THE DAILY PIE

Farewell

2012-01-17T14:12:00.000+11:00

Events and unforeseen circumstances have caused us toreassess and redefine our direction ahead. The circumstances which have brought us to this point have been involvedand complicated – just as things in life often are. As a result, The Daily Pie Cafe is now closedand will no longer be trading as a retail pie shop.

We’ve always endeavoured to be business like, but the bottomline is – there will always be the personal element, the heart, the human sidewhich affects each aspect of one’s life.

The increased workloads in our other businesses, namelyDebco Engineering Pty Ltd and Metalsmithery, are too great to neglect and we currentlyfind ourselves “All Hands On Deck”.

The development of The Daily Pie, - right from the date of purchaseof the building; the renovations, additions, refurbishments – to the sheer delighteach and every time a new batch of pies came sizzling and squeaking out of theovens, has been an incredible adventure. We are truly grateful to all of you who have supported us over thisperiod, but now we must take the road less travelled.

Sincerely,

The De Bruin Family

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both thatmorning equally lay

In leaves no stephad trodden black.

Oh, I kept thefirst for another day!

Yet knowing how wayleads on to way,

I doubted if Ishould ever come back.

I shall be tellingthis with a sigh

Somewhere ages andages hence:

Two roads divergedin a wood, and I--

I took the one lesstravelled by,

And that has madeall the difference.

~ Robert Frost ~

This is the Way

2011-08-22T14:46:00.001+10:00

This is the way ....

We make the pies....

Make the pies...

This is the way we make the pies

On a cold and frosty morning!

The Full Monty

2011-08-15T22:47:00.000+10:00

Introducing our new Breakfast Pie - "The Full Monty" - just like the Full English Breakfast: Crispy bacon, juicy beef sausage, Heinz*tm Baked Beans, Heinz*tm tomato sauce and topped with a runny yolk Chucky egg.

From this:

To this:

Red Is The New Black

2011-05-17T15:51:00.000+10:00

Our shelves are full, the posibilities are endless....

We enjoy getting to show you just a few.

Pumpkin Delights

2011-05-11T00:12:00.000+10:00

Recently Collector town hosted its annual pumpkin festival. In the festive spirit and for the love of pumpkin, we made pumpkin pies fit for any Cinderella.

Pumpkins are a good enough reason as ever to decorate for this beautiful season. And our collection of locally sourced, unique home and table wares fit the glove. Or should I say slipper?!

Ode To The Fleece. The Golden One.

2011-02-17T23:51:00.000+11:00

Ever since we started working on the Building Now Known as The Daily Pie, many travellers passing through our country village have pulled in and asked as to whether we have any remnants of the Golden Fleece. Just for the record - we had an old sign that mentioned the Golden Fleece (which we used to put the cans of paint on), but other than that - nothing with the signature bright yellow and blue logo.

And so it was, that we were quite thrilled to eyeball this collection of Golden Fleece products from days gone by now housed in the Melbourne Museum.

We get a lot of magpies hanging around the Pie Shop, hoping for morsels and attempting to swoop any unsuspecting soul just for pleasure, so to turn around and see this - directly opposite the Golden Fleece display put us in the Twilight Zone.

An Old Pie Warmer

2011-02-16T07:37:00.000+11:00

On a trip to Melbourne, and looking around the Melbourne Museum, we found this exhibit:

Can you believe this is a 1940's pie warmer?? I'm so glad that pie-warming is easier nowadays. Elizabeth Cohen must have worked very hard to keep her pies nice and warm.....

What's Baking?

2011-02-03T23:21:00.001+11:00

Nothing, actually.

Nothing at the moment, that is.

For the whole month of February, The Daily Pie Cafe will be closed for renovations and refurbishment with a little much-needed annual leave thrown in the mix. We will reopen on the 4th March, but hope to keep you updated on our progress in the meantime.

We look forward to seeing you and serving you soon!

With love from Pie-Dom!

Scenes from a Pie Cafe...

2010-10-25T22:39:00.000+11:00

Heating Up

2010-07-07T17:26:00.003+10:00

The newest instalment at the DAILY PIE!

Our fan-forced woodfire.
Made by the Machinist of Debco Engineering.

We believe in giving things a new life, our fire is no exception. What started out life as a safe, has been transformed into what will keep your knees warm on your next visit.

PIE AND CHAI NIGHT

2010-06-16T00:29:00.002+10:00

UPPER CRUST NEWS

PIE AND CHAI NIGHT

FRIDAY 18 JUNE

5.30 TO WHENEVER

Well who would believe it? The Daily Pie is two months old. Not only that but we’re about to hold our first Upper Crust Pie Club members event – PIE AND CHAI – on Friday 18 June.

Queen of Chai, Anthea Cahill, and Queen of Pie, Helen De Bruin invite you to come and sample the spicy warmth of Real Chai and Helen’s latest pies, including her fabulous Vegetarian Pie. Helen’s recipes are, of course, top secret, but in the new veggie pie I’m tasting fennel and the Fetta cheese just can’t hide itself can it?

The night starts from 5.30pm when Anthea and Helen will ply you with samples and you can cosy up by the hunky black stove. Around 6.15pm Anthea will give a talk and demonstration on how to make perfect chai, including chocolate chai. She’ll even dragoon some of you from the audience to help.

Then you can feel free to talk to Anthea about her product, buy some to take home, order pie dinner from the café or simply buy a cup of coffee and sit and chat for a while with friends. All very Friday night really and well worth levering yourself out of that arm chair – no matter how tempting it is to sink lower into it as the winter sets in.

Helen will be inventing a special chai infused choclatey sweet pie for the night. Yuuuummm. The recipe will appear on the website after the event but Upper Crustians will get a copy on the night.

RSVP to this email or give Barbie a call please on 0419 492 658 so we can cater adequately. We hope to see a goodly number at this first members event. You are welcome to bring family and friends but please let us know. We don’t want anyone to go home pieless or chailess.

The Pie Team

(Sweet as!)

THE UPPER CRUST PIE CLUB

2010-06-16T00:22:00.001+10:00

Would you like to join The Upper Crust?

It's our Pie Club - it's easy as pie to join and it's free.

Send us your Name, Email Address and Phone Number and we'll invite you to special members only functions. We'll also keep you posted from time to time about special events, new pies on the menu, pie merchandise and new produce in store and other interesting piesy news.

(BUT don't worry- we won't bombard you with emails- we'll only write when we want to tell you something we'd like you to know before everyone else.)

Pre Opening Pie Tasting

2010-03-31T08:32:00.000+11:00

The Daily Pie held a pre-opening pie tasting morning on the 24th March 2010. Here, the Mayor of the Upper Lachlan Shire Council, Mr John Shaw, cuts the chain, officially openining the Daily Pie cafe to the Public ... and World. Initially, the Machinist handed him a hack saw and the Mayor's jaw dropped, then proceeded to hand him the appropriate tool: bolt cutters.

Test Kitchen

2010-02-14T08:47:00.000+11:00

We've been in the Daily Pie test kitchen, becoming more and more familiar with Mr Pork, Mr Lamb, Mr Chicken and Mr Beef. They've been dowsed (in no particular order) with fresh herbs, cream, red wine, white wine, a number of spices and a variety of other ingredients. Naturally, the family are pie tasters and testers. Next on the agenda is something for the vegetarians...

The Kitchen Is Shaping UP

2010-02-04T19:08:00.000+11:00

We took delivery of more kitchen equipment today.

One of the items being THIS delightful convection oven. I can feel the heat already...

And talking of heat - can you remember this exhaust hood the Machinist manufactured? We tested it out and it almost swallowed a tea towel, once it had been released from our hands

The completed recessed lights, secured with stainless steel framework:

The plastic has been ripped off, revealing walls of steel. Stainless, that is...

...and furthermore, it's starting to look like a bakery kitchen.

One of the benches the Machinist and Son made. See the tap? This swings around so that it not only fills the sink, but also extra large pots - or even the mop bucket.

The mixers. Ready and waiting. On your marks, get set....

The old, but faithful pizza / pie oven:

Finally, the area of the kitchen where one of us will end up at the end of the day. It's quite fitting that the scullery is a dark photo...

Goodbye Golden Fleece....

2010-01-28T23:13:00.002+11:00

Multiple plumbing parts have been purchased and kitchen wet areas are 'plumbed in'. Light fittings are fitted and awaiting their light coverings. The gents and ladies toilets are in - all shiny and new, complete with hand basins within the cubicles.

The former Golden Fleece building is about to embark on a new lease of life.

Taking Up (Kitchen) Residence

2010-01-23T03:37:00.000+11:00

After much scrubbing, disinfecting and hosing, most of the kitchen equipment has been moved from our Machine Shop, Barn and rear decking at home and has taken up residence in the commercial kitchen. The Equipment awaits a visit and treatment from the electical guy, as well as the gas and water guy and promises sincerely to perform it's duty, - to it's best ability - shortly thereafter.

We Floored It

2010-01-23T03:29:00.000+11:00

The kitchen floor now has a two part epoxy high solids industrial grade coating in "Koala Grey" colour. It has an orange peel finish, too - easy to clean and '...does not support bacterial growth'. I like that. No slipping, either. I like that too.

On the other hand, the cafe/ gallery floor has a clear two part epoxy, which brings out the colours and blemishes in the cement and gives it an industrial look, which is what we wanted to achieve. Some parts of the floor look like a patchwork quilt, which proves that finished concrete - especially aged concrete - is definitely not just grey / white.

Commercial coving has been applied to the base of the walls, which gives both areas that 'finished' look.

Dust Awaaayyy!

2010-01-05T23:02:00.000+11:00

One of the labour intensive tasks still to be done is the floor preparation in both the kitchen and gallery / cafe section of the building. After months and months of sanding, grinding, bashing, sawing and painting, a 'covering' of fine, powder-like dust became a permanent drape, despite regularly sweeping and vacuuming. In order to apply 2 part floor preparations as per Council regulations, the cement floor had to be void of all - mess.

That's where 'Who's Your Daddy' came into action.

Dust and powderlike particles?

GONE!

Letting Off Steam

2010-01-05T22:50:00.000+11:00

This is the extractor fan, mounted on the roof of The Daily Pie. Note it's colourful 'boot' - a seal to prevent water seeping back into the kitchen, via the exhaust hood. And by golly - just in time. Can you see those rainclouds?

The utility was parked at the side of the building with the extractor fan on the back tray. A strap was tied around the fan which was then hoisted up onto the roof and carried to the hole. Sealed and delivered!

The Wall Coverings

2009-12-30T23:04:00.000+11:00

This is what the scullery section of the kitchen looks like now. The Machinist's love note to Helen is covered 'forever'. It will remain a hidden secret...These are tall sheets of stainless steel, protected by white plastic, which is peeled off after all the fixing, grinding and glueing is finished.

Through the doorway, you can see part of the area which will be behind the counter, painted in a dark aubergine colour.

Standing in the doorway looking back into the kitchen. All the framework is covered. The coving has been added where the ceiling and floor 'meet' the walls. The electricity box will be - boxed in.

Some supplies that still have to be fitted:

Prelude to a Wall Covering

2009-12-02T19:28:00.001+11:00

The past few weeks have been spent covering the walls in the kitchen with tall, folded sheets of stainless steel, to meet Council regulations

The photo above is the scullery. All the hardwood framing had to be replaced, as it had convexed and concaved over time, and would have resulted in unlevel walls (which would forever haunt a man like the Machinist), especially as it is now covered with stainless sheeting. Before the sheeting went up, however, the Machinist wrote something on the wall to the right of the doorway as follows:

I love Helen with all my heart ...

On Eating Apple Pie

2009-10-28T22:45:00.002+11:00

The pie should be eaten "while it is yet florescent, white or creamy yellow, with the merest drip of candied juice along the edges, (as if the flavor were so good to itself that its own lips watered!) of a mild and modest warmth, the sugar suggesting jelly, yet not jellied, the morsels of apple neither dissolved nor yet in original substance, but hanging as it were in a trance between the spirit and the flesh of applehood...then, O blessed man, favored by all the divinities! eat, give thanks, and go forth, 'in apple-pie order!'

Henry Ward Beecher

Kitchen In The Raw

2009-09-20T21:34:00.000+10:00

Starting with the exhaust hood area, please enjoy a clock-wise tour of the (yet unfinished) kitchen, where we'll be baking flakey, buttery and delicious pies for your enjoyment. Please note that this building was once a *Golden Fleece* roadhouse, and was VERY rough when we acquired it. And so - here's our "diamond" in the "rough". Use your imagination...

Here's where we'll be cooking pie fillings and then baking completely assembled pies:

Here's where we'll be keeping the baking trays on baker's trolleys:

Here's where we'll fit the underbench fridge for the storage of pie fillings. To the right is the power box, which will be completely closed in a built-in cupboard (for the electrician's eyes only).

The back door for food delivery. Note the piece of machinery to the right of the door? This was one of the FEW usable items left behind. It is a Pulford Air Compressor and we've made good use of it as we've built the wall frame-work (nail gun).

This is where we'll keep all the cold storage. On the other side of the wall is a store room.

Freezer and dry storage. On the other side of the wall are the male and female toilets.

A prep-sink and wet area will go here. On the other side of the wall, you can see the main cafe/ gallery:

Here is the scullery (which divides the cafe serving counter from the kitchen), complete with exhaust, plumbing and drainage and waiting for stainless steel wall sheeting.

We sincerely hope you have a great imagination!

Lights, Filters, Power

2009-09-20T20:53:00.001+10:00

Remember this?

This is the hole it had to fit into:

Here it is now:

Can't wait to see it with the protective plastic taken off, - lights! filters! power! Shiny stainless steel...

An Exhaust(ing) Project

2009-09-07T16:36:00.000+10:00

For the past several weeks, the exhaust hood for the Cafe kitchen has been in design and manufacture mode in our Workshop. We're fortunate to have the equipment to make most items needed for the Cafe, as well as the skills to make them. Here is the Machinist on our trusty old forklift, maneuvering the hood through the 'hood - up to the Shop. The filters and lights will be fitted when the exhaust hood is in situ in the kitchen ceiling. Then we can start baking in a REAL commercial kitchen.

Hot Pork Pie with Parsley & Thyme

2009-08-28T23:15:00.000+10:00

Shoulder Pork marinated overnight in Chardonnay, with the later addition of Parsley and Thyme - from our own herb garden - and baked in a half real butter / half lard double crust - much to the delectation of its Testers.

BUTTERMILK PIE

2009-08-27T23:03:00.000+10:00

Egg-nog-ish filling with a hint of lemon and a golden gooey top, encased in short-crust pastry. We think we'll call this pie "Golden Pond". Yes, Golden Pond...

Venison Pie with Juniper Berries and Coriander

2009-08-26T23:16:00.000+10:00

Mmmm... the pastry was golden, the venison was melt-in-the-mouth tender. The berries exploded with juniperus deliciousness, despite their bittersweet aroma. Oh, and the chips. They were good. A hearty combination!

Advertisement in The High Life Magazine

2009-08-23T23:54:00.001+10:00

Opening Soon

2009-06-02T22:25:00.005+10:00

The Daily Pie will be opening in March 2010 and will be advertised in HIGH LIFE MAGAZINE - August / September edition. Exact opening day will be announced in February.