Marie Callender, Restaurant Founder

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. - Marie Callender, namesake of a popular restaurant chain and frozen-entree business that evolved from a pie shop, has died. She was 88.

Callender, who had cancer, died Saturday.

The chain of 146 restaurants, including restaurants in Seattle and Bellevue, is known for its pies.

"You mention pies and nine of 10 people will think Marie Callender," said Leonard Dreyer, chief executive and president of Marie Callender Pie Shops Inc. in Orange, Calif. "Our recipes are all based upon her original ones."

Callender got into the food business by chance, answering a delicatessen's help-wanted ad and making pies for the business at home. The owner later persuaded her to start her own baking business and sell him pies.

She, her husband and son set up shop in Long Beach in a rented Quonset hut and began selling pies in 1948.