

The Fire: Loss and Longing on Dauphine Street

In July 2012, tragedy struck: the Hubig’s bakery was destroyed by a massive fire, leaving New Orleanians without one of their most crave-worthy snacks. For years, locals and visitors alike mourned the absence, holding onto memories of their favorite pie flavor and hoping for a comeback. The fire’s aftermath became part of New Orleans lore—a testament to both heartbreak and hope in the city’s storied food scene.

Photo Catherine Threlkeld
The Times-Picayune, via Associated Press

Revival: Resilience, Return, and Pie for All

After a decade of anticipation and longing, Hubig’s Pies made their triumphant return in 2022, restored by the Ramsey family and their loyal team. The bakery was rebuilt using refurbished equipment, and the first fresh pies brought crowds and celebrations. The legacy continues: today, Hubig’s are made the same traditional way and sold all over New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, with each bite reminding us that in this city, tradition endures—even after fire.

Who is Savory Simon?

Savory Simon was a real person—Simon Hubig, born in 1860 to German immigrant parents in the U.S. After his father's early death, Simon and his brothers helped their mother run a baking business. By age 30, Simon opened the Simon Hubig Baking Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he patented pie-making machinery and became a highly productive and innovative baker. He later founded the Simon Hubig Company in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1918, expanding into several southern cities including New Orleans.

The New Orleans location, which opened in 1921, eventually became the last surviving Hubig’s bakery, outlasting all the others through the Depression and World Wars. Today, the Ramsey family operates the company, continuing Simon Hubig’s legacy.

The “Savory Simon” mascot—a cheerful, rotund chef—became the iconic symbol on each Hubig’s pie wrapper. He represents Simon Hubig, canonized as the “Pie Man” and the friendly face of New Orleans’ favorite fried pies, forever linked with the bakery’s heritage and the city’s culture.