Pegasus Pie Co. got its start just a few years ago in Stanwood, selling pies through special orders and farmers markets, the Anacortes Farmers Market, the Bellingham Farmers Market and the Ballard Market in Seattle.
But now pie fans can visit them any time at the bakery’s new home in downtown Mount Vernon, just down the block from the Skagit Valley Food Co-op.
Formerly the home of Valley Shine Distillery, the cozy brick-walled space has transitioned gracefully to a bakery. A few tables for customers fill the remaining area, but it’s particularly suited to the casual passer-by who suddenly realizes they could be the proud owner of a hand pie and hot coffee as they continue down the street.
Pies at Pegasus seem expensive at first glance: A fruit hand pie is $9, 5-inch pies are $16 and a full size pie runs $45 for fruit and $48 for a cream pie. When you take your first bite, however, you’ll understand why. Pegasus Pie crusts are fantastic: shatteringly crisp, meltingly rich and extremely butter-forward.
Whatever type of pie you get, the crust really is the main attraction — though the fillings are nothing to sneeze at. They have everything from apple, rhubarb and cherry, to blueberry peach, lemon meringue, banana cream and maple bourbon pecan. Fillings are made from locally grown fruits like raspberries from Hayton Farms, and have a fine pure fruit flavor without being too sweet.
If you’re not in a dessert mood, never fear. Savory hand pies ($11) might be stuffed with egg and potato, spinach artichoke or even mac and cheese. (I never thought I needed mac and cheese in a pastry crust, but apparently I did).
Everything at Pegasus is vegetarian, so don’t expect ham in your breakfast hand pie, but all the fillings are rich and delicious. They have a miniature shepherd’s pie made with lentils and mushrooms, with a swirl of mashed potato on top, and a samosa stuffed with potatoes, carrots and peas, seasoned with a mild curry. Any of the savory pies can be warmed up, but sometimes I’ll take mine home to stick in the toaster oven, which works perfectly.
In addition to pies, the menu includes soup (broccoli cheddar and one rotating flavor) and biscuits. Unsurprisingly, the biscuits are excellent, with a rich buttery flavor, and split easily to make a sandwich. You can get scrambled eggs and cheese to pile inside, or mushroom gravy to pour over. Pegasus also makes their own sourdough, whole wheat and potato bread, so you can get panini, French toast, grilled cheese or regular toast. There are three different kinds of avocado toast, including the Mediterranean ($8.50), topped with mashed avocado, basil, feta, cherry tomatoes, and a little balsamic vinegar.
Not everything on the menu is available all the time (I keep missing the shepherd’s pie by just an hour or two), so it’s worth following Pegasus on social media to see what’s coming out of the oven. Their Instagram is how I discovered the existence of pie shakes, which is exactly what it sounds like: a slice of pie blended with ice cream into a shake ($8 for the pie slice plus $3.14 — a little pi joke for math people).
When a friend and I stopped in to inquire about pie shakes, the bakers had just taken a large batch of pies out of the oven, so we had our choice of flavors. I got raspberry rhubarb pie and my friend got the apple crumble. It took some time for the pie slices to be cut and blended, but when the drinks finally came, with the vanilla ice cream melting into the warm pie bits with whipped cream on top, it was all worth it.
I somehow wasn’t expecting to like the texture of blended pie crust in a shake — but I was, frankly, wrong. It was like the last few bites of a plate of pie a la mode, when the ice cream has mostly melted and you have fruit filling and crust shards all mixed up together on the plate. It was fabulous.
Am I a little worried that this particular treat is available only a few minutes from my house? Yes, I am — but I can live with it.
Pegasus Pie Co. is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at 320 S. 1st St. in Mount Vernon. Info: instagram.com/pegasus_pie_co.
Jessamyn Tuttle is a freelance writer and photographer based in the Skagit Valley.
