Meet Darrell Sprattling of Pi-bytes in Stone Mountain

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darrell Sprattling.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Darrell. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always enjoyed cooking. In the beginning of 2008, I decided I wanted to open up my own Tapas Restaurant. So, I began making my signature dishes. I would invite people over to taste my creations. They would then, let me know what should stay and go on the menu. I had everything ready for the restaurant; except funds. My wife had grown ill due to complications with her thyroid and I didn’t have the proper insurance for her to have the surgery she needed. In Sept 2009, I to accepted a job over in Iraq as a contract firefighter so she could have her surgery and I could save money for the restaurant. Initially, I planned to do 2 or 3 years but was unable to stay longer than a year. While on my first vacation in Jan 2009, my wife had a total thyroidectomy. She was placed in ICU due to her airway closing. After she recovered, I returned to Iraq to finish my contract.

On my second vacation in May 2009, my uncle passed away. In July 2009, my father in-law passed. I came home to be with my family for 10 days then returned to Iraq to finish my contract. At the end of my contract, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to return. My wife and children needed me at home. So, I returned to Georgia and accepted a position as a firefighter for the Army. I didn’t save enough money to open a restaurant and decided to open a food truck with the same concept as my tapas restaurant. I had everything on my menu except desserts. I thought long and hard about the perfect dessert for my food truck and came up with the idea of making Pies the size of large cupcakes. Now the only problem I had was how to make this dessert. At this time, I failed at everything I baked and decided to teach myself how to bake.

One day we had a pot luck at the fire station and I decided to make a sweet potato soufflé. I put things I thought would taste great together and it turned out well. So, I decided to try to make my first Pi-byte, Sweet Potato Praline, I handed my new creation out to get feedback and it was great. I started getting orders for Sweet Potato Praline for various types of events. I then begin adding more Pi-bytes to my collection. I outgrew the commercial kitchen I was renting and then decided to look for a retail location where I could not only bake but also sell my desserts. I found a small storefront in Stone Mountain and opened my first location there in June 2014. After a couple of years, I out grew that first location and moved to another larger location, 937 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA, 30083, in 2016.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. The first bump in the road was teaching myself how to bake. The second bump was, I didn’t have the support of starting this company from everyone that was close to me. Some figured I was wasting my time and that I should give up, but I decided to continue on with my quest and do the best I could to make Pi-bytes a reality. I also undervalued my product and time. In 2016, I was at work at the fire station and injured my back. I had to undergo an L-5 Discectomy and was unable to open my new location on time

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Pi-bytes – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Pi-bytes was started by a firefighter/disabled vet who had a dream of creating a dessert that made people happy. We are known for making one of a kind gourmet pies the size of cupcakes, called Pi-bytes. our slogan is, “Why buy the whole pie when you can have just a byte…” We pride ourselves in making our very own creations from scratch i.e.: Sweet Potato Prailine, Caramel Apple Cheesecake, Tequila Lime just to name a few. Pi-bytes just tries to be different from the normal desserts companies. We’ve found our nitch and try to explore it to its fullest potential.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My favorite childhood memory is camping on the beach in California with my family. Once every few years my father would take us to California to visit his side of the family and we would stay on the beach in a camper for a few days. My Aunts and Uncles would bring various types of food from many diverse countries. Those days will always stand out as some of the best meals I have ever eaten. Being free and experiencing a variety of new foods has always intrigued me to take my cooking to the next step.

Contact Info:

• Address: 937 Main Street
  Stone Mountain Ga 30083
• Website: www.pi-bytes.com
• Phone: 4042471895
• Email: pi@pi-bytes.com
• Instagram: @pibytes
• Facebook: pi-bytes
• Twitter: @pibytes
• Yelp: pi-bytes