Derby pie facts for kids
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| Type | Pie |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Kentucky |
| Created by | George Kern |
| Main ingredients | Pie shell, chocolate, walnuts or pecans |
Derby pie is a super yummy dessert that's a bit like a chocolate and walnut tart! It has a crispy pie crust filled with lots of chocolate chips and walnuts. This special pie was first made in a place called the Melrose Inn in Prospect, Kentucky, in the United States. A man named George Kern created it with help from his parents, Walter and Leaudra. Many people think of Derby pie when they hear about the famous Kentucky Derby horse race.
The Story of Derby Pie
Derby pie was invented in 1950 at the Melrose Inn in Prospect, Kentucky. Walter and Leaudra Kern owned the restaurant and wanted to create a really special dessert. Their son, George Kern, helped them find the perfect recipe.
How it Got its Name
The Kern family had a funny problem: everyone had a different idea for what to call their new pie! To solve this, they wrote all the names on pieces of paper, put them in a hat, and picked one out. The name they chose was "Derby pie"!
Protecting the Name
The Kern family decided to protect the name "Derby pie" by making it a registered trademark in 1968. This means that only their company, Kern's Kitchen, can officially use that name for their pie. They even write it as "DERBY-PIE" in their ads.
The original recipe for Derby pie is a secret! Only a few family members and one special employee at Kern's Kitchen know how to make it. Kern's Kitchen works hard to make sure no one else uses their special name. They have even gone to court many times to protect their trademark. Because of this, other people who make similar pies have to call them different names, like "Pegasus pie."
After leaving the Melrose Inn in 1960, the Kern family kept making Derby pie for special customers. In 1969, they officially registered the name "Derby pie" with the government. Alan Rupp, a grandson of Walter and Leaudra Kern, took over the business in 1973. He has continued to protect the trademark very carefully.
Sometimes, cookbooks or magazines would use the name "Derby pie" for similar recipes. Kern's Kitchen would often ask them to stop. In one case, a judge even said a cookbook had to remove the recipe page! There was a time when a magazine tried to say "Derby pie" was a common name for any chocolate-walnut pie, but a higher court disagreed. The courts have usually sided with Kern's Kitchen, saying they have the right to protect their unique name.
A Lawsuit with a Newspaper
In 2017, the owner of DERBY-PIE, Alan Rupp, had a disagreement with a newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky. The newspaper had published an article with a "Derby pie" recipe. Mr. Rupp felt this was using his trademark unfairly.
He took the newspaper to court. However, the court decided that the newspaper was just describing a type of pie, not trying to sell their own pie using the trademarked name. The court said that readers wouldn't get confused and think the newspaper's recipe came from Kern's Kitchen. So, the newspaper was allowed to use the phrase "Derby pie" in a descriptive way.
