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"They're just so good": Northern California bakery remains a Thanksgiving staple

Yuba City bakery remains a Thanksgiving staple
Yuba City bakery remains a Thanksgiving staple 01:25

YUBA CITY — Folks are gearing up to set the Thanksgiving table, but no feast is complete without dessert.

It's a holiday rush at the Stephens Farmhouse bakery in Yuba City. Lines went out the door as customers secured stacks of their popular pies.

"I think I saw someone pulling up around 6 (in the morning), maybe even 5:45 just to see if they could get in," said owner Allison Hickman

The not-so-hidden gem along Highway 99 began as a community staple and has now drawn customers from as far as Yosemite. Hickman said customers visited the Yuba City bakery after finding a Stephens Farmhouse jam at a store in Yosemite

Despite their popularity, they've still managed to keep that hometown feel – even keeping track of orders the old-fashioned way.

"Our phone rings and rings and rings, and in order to not lose anything data-wise, we just keep these index cards, basically with everyone's information," Hickman said.

From rhubarb to olallieberry, Stephens Farmhouse's decades-old recipes stand the test of time.

"The love in the pies, we can tell it," said customer Shellie Petty.

Because of that, this Northern California bakery remains a staple in folks' Thanksgiving feasts.

"If you were to show up empty-handed without one of these pies, what do you think would happen?" CBS13 reporter Sakura Gray asked a customer.

"I would be killed!" said customer Sukh Purewal. "No, I'm serious. It's just that nobody makes pies like Stephens. They're just so good. It's a tradition."

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