LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The Louisville community lost a Kentucky Derby icon last summer.
This will be the first time in more than 50 years that Derby Pies will be made without Alan Rupp’s leadership. The Kern’s Kitchen president passed away last summer. Now his kids are running the business and honoring their father’s memory.
When you step into the Kern’s Kitchen bakery, things haven’t changed much.
The recipe is still the same one that the Kern’s created more than 70 years ago.
“We try to keep it just as homemade as the way our great-grandmother did it. So we still hand sort our own walnuts,” said Matt Rupp.
ADVERTISEMENT
The crew is in the middle of their busiest season of the year, shipping off Derby Pies.
Something important is missing this time around.
“The closer we get to Derby, I think that it’s just becoming more real that this is our first Derby without him, but he’s here. I feel him all the time,” said Rebecca Rupp.
We caught up with Alan Rupp this time last year, just a few short months before he passed away. He was the third generation of the Kern family to lead the business, but didn’t know if that legacy would end with him.
Rupp’s three kids grew up helping out in the bakery and manning booths at events around town, but no one was planning to follow in their father’s footsteps.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now, daughter Rebecca is the company president, and son Matt is the owner.
“It was something we definitely had to come together and kind of prepare for. I think we became a lot closer and have the difficult conversations and talk about the difficult things... we had to rally and figure this out because we don’t want it to go or let what he built fall to the wayside,” said Rebecca.
The two officially took over in January, just in time for the Kentucky Derby rush.
Even though Alan is gone, there are still touches of him everywhere you look.
His handwriting still covers the conference room. Rebecca even uses the same office.
“I don’t think he even knew what color the top of that desk was,” said Rebecca.
Alan’s death was sudden, and his kids still get emotional remembering their last days with him here.
“When I think of going to the bakery as a kid, I was always excited to do this thing called an egg,” said Matt. “He would take us out back, we’d grab an egg, throw it in the air and let it splatter and say what do you see? Before he died, um... sorry. The week before he died, I was here with my kids, and we haven’t done an egg with the boys yet. So we went out all four of us and we did an egg and went over. It was kind of a special moment to be with him.”
The Rupps know people will remember their father and the way his pie makes them feel.
He spent decades building relationships with businesses, small and large, around town.
“He treated everyone with kindness and hospitality. That’s something that was very important to him, being hospitable and kind, and making memories... if you had had your worst day and talked to him, you were going to walk away with a smile,” said Rebecca.
Copyright 2025 WAVE. All rights reserved.