You can’t miss Mr. Erskin when you walk up to Hollygrove Market. With Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, or Michael Jackson playing, Mr. Erskin greets each and every customer to the market as if he’s been knowing you since you were a little girl or boy.
 
And that’s where he gets you! While you’re talking and laughing, you can’t help but notice the pies…sweet potato, pecan, sweet potato and pecan, lemon meringue, and sometimes a pound cake or German chocolate cake just waiting to be chosen.
 
But behind every good man and his pies is definitely a hell of a woman and in Mr. Erskin’s case, that’s his wife, Mrs. Dolores Taylor. Married for 47 years, Mr. Erskin and Mrs. Dolores aren’t selling any old pies. Nope, these pies are full of LOVE. “Each one of those pies are full of tender loving care,” said Mr. Erskin. “They get Dolores’ personal touch and care, and if that pie does not meet her satisfaction, it doesn't leave out the door.”

“I’ve always, always, always loved baking,” said Mrs. Dolores. “I don’t specialize in any particular pies, but if you ask me for it, I will try and make it for you.”
 
A retired electrician and respiratory therapist and pulmonary tech, respectively, Mr. Erskin and Mrs. Dolores have been selling their pies since the 80s. “When we first started putting the pies on the market in large numbers, there used to be a Riteway drugstore by the Calliope Projects [now known as the B.W. Cooper Apartments],” Mr. Erskin recalled. “I went up there to ask if we could wholesale the pies to the owner for him to retail them. At the time, we were making a lemon merengue pie and a sweet potato pie. The owner wanted the pies on consignment, but that way he didn’t have an incentive to sell them."

"When I came out of the store, a guy out there came over to me and asked about the pies. He tasted one of each and said, ‘That’s some good pies,’ and he bought all them. I got to talking to some other guys on the corner and when I was getting ready to leave, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw somebody running behind me. The guy came up to the car and said, ‘Can you get some more of the pies? They’re gone already!’ He had sold all 24 of them within a half an hour! Sometimes my wife would be up until two and three o’clock in the morning trying to keep up with sales!”

The pies made their first debut at Hollygrove Market in the summer of 2011. “I passed in the area and noticed that they had a community garden going. A friend of mine who was the head gardener got me interested in gardening, and it took off from there. I noticed that there were vendors at the market, so at that point, I thought it would be a good outlet for the pies. I inquired as to whether my wife and I could offer a few pies to see how they would go. So, she put a few pies together the first time around and we arrived at a price that would be fair to us and fair to the people. We are still holding at that price and the pies took off.”
 
Just like those pies sold out so quickly all those years ago, if you don’t get to Hollygrove early, you probably won’t get one either! But if you happen to get your fingers on one of them, it’ll be the best damn $3 you’ve EVER spent!

You can find Mr. Erskin with Dee's Delectable Delights at Hollygrove Market on Saturdays and Sundays from 10-4 and occasionally on Tuesdays from 12-7. But we’re going to warn you again…get there EARLY and make sure to tell him to save us a pecan pie while you’re at it!

Dee's Delectable Delights can only be found at Hollygrove Market and Farm (8301 Olive St.). For custom orders, please contact Mr. Erskin or Mrs. Delores at 504-866-4390 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .