Easy As Pie: Ruais Cuts Ribbon At 'Slightly Crooked Pies' In Manchester

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

They may be called “Slightly Crooked Pies,” but the grand opening of Lauren Cline’s pie shop on Elm Street Thursday was perfect: A big crowd, good weather, and a ribbon cutting by Mayor Jay Ruais.

“It’s great to see another business opening downtown,” Ruais said. “Congratulations to Lauren, Drew, and their family on the launch of Slightly Crooked Pies. What began as a home baking endeavor has grown into a successful business, and their delicious pies are a welcome addition to our city’s vibrant downtown.”

Drew Cline is president of the Josiah Bartlett Center and a regular contributor to NHJournal.

The shelves were quickly emptied as customers jostled to grab cherry, chocolate cream and blueberry lavender pies — mini pies, hand pies and full sized — along with gourmet coffee and specialty ice cream.

The business started as “a little hobby” in Cline’s kitchen, but it quickly grew as word spread. In fact, Slightly Crooked Pies was named #1 in the 2025 WMUR Viewers’ Choice poll.

Spotted in the crowd was Executive Councilor John Stephen, who is leading efforts to promote CPR training in the wake of a serious cardiac event he suffered in November. Should double-crust fruit pies be on his diet?

“I have special permission from my doctor,” Stephen told NHJournal.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.