Classic jazz plays in the bakery, Etta James’ voice dances through the air, her melody mixing with the scent of fresh pastry. In Beverly Hills, Curtis Stone brings the classic pie; with delicious filling and a crisp crunch, these bakery delights are far from their home country of meat pies and sausage rolls.

Celebrity Chef Curtis Stone brings the beloved tastes of Australian bakeries to the lives dwelling in Beverly Hills, with his bakery The Pie Room. Only recently opened, Curtis’ baked items have made a splash in Los Angeles, already gaining a loyal following of customers. It is through a mix of engaging both American and Australian flavours, that has sparked the community’s curiosity.

Embracing the life of a baker somewhat strays from Curtis’ culinary chef career, but his experience in the industry undoubtedly provides the know-how to bring about success with his pies. Despite focusing more on savoury meals in the past, like many, Curtis has always had a love of baked goods.

“I love eating them, and I think it’s an interesting place to start when you sort of have a real love of how something should be, and then kind of reverse engineering that and learning how to make it,” Curtis said.

Why not start with something close to the home and heart like a classic Aussie pie? The concept was first introduced during the pandemic by a colleague at Curtis’ previous restaurant workplace.

“We sort of sat in a big group and said, what should we do? You know, we have to close our restaurants, but we still have to pay the rent, and I don’t want to lay anyone off, but at the same time, we can’t go broke. What’s the plan here?” Curtis said.

“One of our pastry chefs said we should bake pies. The world needs a hug. The world needs a pie.”

The Pie Room

Opening the doors

This idea led to the opening of a small pie room where pies, sausage rolls, and sweet tarts were made available in the initial trial bakery. Curtis described the response as very positive, with the temporary bakery becoming popular amongst the American locals. However, when the time came to reopen restaurants, without the proper equipment to expand and continue, the pies ended, but the customers weren’t ready to say goodbye.

“The customers kept reaching out and being like, ‘Oh, what happened to the pies? We want the pies back.’”

This motivated Curtis and his team to take a lease on a 6000 square foot bakery. It was clear California was craving an Australian touch to their baked goods, and so The Pie Room, a more permanent bakery, opened in Beverly Hills.

“In America, they don’t know what a sausage roll is. They’ve never had a meat pie. You know, they eat pot pie, but that’s just a bread with a piece of flaky pastry on top,” Curtis said.

“And what we do, of course, in Australia, is pretty unique to the rest of the world.”

Alongside the variety of pies available, there is also a playful balance of sweet and savoury viennoiserie, cold and hot sandwiches, and a selection of tarts with flavours like dulce de leche and passion fruit, yuzu raspberry, and pistachio.

The pastries on offer aren’t the only special thing about this bakery, as Curtis describes the location as a type of Alice in Wonderland dream.

“It’s kind of quirky and whimsical. You wander in and there’s collections of different types of pies and pastries. I love fruits, so we use the fruits in season in Southern California.

“So, we change it around. We also have a butcher shop here. So, we use homemade chorizo in a little pastry that we do, for instance.”

The bakery boasts a romantic and lovely atmosphere with jazz playing in the background, an escape for customers to indulge in alongside delicious treats. They are welcomed to sit at marble tabletops, complimented by colourful houndstooth cushioned chairs. The whimsy romance is evident in the bright colour palette, yet soft sophisticated lighting bringing a warmth to the bakery.

A welcoming space for all, The Pie Room has been carefully crafted with the consideration of food culture differences, Curtis ensuring he explores both Aussie and American flavours.

Curtis Stone

“I think Americans probably have a slightly sweeter palette than Australians, which you can kind of lean into when you have a cake or pie shop,” Curtis said.

“It’s hard to sort of put your finger on American cuisine, because it’s such a giant country with so many different cultures and attitudes, but Southern California is pretty fresh. Farmers Markets are alive and well. Down here, they’re everywhere, and they’re abundant and beautiful.”

“You know, we talk about breaking bread together. And of course, it all starts with bread. Starts with a baker, you know. And I think food brings people together in really beautiful ways,” Curtis said.

“Whether you’re in France and you go to the Boulangerie, or if you go to Italy and eat a delicious Panini, or in Australia, we have such a strong baking culture, you can learn a lot from the culture just by hitting the bakery.”

No matter the location, whether it be at home in Australia, or far across the ocean, owning a bakery is a challenge, Curtis noted.

“It’s a lot of hard work. You have to be really efficient at creating high volumes of product and you have to know what you’re doing. You have to have great people working with you.”

And advice for any other Aussies considering braving the world with international bakeries?

“Keep passionate and prepare for the hard work, it’s not for the faint of heart,” he said.