Tompkins Weekly

Mama Said Hand Pies to open café in T-burg


Owners Gabriel Flores (left) and Hiroko Takashima at their new Mama Said Hand Pies Ulysses location. Photo by Deidra Cross.

In 2015, a collection of culinary creations was introduced at the Ithaca Festival that would result in a new café opening in Trumansburg this fall.

Co-owners of Mama Said Hand Pies, Hiroko Takashima and Gabriel Flores, started vending at the Trumansburg Farmers Market in 2016 after their eclectic collection of pies was a hit at the festival the year before.

Trumansburg Connection by Deidra Cross

“The Trumansburg Farmers Market was so welcoming and supportive of us,” Takashima said. “People’s reaction to our hand pies were really positive, and people were so enthusiastic. This new location was a natural fit that will make us centrally located to our fan base. We love Trumansburg and are happy to be here.”

Taking over the space at 1710 Trumansburg Rd. in Ulysses that was previously Redder’s Bar and Grill, this husband-and-wife duo has brought new life to a space beloved by T-burg locals.

“We were just driving by it one day when we noticed it again. We had seen it over the years, and friends of ours at Stick and Stone Farm in Trumansburg mentioned it again,” Flores said. “We used to go do strawberry picking at a farm on this side of the lake when we were first dating. We’ve always been fond of this side of the lake and the area.”

After meeting to look at the property, the couple sat outside in the parking lot and talked with landlord Josh Friedman for an hour discussing the possibilities.

“Josh has spent a ton of time on improvements. He has been amazing and so helpful,” Flores said. “We are holding pop-ups to serve hand pies while we complete the café, and when we express concerns about our needs, he’s always there. He got the dough room finished very quickly, which was very important. We are fortunate to have such a supportive landlord.”

Mama Said Hand Pies features eclectic offerings ranging from Vegan Irish Knishes — an Irish potato hash with greens that have been made vegan with substitutions of vegan cashew-based cheddar cheese and vegan butter in tandem with caramelized onions, cabbage and kale with a vegan short crust — to Poblano con Queso with Poblano peppers, roasted and mixed with Manchego cheese, queso fresco, cream cheese and fresh garlic, served with homemade salsa. Mama Said offers sweet as well as savory, with a rotating collection of fruit hand pies including blueberry and cherry.

“When the kids were really small, we wanted to eat local food, and hand pies are a good, easy way to eat local. They are affordable, delicious and portable,” Takashima said. “We use local ingredients in our items as much as possible. We use things from Silver Queen Farm, West Haven Farm, Stick and Stone Farm, High Ground Farm, Windsong Farm, Red House Ranch, Six Circles Farm, Glenwood Farm and Indian Creek Farm, just to name a few. We are currently using the early apples from Indian Creek in our apple hand pie. I will also get things like herbs when they’re in season and dry them out now so we can use local throughout the winters as well.”

Hand pies are currently available at their Press Bay Alley location in downtown Ithaca (see tinyurl.com/2hb3mtaz) and the Ithaca Farmers Market. Mama Said Hand Pies also sells a frozen collection of its portable pies at the Main Street Market in downtown Trumansburg and is featuring random pop-ups in front of its soon-to-open café in Ulysses.

“We want food to be available to everyone, and hand pies offer affordable and portable options,” Takashima said. “Gabriel and I enjoy multiple different cultural backgrounds and have traveled around. We try out different fillings and utilize what’s seasonal as much as possible, and it gives people the chance to try new things.”

As the café nears completion and the couple solidify staffing and supply, the café will offer to-go opportunities via random pop-up events.

“Once we open, we will be expanding the menu in stages to include breakfast pastries, sandwiches and a coffee bar experience. There will not be any table service as it will be a walk-up experience,” Takashima said. “We will be open mornings and afternoons. In the beginning, it’s going to be a moving landscape. A year from now will be more, and things will be different than when we first open. We have a lot of ideas and plans we are implementing, and we will still be offering catering as well. We also welcome special requests and inquiries about our gluten-free, allergy and vegan and vegetarian options.”

Updates on offerings, hours, openings and pop-up locations can be found on the Mama Said Hand Pies website, Facebook and Instagram at mamasaidhandpies.com, facebook.com/Mamasaidhandpies/ and instagram.com/mamasaidhandpies/, respectively.

Trumansburg Connection appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

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