Supporting a business in the community while thanking others.
That was the motivation behind Lara Austin, a Comox Valley investment advisor, who wanted to thank her clients in a safe way with a gift but also wanted to support a local Valley business that has been impacted by the pandemic.
And what better way to say thank you than with food, specifically pie?
“Andrea (Wagemaker) is a long time friend and as we worked together in the past … she owns the cafe at the airport and the airport isn’t getting a lot of traffic, so she pivoted to pies. As I tried a few of her pies and seeing her promotions …. I put it together that I could have a curbside Christmas,” explained Austin.
She reached out to Wagemaker, the owner of On The Fly cafe inside the Comox Valley Airport who closed her business in the spring as flights were significantly reduced due to the pandemic. She has since reopened, but added pies made locally to her menu, available for curbside pickup at the airport.
RELATED: Pick up a pie from On The Fly
In the past, Austin has either treated her clients to an event, gift or donation to a community charity in their honour. This year, she said with everything that people are facing with the pandemic, she wanted to use pastry as a gift “which generally brings everyone a little bit of joy. It’s comfort food, and just a fun thing to do.”
She placed an order and had her clients come by her Courtenay home for a safe, curbside pickup.
Wagemaker said the order – around 90 pies – is one of the larger ones she’s had.
“We have had some corporate orders; nothing quite the this (size) though. We’ve customized them. That’s taken us another place. It’s really a win.”
Looking back throughout the year, Wagemaker noted her best-selling pies are apple and chicken pot pie/tourtiere – just what Austin ordered.
“Tourtiere, apple pie and butter tarts are the options,” said Austin. “They’re all frozen to cook at home – an easy treat.”
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