Longtime pie-maker at Chick-fil-A's Dwarf House dies at 89

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Chick-fil-A is celebrating the life and times of one of its most beloved employees.

Zelma Calhoun died this week at the age of 89.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen was at the famous Dwarf House in Hapeville Friday, where Calhoun worked for more than 45 years.

Calhoun was the restaurant’s “Chief Pie Maker.” Pies are a specialty at the location and now, the pie shop bears Calhoun’s name.

“Chick-fil-A was Miss Zelma. That was her whole life,” her daughter-in-law, Joann Calhoun, said.

TRENDING STORIES:

She was hired back in 1954 when she was still in high school. Her son, Ray Calhoun, said it was the founder Truett Cathy himself, who encouraged her to take the job.

“Mr. Cathy said, ‘Your mother made pies. Your sister made pies. You can too!’” Calhoun said.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

It was a rough start, as video from the Channel 2 Action News archive showed. Petersen met Calhoun a decade ago at the Dwarf House.

“I made the biggest mess! I couldn’t make pies. I cried every day!” Calhoun told Petersen at the time.

When Calhoun retired in 2000, Cathy gave her a brand new Mustang, which is still in her driveway. When the Dwarf House was remodeled in 2022, the pie shop was named in her honor. In the restaurant’s kitchen, she’s a star on the wall of fame.

Last year, she returned to make pies one more time -- and they were perfect.

“I take great pride in knowing she was the best,” her son said.

One of the family’s treasured keepsakes is a letter from Cathy when Calhoun retired. It reads:

“We are all quite proud of you. These pies wouldn’t be the same without you. Best wishes, Truett Cathy.”

In her time at the restaurant, she made more than 650,000 pies.