CHATHAM, Mass. —

At this time of year, you will find the back kitchen of Marion’s Pie Shop in Chatham, Massachusetts, a bit crowded and somewhat chaotic.

The delicate dance of bakers creating delectable holiday desserts sometimes is not so delicate.

"We do a lot of hip-checking," said Cindy Stearns, owner of the popular pie shop on Main Street.

Stearns and her husband, Blake, have owned Marion’s since 2003. For more than 75 years, locals and tourists have been coming there for their pies.

The Stearns are the current stewards of the local dessert institution that started in 1947 when the company’s namesake, Marion Matheson, first sold chicken pies out of her home’s kitchen window.

"We look at it as carrying on (Marion's) legacy, you know. It’s not my legacy, it’s hers. And we're hon

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