GET TO KNOW: Drew French, owner of Your Pie

Drew French, owner and creator of Your PieAthens Food Tours getting to know restaurant owners, chefs and servers in Athens. We want to know more about the people behind the food. Here it goes!

Q: Where did you grow up? 

Drew: All over. I was a navy kid. My high school years were in Alpharetta and then I attended college at UGA in Athens.

Q:What did you want to do when you grew up?  

Drew: Own restaurants.

Q: Did you always know you wanted to own restaurants like Your Pie?

Drew: No. I was inspired to cook pizzas in brick ovens during my honeymoon in Italy in 2006. My wife's family is from the Island of Ischia in Italy. We visited her family on our honeymoon and that is where I saw the brick ovens style of baking pizza. The rest of the Your Pie concept grew from that experience.

Q: How long from concept to completion did it take to develop Your Pie?

Drew: The concept began in May 2006, while in Italy and then came to reality in April 2008 with the Beechwood store opening, which was our first. The Five Points store opened in July 2009 and then the Downtown location in October 2009. Now we have seven stores open and ten more coming soon. Our present locations are:

#1 Athens, GA Beechwood
#2 Athens, GA 5 Points
#3 Charleston, South Carolina West Ashley
#4 Athens, GA Downtown
#5 Watkinsville, GA…Now Open!!!
#6 Roswell, GA…Now Open!!!
#7 Savannah, GA…Now Open at “Ellis Square”!!!
#8 Eastside Athens…Coming Soon!!!
#9 Statesboro, GA….Coming Soon to 701 Piedmont Loop Suite 200 Statesboro, GA 30458!!!
#10 Tampa, FL….Coming Soon!!!
#11 Marietta, GA….Coming Soon!!!
#12 Alpharetta, GA….Coming Soon!!!
#13 Greenville, SC….Coming Soon!!!
#14 Tallahassee, FL….Coming Soon!!!
#15 Nashville, TN….Coming Soon!!!
#16 Columbus, GA….Coming Soon!!!
#17 Auburn, AL….Coming Soon!!!

Q: What does your wife think of how busy you are with Your Pie?

Drew: Oh well, she's just as busy as me! She is in Vet school here at UGA. Her goal is to be a large animal vet.

Q: What is the inspiration for the names of the pies on Your Pie's menu?

Drew:

My Pie: That's my pie! I love the idea of chicken on a pizza and I love spicy food, so that's my favorite pie.

The Nat: That's my wife's pie. Her name is Natalie and that's her favorite pizza combination.

Ischia's Pie: The traditional toppings on this pizza reflect the traditional Italian pizza we ate in Ischia, Italy, the place of Your Pie inspiration.

The Lineage Pie: The lineage is my family. Its a pie to reflect family history.

The Hippie's Pie: Because hippies eat that stuff!

Q: What is your favorite beer?

Drew:  A Dirty Turtle. Its a combination of my two favorite beers: Terrapin Rye and Guinness

Q: What are your hobbies?

Drew: I really enjoy running with my wife and our dogs, sitting at The Globe on a nice day and playing bongos (sometimes).

Q: How many times a week do you eat at Your Pie?

Drew: Two

Q: What are your favorite places to eat in Athens besides Your Pie?

Drew: For a nice place, Five & Ten. For a laid back meal, Sr. Sol.

Thanks Drew! We hope to run into you around Athens very soon. Keep up the good work!