NorCal multi-generation family bakery voted #1 pie in US: How Ikeda's achieved the American dream

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- There's nothing more American than apple pie and the Fourth of July.

If you're going up to Lake Tahoe for the long weekend, we've got the perfect place for you to stop.

It turns out a stop along I-80 in Auburn is the number one pie in America, according to a brand-new USA Today contest.

Ikeda's California Country Market is a beloved family-run institution -- and it's more than just a place to get a pie or fresh fruit.

The family that started it is an embodiment of the American dream: one of perseverance, ingenuity and community.

MORE: Enjoy a taste of cloud 9 at Della Fattoria Café

The business was started by Sam and Sally Ikeda after one of the darkest chapters of U.S. history: Japanese-Americans being sent to internment camp during World War II. What started as a fruit stand has evolved into the Northern California staple that it is today.

Derek Ikeda, third generation in the family business, joined ABC7 Eyewitness News to talk about his family's legacy and their delicious pies.

Watch the full interview in the player above.