Photo by Nicole Roegner

LOCAL PRODUCTS
South African-born Andrea White started Saffron Kitchen just before graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Scottsdale last year because she wasn’t having any luck landing a culinary externship to her liking.

“I’m more of a savory cook, so after the baking class at school, the idea of making savory pies just sort of came together,” she says.

She also gives credit to her husband for begging her to make him pies, and for that, we thank him. Her pies are outrageously delicious and addictive.

White’s savory pies have whimsical names: Sexy, Swanky, Sassy and Sultry, among others, all beginning with an “s” and ending in a “y.” Sold in handheld snack-size (3-inches) or individual meal size (5-inches), Saffron Kitchen pies have an all-butter, flaky crust (with a pinch of saffron) and are filled with top-quality ingredients, such as grass-fed beef and wild-caught salmon.

Choose from four vegetarian options, two chicken, two beef and one fish pie. We loved the peppery kick from the Sexy pie, filled with spinach, portabello, ricotta, mozzarella and feta. The Swanky pie elevates the standard chicken potpie to gourmet with the addition of leeks and thyme.

White occasionally offers sweet pies, too, including roasted apple with brown sugar, and fresh blueberry and ginger. And she sells a tangy apricot and kalonji (nigella) seed chutney pie ($8).

Find Saffron Kitchen pies at farmers’ markets in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert and Carefree. Prices start at $5 for the snack size and $10 for the meal size. Frozen versions are available for slightly less.

DETAILS
Saffron Kitchen
saffronkitchen.com
480-629-5121