As Jake Harvey, founder of Heaps, made his way from Wellington, New Zealand, to Atlanta, with a stop in New York City in between, it was the hand-held double-crusted meat pies of home that he missed most.
“What’s fabulous about New Zealand pies is that they are pies you can eat with your hands. They need a flaky crust and the filling should have just the right amount of gravy with the meat. And you eat them with chutney. You pop some in a bag to enjoy by the beach or in the park. These are the pies that just warm my soul,” said Harvey.
New Zealand meat pies are generally a purchased item. “Every little dairy (convenience store) and bodega has a warmer with pies in it. That’s where tradesmen go to get their lunch. Or you can get really high-end bakery pies. There are pies and sausage rolls everywhere and most of us eat one at least every day.”
While in New York, he took a job at Tuck Shop, a now-defunct pie shop in the East Village, ultimately becoming general manager. Armed with skills and ideas on how he could put his own spin on his favorite pies, he moved to Atlanta six years ago, bought a portable pie warmer and began doing pop-ups in breweries.
He went from pop-ups to selling pies wholesale to breweries, restaurants and retail shops. He now makes his pies in the commercial kitchen at Boggs Social & Supply, and they’re sold around the city at breweries as well as Chop Shop on Memorial Drive and the Twelve Eighty Lounge at the High Museum of Art.
He also sells directly to customers at local farmers markets including Oakhurst, Morningside and Grant Park. At the markets, hot pies are available to eat on the spot or enjoy in a park the way Harvey would have done at home, and there are frozen pies as well. Coming soon is an option for online preorders with pickup at Boggs Social and the farmers markets.
Each week, Harvey and his crew of Asa Wochatz and Drew Vandiver make at least 10 different pies with meat, vegetables and fruit sourced from local farmers. “Each week is different depending on what we can get from our local sources, but we always have three vegetarian pies and a vegan pie. Our beef and cheddar pie is the most traditional, although in New Zealand, we’d call it ‘mince and cheese.’ We also make classic sausage rolls and we’re experimenting with rolls like the beef marinara sausage roll Asa came up with. We always have chutneys like green tomato, peach, mango and apple, and we started making seasonal fruit pies like peach cobbler pie and apple,” said Harvey.
The team prides itself on using every bit of the products they source. Carrot greens are cooked and added to the lamb and vegetable pie. They make their ground beef by grinding scraps of beef from their butcher sources.
Being surrounded by meat pies every day makes Harvey happy. “I still love the pies. Recently I’ve been enjoying our tomato pie, which is definitely more American. It’s so good with the sharp cheddar in it. But of the classic pies, the lamb pie might be my favorite. It’s my mom’s roast lamb dinner in a pie.”
RECIPES
Enjoy two classic New Zealand meat pies and apple chutney, adapted from recipes provided by Jake Harvey of Heaps. Although Heaps sells 4 1/2-inch pies, Harvey provided recipes to make 9-inch pies, each serving eight, a more practical choice for most home cooks. If using Morton kosher salt, reduce the measured salt by half.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Beef and Cheddar Pie
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Lamb and Vegetable Pie
At Heaps, this pie is often made with lamb shanks and cooked carrot greens. We tested the recipe with bone-in lamb shoulder chops, which were easier to find than shanks, and used finely chopped kale for the greens.
Butter Shortcrust
This recipe makes the traditional sturdy New Zealand pie crust, designed particularly for small double-crusted pies that will be eaten out of hand.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Simple Apple Chutney
Chutneys are a traditional part of the New Zealand meat pie experience. The bright, sharp flavor complements the savory filling in the same way as condiments like ketchup or mustard. But no Kiwi would substitute ketchup! Enjoy a spoonful of this sweet, tangy chutney alongside each mouthful of a slice of pie or as a dollop on top of a hand-held pie.
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