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When I came across Shadow Pies’ IG account, I was immediately enticed by the gothic vibes of the pies, as well as the black-and-white cat logo. I DMed the account to see if they would be interested in being featured on my blog. To my delight, Sheridan, the owner and founder, immediately agreed!
Photo IG @shadow.pies
Here’s a short backstory on Shadow Pies:
“My name is Sheridan & I run Shadow Pies. My cat, Shadow, was diagnosed with neurological FIP, which is a nearly always fatal kitten disease that isn’t preventable & until recently, not treatable. Because the treatment is new and experimental it’s extremely expensive, so I started Shadow Pies to pay it off. For 84 days my partner and I gave Shadow a daily treatment injection in his back at home. It was gruesome, but now we’re in the 84 days post-treatment vet observation stage, and he’s doing amazing!
I really hadn’t planned on making this a full-time business, but I got laid off of my music industry job during a massive wave of budget cuts & simultaneously my pies started taking off. I’m definitely going to keep the pies going & have some exciting expansions coming soon. I guess when one door closes another opens, right?”
All the pie orders placed through her Instagram come in one-size only (9 inches) and are $35. If you want to add the gluten-free modification request, this costs an extra $5. The pickup location is in Mt. Washington (90065).
To place your order, you have to send her a DM preferably with at least one week notice. The menu of the month is on her Instagram highlights.
If you don’t want to get a full pie for yourself, you can either get a mini-pie at Cosmic Vinyl (Echo Park) or Habitat Coffee (Eagle Rock). These retail for $15 and the flavors change on a weekly basis, versus the 9-inch pies that change monthly.
On the April menu, she had a vegan blueberry pie called Drew Barrymore. I asked her about this:
“Since my menu changes monthly, every cake or pie that has a person’s name is usually based on a celebrity or a friend of mine whose birthday month it is. April was the Josh cake, named after my roommate Josh, and the Drew Barrymore pie was named after my favorite fellow Pisces.”
After deliberating on what pie I should order, I opted for the banana cream pie, which is the one I was attracted to the most. This was a complimentary mini-pie.
The pie art she applies to her pies is genius. When I asked her where did she drew her inspiration from, she responded:
“Honestly I take a lot of inspiration from vintage clothing & friends’ art. I’ve used designs from friends like @zigzag.goods in exchange for fresh pies. I love doing trades!”
If you’re not sure what to order, the S’more pie, which resembles a cobweb, is Sheridan’s favorite and highly recommended by her: “It’s not too sweet! There’s pretzels in the crust so it has a nice salty balance.”
S’MORE THAN THIS 🔥 not to be biased, but this one is my favorite 🕸 #vegan
The next day, I went to pick up my vegan banana cream pie in the beautiful Mount Washington neighborhood. The plastic container had a smiley sticker, which brought a smile to my face. It was hot in LA, so I cooled it in the fridge before I ate it. When I asked her what the best storage options for her pies were, she replied:
“It depends on the pie. All are great at room temperature but the savory pies can be heated!”
Fast-forward to after dinner, the moment I had been waiting for all day, had finally come.
The pie was creamy, flavorful and the consistency of the frosting was cloud-like. The bananas really stood out on their own without overpowering anything. The crust was soft and savory. It was so good that I had to scoop the remnants out of the container. Just wow. Two hours after I had this cake, I did not feel it in my stomach. The best word to sum up this pie is light, surprisingly light. Prior to eating it, I stored it in the fridge so it was really refreshing to eat, especially with the cool frosting.
“I started baking pies with my grandma when I was 5 years old, and usually did every year for the holidays. My savory crust recipe is her recipe, veganized 🙂 I’ve always loved baking! All pies have GF as an option. Most are soy free but I offer tofu as an option in my savory pies, and some ingredients are made in facilities that process soy :-)”
If you need further proof to see that Sheridan’s pies are the real deal, the iconic muse of Los Angeles, Angelyne, ordered a pie from her!! Angelyne had her own mini series in 2020 on NBC Universal. She was played by the actress Emmy Rossum. I’ve seen Angelyne many times in her pink corvette, and on billboards in Hollywood since I moved to LA. But I digress…
“Angelyne is an angel, I was so happy to make a cake for her to celebrate her NFT. She made an interactive one with my pal Lizzie and she’s also running for governor ;)” said Sheridan.
It’s very very important to give Sheridan a heads-up in case you can’t pick up your order. Unfortunately, she’s had a few no-shows. As a one-person business, she must have been very frustrated by this. She said in one of her IG stories: “If you need to reschedule a pickup, that’s totally fine, just let me know ahead of time so we can work out a plan together so no pies go to waste.”
Regarding a brick-and-mortar location in the future:
“That’s the goal! I’m currently in the process of expanding my permits so I’ll be able to sell at farmers markets around LA, but ideally, I’d love to have a brick-and-mortar.”
Where are you from, how long have you been living in LA and what are your favorite places in LA?
I’m from Central California (San Luis Obispo), moved here about 4 or 5 years ago. I live up in the Mt Washington neighborhood so the trees give me a lot of comfort and keep me from feeling too ‘city’. I do like living here though!
My favorite places in LA are probably Swingers, Habitat coffee (where you can find my mini pies!) and The Heights Deli :-).
What is the best thing about living in LA?
Definitely community, it’s much more diverse here than where I grew up. It’s important to be active & involved in the community you’re in.
Also, live music- my boyfriend is a musician and I can’t wait to see him and friends play again.
Stay tuned for Sheridan’s new menu items on her Instagram!
Vegan strawberry shortcake pie 🌸 based on my childhood fav @goodhumor_icecream bars 🍄 pre order now via dm!
