Californians know about downtown Julian for four main reasons: its quaint country-like appearance, hiking, camping and its baked goods. Mostly its pies. This is a destination that is very popular in Southern California, and for good reason. The small chain, Moms, is local to Julian, California, which is about an hour north of San Diego, California. Southern California locals will regularly pay a visit to downtown Julian, and most will make a point of picking up a pie or two to bring back home. Moms has multiple locations in Julian alone.
Cute and homey!
Each Moms location features cabin-like structure and decor, and it has a way of making you want to snuggle up by the fire with your loved ones. Moms was established in 1984 by Anita Nichols, AKA “Mom” who is indeed a real mother of 4 lovely children. Since then, the family business has consistently produced fresh pies that aren’t overly sweet, with flaky and crumbly crusts, and the business has only grown stronger.
Moms is regularly packed with customers and has lines spilling out of the door. The easiest way to avoid these lines is to order your pie in advance, or go during weekdays at non-peak hours. A large reason for this is because truly, Moms is only in Julian and has no plans of expanding outside of that, as they believe one of the biggest keys to making successful and satisfying pies is to keep the company small and local. And so far, this has proven to be true!
The apple pie is the most popular, but there's more!
Moms makes a multitude of pies, and some flavors switch up seasonally, but the classic apple pie always remains on the menu. It’s the most popular pie, and of course a staple of North American treats, but the other pies are nothing to sneeze at! The menu also regularly features an apple boysenberry pie, which goes perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Other regular flavors include, but are not limited to: strawberry rhubarb, bumbleberry (boysenberry, blueberry, and blackberry), peach, cherry, pecan, apple caramel and more!
But Moms isn’t limited to just pies, though! They also have tantalizing apple dumplings, brownies, ice cream, toffee, apple cider, fudge, a few lunch options and various other goodies! Along with its pies, Julian is also a popular place for its apple cider and fudge, so if you happen to be an excited foodie, you should definitely take the opportunity to try all three! These three treats are specially handcrafted in Julian, and made of local ingredients. Since Julian is something of a farm town, there is no shortage of fresh fruits, creams and the like. It’s not often most of us get to eat truly fresh treats, so these are all things that should be savored!
Like the treats are homemade!
Its name, “Mom’s pies,” is well deserved! The pies are all made fresh daily by in-house bakers, and you can certainly taste the difference! You can even go up to the shop window and watch all of the talented bakers put them together! The pies taste like something your own mother or grandma would make from scratch at home! Each pie and treat is made with skill and love, just the way everyone likes it. Since all of these pies are made in-house, the pies they have available daily will switch up, since they don’t have room to have so many of each pie in a day. If there’s a specific flavor you’re interested in trying, it’s a good idea to call ahead and check to see when that flavor will be available. Their contact information can be found on their website.
Not only do they make amazing fresh pies, but they also offer baking classes! Whether you want to learn to make the perfect pie crust or a refreshing apple cider, you can look forward to signing up for a class with Moms! You can check out what classes they are currently offering on their website!
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Have your taste!
Don’t miss out on these delicious confections! If you happen to be traveling to southern California, not only is Julian a beautiful place to visit for good food, good company and beautiful nature, it’s also a great place to get a real taste of one of the best classic American treats!
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