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Get to know our Pies Plus Family.
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I am one of the proud owners of Pies Plus Cafe. My wife Candace is my partner in life and in business. Its been almost five years of us working together and things are going great. I grew up with the business as it was my dad, Jeff, who started it back in 1987 in Bragg Creek. He then opened a second location in Calgary in 1989 (currently the only one). From the time I was crawling I was surrounded by this business and part of that made me not want to take it over when Mom and Dad started talking of selling. It was just something that I was not interested in. One day that changed and I took a run at being a business owner when I was 19 years old. I figured you have to jump in sometime, why not now? Fortunately for me, my wife and I have been together for almost 16 years and she has stuck out my extreme learning curve of being a new business owner at such a young age. I have owned and operated Pies Plus for nearly 15 years now.
Once I started getting the hang of being my own boss, I learned that I have more bosses than anyone! All of you, our customers are my boss, because if I don’t meet your expectations you will not return and that is the last thing we want. I strive to keep my expectations of myself and of my staff at the very high level that has been associated with Pies Plus for almost a quarter century. That being said, there’s always room to have lots of fun at work and I very much enjoy doing what I do and doing it with the amazing people I work with, many of which end up becoming personal friends even after they cease to be employees.
On a more personal note, I hold a private pilots license and from time to time terrorize the skies south of Calgary when the weather is nice. I also enjoy SCUBA diving when I can and working on renovating my house currently. I enjoy exercising and riding my mountain bike in the mountains and going for hikes in the back country in summer. In winter, I try and downhill ski whenever I get the chance and like playing pick-up hockey in Priddis with the boys. I am also a volunteer firefighter with Foothills Fire Department. I enjoy the people and training that is provided and the fact that I am able to help people when they really need it. I am a firm believer that you get out of something what you put in, so I try to give anything I do my all because you never know if you’ll have a second chance.
So don’t be afraid to stop and say Hi next time you see me wandering the floor of the restaurant, I love meeting each and every person who comes in and hearing their unique perspective of life. Something about coffee shops and bars…
Hello, my name is Candace and I am the other of the two owners of Pies Plus. After many years working in the service and retail industry, I decided it was time to join my husband in the endeavour of business ownership. And, so far it’s been a blast! Working with him almost every day has its challenges and then there is the overall learning curve of what it is exactly that an owner does. After a few years of working as and owner the learning curve isn’t quite as steep but there is still days where I learn a lot.
My work career started out in the restaurant industry when I was 15. After a couple more restaurants, I moved over to retail at Canadian Tire, then briefly to Wholesale Sports, and the back to Canadian Tire where I remained working for 7 years. After deciding that was long enough, circumstance lead me to discuss buying in as a partner in Pies Plus. I have always loved being in the kitchen and baking especially. Quite often I will make things at home just because I like to. Interacting with customers is one of my favourite parts of what I do, as well as interacting with the other staff.
In my free time I like walking and spending time with the cat, as well as spending time with my family. I enjoy travelling with my sister to various places. (Hoover Dam is in my picture). So any time you stop on in at the Pie shop, feel free to say hi and see how my new lifestyle is going. I look forward to seeing you there!
My relationship with Pies Plus Cafe started when I met Jeff, June and Patrick at ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ nursery school where Patrick was one of my students. A few years later I happened to come to Pies Plus with a friend to have coffee. Jeff mentioned that he needed someone to work full time for him. I decided to put my name in and its been 25 years since that day. In case it wasn’t clear, I love what I do or else I wouldn’t have been here for almost two decades! I enjoy interacting with our customers, repeat and new alike. Until I started working here, I never knew how to make pies or pastry at all!
On a personal side I like riding horses and have been doing so for many years. I like summer and being outside, and I like spending time at the drag race track. I am also a proud Grandma of 5 grandchildren so that keeps me going! I have lots to keep me busy but I’m never too busy to say Hi when you come in!
Hey there, my name is Leah and I'm the manager here at Pies Plus. I’ve been working at the pie shop for 6 years and I still love going to work every day! I joined the Pies Plus team during my final year of high school and stayed part time until I completed the Baking and Pastry Arts program at SAIT in 2019. Since completing my program at SAIT, I have moved to full time and have taken on the management position at Pies Plus.
I find my work to be one of the most rewarding parts of my life. I can honestly say the people I work with have played a huge role in shaping the person I have become and I am very proud to consider them my family. In addition to spending time with my co-workers, getting to know the customers is a huge part of my love for the job. With that being said, if we haven't already met, please introduce yourself when you’re in next as I would love to meet you!
On a more personal note, in my free time outside of work I enjoy spending time with my loved ones, including my dog Clover and cat Boggart. In the warmer months I enjoy getting out of the city to go camping with my friends and family. When its too cold for camping, I spend my time playing video games and doing some arts and crafts. Lastly, a random fun fact about me is that I enjoy collecting rocks/gems and going to gem shows with my friends.
Hi,my name is Frances! I have worked at Pies Plus for one year. I am following in the footsteps of my two older sisters who were also lucky enough to work here. I enjoy being in the kitchen, working to prepare lunches and pie slices for our customers. It is also lots of fun to chat with my colleagues and get to know everyone who comes in!
Ona personal note, I am in grade 11 at Our Lady of the Rockies High School. I enjoy doing lots of different things as long as they are with family and friends. Some of my favourites are hiking, finding new places to swim in Fish Creek, and doing woodworking projects. When you stop in next, I would love to meet you!
Hello, my name is Keeley! I’ve worked at Pies Plus for just over two months. I’ve always enjoyed baking and talking to new people. Don’t hesitate to introduce yourself. Be warned, I’ve never been the best at names, so please have patience with me whilst I try to learn your name!
I’m currently talking a gap year after graduating high school in 2022. When I’m not working, you can find me taking dance classes or at home cuddling with my three lovely cats: Cosmo, Ginger, and Pepper (pictured above)!
Hi! I have been apart time employee here since July 2022. I am constantly learning new things and am always excited to interact with my coworkers and all who stop by Pies Plus. Currently also working to finish up my last year in high school, I am looking forward to graduating in June 2023.
Outside of school and work, I also love to spend time in books, watch musicals and create art. I'm not sure what the future will hold but I hope to be able to find a career that will allow me to continue in my passion for art.
I have been working at Pies Plus for 8 months! I enjoy the home feeling and talking with all the customers while on shift. I have been competitively dancing for 15 years and plan on attending post-secondary education after high school.
