Scout works with a lot of local restaurants to get the word out about the cool and delicious things they’re doing, but they couldn’t do what they do without access to awesome ingredients. To get what they need, culinary creatives depend on personal networks of passionate artisans, farmers and producers who often work hard without ever seeing the glory they deserve. Since it’s always good to recognize those who have your back, we bring you the Supplier Shout Out!

In this edition, Stephanie French praises the supplier who has been devoting a generous portion of her time, energy and land to growing the ingredient integral to The Pie Shoppe‘s classic autumnal and holiday dessert…

Which one of your suppliers do you want to give a shout out to? Elly Rakhmetouline from Late Bloomers Flower Farm.

What does this supplier supply you? “Rouge Vif d’Etampes” aka “Cinderella pumpkins” (because they are shaped like the Cinderella carriage). Elly is growing us all of our beautifully perfect Heirloom Pumpkins this season for our Pumpkin Pie. She also grows us flowers to decorate our pies, sells bouquets at the shop during the summer and autumn months, and supplies the “summer savory” we use in the tourtiere.

How are the pumpkins featured on your menu? Heirloom Pumpkin + Spice pies. The pies are $22 for an eight inch, which serves 5 folks, and $32 for a ten inch which serves 8 folks. In short, we will be using over 800+ lbs of her pumpkins grown on a patch of agricultural land South of here, roasting them up, and baking them into 500+ pumpkin pies for our fellow man. (We love when folks pre-order, as we only have a limited number of Pumpkin Pies available during the season.)

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Quit your whining, summer isn't even close to being over, it'll be 30 degrees again next week….. BUT…..these Cinderella beauties are slowly going to start making their way off the field and into @thepieshoppe. The goal was to grow 600 lb worth for them….but what's coming off the field is huge and numerous so if you're a pumpkin pie maker or lover, don't hesitate to give me a shout to reserve one or two!

A post shared by Late Bloomers Flower Farm (@latebloomersflowerfarm) on Aug 23, 2019 at 2:43pm PDT

What makes this supplier so special? Each year we find ourselves on the lookout for that special farmer to pair up with to grow us Cinderella pumpkins. You see, we don’t make pumpkin pie from a can, as we have an abundance of pumpkin available to us in this country, and over the years we have researched which variety of pumpkin works well in a sweet celebrated dessert pie.

Elly is an incredible human, a little wild and full of knowledge. This year she planted us over 100 plants, which were grown on land once use for pig farming. The soil was rich and the pumpkins went wild – literally out of control. Last year was a poor pumpkin growing season and the yield was at an all time low, so this year we over-planned. Meaning this year we will have extra heirloom pumpkins to sell to the public, and closer to Thanksgiving we will have a pop-up pumpkin and flower weekend where customers can come by and purchase this special variety that are full of flavour and could honestly feed a family for a month, based on the sheer size of the smaller fruit which weigh in at 20+ pounds of flesh.

The Pie Shoppe

Neighbourhood: East Vancouver

1875 Powell St.

604-338-6646

WEBSITE