Any way you slice it, from sweet to savoury, Barrie tops list of pie lovers

When it comes to Canadians' love of pie, Barrie has been ranked as the fourth highest city in the country searching for pie over the last year

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1 / 1 Holly's Sweets & Eats is busy making a variety of pies in order to celebrate "Pi Day" on March 14.Image supplied

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Marie Antoinette may have reportedly told her subjects to eat cake, but it is pie that Barrie residents seem to prefer.

Today is ‘Pi Day’ and tech-giant Google is celebrating by sharing Canadian ‘pie’ search trends in honour of the mathematical constant “π” or pi. From the delicious-sounding grasshopper pie to a more savoury steak pie — Canadians have taken their pies to a whole other level.

When it comes to Canadians' love of pie, Barrie has been ranked as the fourth highest city in the country searching for pie over the last year.

And which Pie are Ontarians apparently searching for the most? Steak pie, according to Google

Gil Lalonde, the packaging supervisor at Fox’s Bakery & Deli in Barrie, says apple pie and their no-sugar pies tend to be the most popular at the Victoria Street bakery.

Lalonde thinks the reason steak pie is the most searched pie among Ontarians is simply because most people don’t know how to make a proper steak pie.

“I have been a chef for 35 years and that kind of stuff overwhelms people; trying to figure out how to make it saucy enough, how to season it, how much meat to put in it,” he told BarrieToday. “In a way it surprises me and in a way it doesn’t. They want to make it because buying it is so overpriced. You can buy a nice big roast pretty cheap, and ingredients and make it your own and have 50 or 60 miniature pies for half the cost as in store.”

Lori McClelland co-owns Holly’s Sweets & Eats with her sister, Holly Cescone, in Barrie’s south end. On Friday, McClelland said they were already prepping for today.

“We put little Pi symbols on top of our pies. It’s just another way to try to make another boring Sunday interesting,” says McClelland.

Their customers also tend to lean most often toward apple pie.

“It’s my mom’s recipe and they are spectacular," McClelland said. "We put two-and-a-half pounds of apples in every pie. They are big, gorgeous and delicious.”

While she is a little stumped as to why Ontarians seem to search most for steak pies, McClelland says they do offer it among their large selection of sweet and savoury pie options pretty regularly.

“We do a steak and mushroom pie, chicken pot pie, turkey pot pie, a ground beef and gravy pie, pork and leek pie to name a few," she says.

So how will she be celebrating today?

McClelland said: “With pie of course!”

Her plate will be piled high with her absolutely favourite treat — lemon meringue pie.

“It’s my favourite because my grandmother used to make it, but she would use the stuff from a box. We make ours from scratch. We zest our own lemons and squeeze them and make a mile-high lemon meringue pie.”

Whatever pie you decide to bake, be sure to enjoy it at 1:59 p.m., Sunday, in honour of pi’s first several digits — 3.14159.