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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Helen Smith of Baytown is an innovative entrepreneur |
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and an inspiring role model for women; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith's success story began in the early 1980s, |
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when she was a single mother of three and had recently lost her job; |
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struggling to provide for her children, she took a risk and created |
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a professional opportunity for herself; because she had always |
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liked to bake, she approached five local restaurants, asking them |
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to include her homemade pies on their menus until she could find |
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employment; soon thereafter, Mrs. Smith was overwhelmed by |
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enthusiastic pastry lovers who wanted to place their own personal |
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orders for her pies; and |
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WHEREAS, To keep up with the demand, Mrs. Smith purchased a |
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second oven at a garage sale and began waking at 3 a.m. to bake pies, |
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which she then carefully packed into her car to deliver around town; |
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though she temporarily slowed down when she took on a position as a |
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secretary for Texaco for four years, she never lost sight of her |
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culinary and entrepreneurial aspirations; and |
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WHEREAS, With the support of her family and friends and |
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advice from the Lee College Small Business Assistance Center, |
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Mrs. Smith applied for a small business loan; when her application |
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was approved, she rented and renovated a small building, and on the |
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opening day of Helen's Kitchen, a line of customers gathered |
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outside the front door; sales surpassed more than $100,000 that |
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first year, and soon Baytown's Pie Lady, as she was newly nicknamed, |
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moved into a larger space and hired employees to keep up with the |
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demand for as many as 200 pies a day; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith made another savvy business decision |
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when she approached area grocery stores to see if they were |
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interested in selling her frozen, cholesterol-free pie shells; they |
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agreed, and shortly after, her homemade crusts graced the shelves |
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of small stores throughout Baytown, and then larger chain grocery |
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stores across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi; her pie shells can |
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now be found at Sam's Clubs across the country; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1988, the United States Small Business |
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Administration named Mrs. Smith the "Woman Advocate of the Year" in |
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Texas; as a result of this honor, she began receiving requests to |
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visit seminars across the country; in the fall of 2011, she gained |
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national attention when she was invited to appear on Good Morning |
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America to share a new pie she invented; inspired by President |
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Obama's two favorite kinds of pie, sweet potato and pecan, |
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Mrs. Smith combined the two into one; the then 77-year-old, who had |
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never been to New York before, was featured in a segment with |
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renowned chef Emeril Lagasse; and |
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WHEREAS, Helen Smith's determination and creativity proved |
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to be a winning recipe for a flourishing business, and she may take |
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justifiable pride in the sweet success she has achieved; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize Helen Smith for her dedication to |
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preserving the tradition of making pies from scratch and extend to |
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her sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mrs. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |