The look of love is in your pies
Toronto bake shop is winning over dessert fans with whimsical flavours
Shiela Labao, baker and owner of Toronto’s New Pie Company, believes pies are an act of love. “I show people I care by making them food,” she says. “When someone offers you a piece of pie, it’s the ultimate form of ‘I care about you.’”
Labao launched her business as an online popup in April, offering twice-monthly drops on Instagram (@newpieco). Serving up pies with whimsical flavours, like orange honey with cardamom or birthday cake, she would sell out in under two minutes.
Now, Torontonians craving a slice have a slightly easier time scoring her sweets: the drops are twice-weekly, and her baked goods are also stocked at cafés and specialty shops around the city, including Kiss My Pans, Milky’s Coffee and Lit Espresso Bar.
Labao started getting serious about baking two years ago, and took culinary night classes at George Brown College while working a day job as an HR manager. She loved teaching friends how to bake, too, so she set up workshops in her home, selling tickets on Eventbrite. “It was a fun little experiment,” she says. “It started being kind of a community for me.”
When the pandemic hit, she switched to online classes, and realized she felt so passionate about baking, she wanted to make it a full-fledged new venture. “It’s all about pies because pies are really close to my heart. They’re the first thing I learned how to bake,” explains Labao, who recently left her day job to focus on the New Pie Company.
Her inspiration often comes from seasonal flavours, so expect to find lush, fruity fillings complemented with heaps of whipped cream, gloriouslooking meringue, or surprises like caramel popcorn on top. “I like the idea of giving something super bountiful,” says Labao. “I’m pretty dramatic as a person, and it kind of translates to my pies.”
She aims to bring Filipino flavours to the forefront, too. “This is my chance to reconnect with my roots and introduce them to Toronto,” she says. A favourite she’s hoping will catch on is buko pie, made with a fresh coconut meat and cream filling, a buttery crust, and a toasted coconut crumble topping.
When Labao isn’t busy whipping up dessert, she still teaches virtual baking classes, where everyone can learn how to make classics from scratch, like chocolate caramel tarts and spiced apple pie. She’s hoping to open a brick-and-mortar space of her own next year, which will be part teaching studio and part pie shop.
Until then, you can pick up a slice at stockists around the city, order a whole pie from her website, or look out for New Pie at upcoming farmers’ markets. Labao’s goal is “just to spread as much pie as possible in the city.”