A new pie has entered the Toronto chat, and it has a big bone in the centre of it.
Adam Squires, the chef behind these mouth-watering pies, moved to Toronto from England in 2017 and found work at Buca, one of Toronto's most popular restaurants. With the pandemic impacting most of last year, Squires says he had a lot more time on his hands, and started making pies at home. He started giving his pies to co-workers and friends and, eventually, they started reaching out to him for more.
This inspired Squires to commit a little more time in building his side hustle, and what eventually came to be Pies by Squires. Right now, he's offering one item––a gorgeous short rib and bone marrow meat pie that is destined to satisfy.
"This past month, after a few people reached out to me, I decided to go for it," says Squires, who is still working at Buca.
Squires is currently taking orders through Instagram, seeing as that's how it originally started for him and the pies. Every Thursday around 11 a.m., followers will watch out for a post notifying them of the next pie drop, and then proceed to place an order through a direct message. Squires receives the orders and prepares the pies for a Monday pick-up. Pies are given on a first-come, first-served basis and are received fresh and ready to pop in the oven at home. Alternatively, the pie can be frozen for up to three months.
All transactions are done by cash or e-transfer, but Squires is working on getting an online ordering and payment platform set up on the website. Other menu options are also in the works and Squires is excited to see his meat pies grow in popularity over the next couple of months.
"The reaction now has been good," says Squires. "Obviously with lockdown and everything, I'd love to see the business grow. I'll see what it leads to."
The pies cost $28 each and serve 3-4 people. They are available in limited quantities for the time being, but Squires has already moved to a shared kitchen in Etobicoke to level up his production. Pick up details will be given upon payment confirmation, and delivery is available in a small area of the east end in Toronto.
