When artist Tammy Lavern Walker started experimenting with making dessert pies last year, she had no intention of turning it into a business, but in June this year, Walker’s Pie Company was formally established.
The business is a partnership between Walker and her significant other, Xavier Ragnauth, who prepares the fillings for the pies. Walker’s Pie Company makes Apple, Vanilla Cream, Pecan, Strawberry, Multi-berry, Pumpkin, Coconut Cream, Chocolate Meringue, and Key Lime dessert pies. It has recently extended its repertoire to the savoury side and is also making Sloppy Joe, Shepherd’s and Chicken Pot pies.
Walker shared that prior to the arrival of the pandemic, she worked full time with an animation company and as a face-paint artist at Giftland Mall on weekends. However, this all changed when businesses were forced to shutter owing to restrictions. This took a toll on the animation company as the work it did was less, so she left the job.
It was after that decision that she began to dabble a bit in baking. The entrepreneur confessed that up until then she had never baked anything, though her mother is a caterer and her cousin, Stephen Kanhai, runs his own business called ‘The Avenue Café’ in New York.
“The apple pie was the first pie I baked,” Walker recalled. “Funny enough, the first time I had apple pie, I had it from a fast food place and I hated it… I thought to myself, it had to be better than this. So I did my research and I looked for the recipe. My cousin had started a YouTube [channel] called Euphoricbites at that time and he uploaded different recipes for different pastries, both Guyanese and American … I followed his recipe and everyone loved it…”
When Kanhai learned she was baking pies, he encouraged her to start her own business. She laughed at the idea at first and pushed it aside before moving on to securing another job, all the while still baking. Walker said it was Kanhai, who would not let the idea go and kept pushing her to give the business a try.
She confided that what worried her the most was how open Guyanese would be to trying pies since it is not part of our cuisine and she could only foresee establishing a pie company as taking a huge risk. Finally, she was persuaded and began advertising pies for sale. Surprisingly, people who had never tried pie before were curious and began placing orders. While curiosity was what led to the first bites, it was how scrumptious the pies were that led to the second and many more bites after that. Since establishing the business, she has seen many repeat customers.
The uniqueness of a pie business in Guyana was also responsible for the business doing well. Orders, Walker said, came in so fast, she could not keep up with her new full-time job. The business, she said, was also paying better, which made the decision to leave that job easier.
The fruits she uses for fillings are not grown locally and are usually expensive, as she gets them from the supermarkets. Strawberries, Walker said, are easy to come by but blueberries and blackberries can be difficult to find. She noted that once these are not available in supermarkets, they are usually off the shelf for a period until they become available again. All of the ingredients are purchased locally, the baker added.
A lot of the business’s clientele, said Walker, are people living in Georgetown, some of whom are business owners like herself. Some are also from outside of Georgetown, from as far as Berbice and Linden. For those living around Georgetown, delivery can be taken care of. For customers living a long way out of the city, arrangements have to be made so that they can have their pies.
Often, customers’ orders are not for any special occasion, but just because they cannot get enough of the pies. However, there are those customers who do order for birthdays and anniversaries. Father’s Day saw large orders and Walker is looking to see how business will blow up for occasions like Christmas and Mother’s Day. The baker shared that she is hoping to have a Thanksgiving peak season. Guyana may not celebrate Thanksgiving but Walker is sure that if her pies can be in demand, then she can most certainly hope for that if she so desires.
Usually her apple and pecan pies are popular among customers. One of her pies that garnered lots of praise on social media was an apple pie with the Stabroek Market design on top. While it was up for grabs, Walker’s Pie Company is still to make designed pies an option for customers. With the variety of pies offered, and pies still being a new dessert for Guyanese, the business has an option where customers can purchase an assortment of pies that are about the size of a cupcake. This way, the pies cost much less and customers get to try out different ones. The company is also looking to introduce new dessert pies as, according to the entrepreneur, a lot of the repeat customers have tried everything available and want more.
Every day Walker and Ragnauth have their work cut out for them and thus have designated Mondays as their rest days. At the moment, the business is being operated out of her home but as time progresses, Walker hopes to secure a location. Having only recently established the business, they have not decided what exactly they are looking for. Walker confessed that she knows it is going to get big, but they are not prepared for that as yet.
What Walker does know, however, is, “I don’t look at what I do now as work or a job. I am so grateful every day that I got lucky with this, that I took a chance [and] that I have the greatest support system that sees the worth in what I do even when I can’t. I look at baking as another art form and I came into it with a creative mindset. I wanted the pies I put out into the world to look as good as I expected them to taste. I’m a bit of a perfectionist in that way… My hope for the future is that I can improve and get better and share my pies with everyone.”
She added that it is a blessing when people can have a life doing something they enjoy. Though much of her time is consumed by the business, she still finds time to paint and create new masterpieces.
For orders, Walker’s Pie Company can be reached on Facebook, Instagram or at 612-7342. Orders are to be placed at least two days in advance.
