Overview
Mother-daughter duo Danielle and Suzanne Butler know what the people want: immensely sweet American-style dessert pies and heavenly doughnuts that bite like a pillow and radiate with florescent glaze.
Now, after nearly two and a half years servicing sugar fiends at markets and pop-ups with their outfit, The Pie Piper, the pair have finally realised their dream of opening a physical store. In cahoots with their spinoff doughnut delivery service, Doornuts, The Pie Piper officially opens the doors to its flagship bakery-coffee shop on K' Road this weekend.
As you'd expect, there's a lot going on with the sweet side of things. The cabinet is a dessert mecca, brimming with pies, doughnut, cakes and other treats. The bent for American-style pies comes from Danielle's childhood in the US. Hence: staunchly American cream pies like banoffee and chocolate cream. Flavours change on a whim or with the seasons and can be picked up by the slice or as the whole shebang, including current picks: pumpkin, salted caramel apple, chocolate pecan and their version of a Key Lime.
The Doornuts doughnuts are made from scratch and take around 12 hours to make from start to finish — hand-rolled, hand-cut and decorated. Danielle admits that it's "a long process, but we think it's worth the effort." Flavours include: maple bacon (think pancakes, bacon and maple syrup), s'mores (which are based on the classic campfire treat), strawberry cheesecake, rocky road, and the list goes on.
No purely restricted to sweet, the menu also features American offerings like fried chicken and biscuits, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and biscuits and gravy. For breakfast those biscuits come with homemade preserves, bacon and egg, and American breakfast sausage. Though if there's one thing Danielle thinks you should understand, it's that biscuits are definitely "not a cookie, and not a scone."
To complete the experience, the store serves fresh coffee from Atomic. Live out that dessert fantasy this weekend.
The Pie Piper and Doornuts grand opening will take place this Saturday 13 May from 7am to late, and Sunday 14 May from 8am to 3pm. Find the store at 321 Karangahape Rd.
Photos: Isaac Evans