Bargy's bakes up the best.

Ann Bargy has gone her whole life without feeling the thrill of victory... that is, until now. "I am very excited!  I guess it's because I've never won anything before, this is great."

Ann and her husband Lon have been baking up their newly- crowned number one cherry pie at their shop, Bargy's Farm Market in Kewadin, for almost 14 years. Everyone who works at the shop agrees that the cherry pie is the favorite. Sometimes, it doesn't even make it to the shelves.

"Lot's of time they go hot right out of the oven," said Darlene, one of Bargy's best bakers.

It's not hard to see why. Sweet, thick and full of cherries, this pie is irresistible.   The fresh picked fruit comes straight from the Bargy family orchards, one of which sits behind the storybook red and white barn-shaped shop.

The orchards have been in both sides of the family for generations.  "They go back to when I was a newborn; my husband too," Bargy said.  The orchards weren't the only family legacy Ann and Lon have managed to carry on. The prized winning pie recipes belonged to Ann's mom.

One look at the pie cooling in the country-style kitchen at their market makes your mouth water.  One bite will take you back to grandma's kitchen as you savor a slice that only tasted that good when she made it.

The kitchen at Bargy's isn't much different than grandma's house.  Big bowls of cherries cover the counter top, along with piles of flour, rolling pins and of course, fresh golden pies with fire engine red cherries oozing out the edges.

The kitchen wouldn't be complete without Darlene and Sue. "I have two very good pie makers who are very busy.  But they know what they are doing and they are very good," Ann said.

Darlene and Sue start the night before preparing the dough.  They say the secret to the flaky crust is using vinegar and egg. They let the dough sit overnight and at 6:00 am these bakers are back, three hours before Bargy's opens is doors.

They begin rolling out dough to form perfect circles of crust. Then it's time to start on the very cherry filling.  There is no skimping here. Four heaping cups of fresh tart cherries are portioned for each pan.

Darlene mixes cherries with sugar and tapioca then pours it all into the crust, topping it with a pat of butter.  Meanwhile Sue rolls out a top crust and seals in the filling by crimping the edges by hand.  It's all finished off with a sprinkle of sugar before baking up in the oven for one hour and ten minutes.

The pies are a hit with customers. Bargy's whips up around 60 everyday.  "We try to make some ahead of time and quick freeze them so people who are traveling can take them back home," Ann said.

Tart cherry, sweet cherry and double cherry pies aren't the only specialties cooking in this kitchen.  With every season comes a new creation. "We do strawberry rhubarb, apple, pumpkin, raspberry, blueberry. We do it all."

And if you and your better half can't come to a decision on which sweet treat you want to bite into, Bargy's has created an innovative solution- five inch mini his and her pies.

"So if a husband wants one kind but his wife wants a different one, then they each get a small one and everybody gets what they want."

While a stop at Bargy's may start out as a trip for a piece of pie, your head will spin with cherries once inside.  From cherry fritter bread, tart cherry cookies and strudels, the baked goods section will make you drool.

"We also have our own jams and butters that we do along with relishes, dressings, and barbecue sauce... if it's not one of our products it's from other local people," Ann said.

The owners' veins just ooze with cherry and it shows in everything they do all year around.  Even in the winter when the seasonal shop is closed, the Bargy's are keeping busy making specialty products to sell next season.

The homemade and local focus is what makes Bargy's Farm Market a sure place to stop while in Northern Michigan.  Ann's favorite part about owning this roadside fruity pleasure is the customers who stop in year after year from all over the globe.

So next time you are looking for a treat choked full of the North's favorite fruit, take a drive down US-31 and look for the little red barn... I can promise, the Bargy's kitchen will be full of sweet cherry smells and that Sue and Darlene will be baking up some of Bargy's Best Cherry Pie!