Realtor Gail Sanders wasn't drawn to the restaurant business; she was thrust into it. A year or so ago, her husband, Ian, and a business associate decided to buy a franchise of The Cravery and open it in downtown Los Altos. Ian, a native of London, was intrigued by the meat and vegetable savory pies produced by the fledgling SoCal company.The storefront opened last September with a full-time manager reporting to the owners. Unfortunately, Ian's partner soon become ill and was forced to abandon the project. That event coincided disharmoniously with the crack in the economy, the despondent housing market and ramped-up competition for ever-scarcer restaurant revenues. Ian returned to his high-tech job in media delivery.
With no prior restaurant experience, Gail assumed the role of general manager. She quickly dug into the business, and now splits her time between The Cravery and her work in residential real estate.
"I learned how to manage people and learned the business operations (at the restaurant) on the go, and I am still learning," she said. "Fortunately, the staff I have is wonderful. They are so helpful and dedicated."
The franchiser, headquartered in Beverly Hills, has had its own share of problems. Recently, two of its three cafes closed because of rapidly changing business conditions that surrounded the sites. The company is retrenching, and has added to its repertoire, opening some Cravery kiosks and wholesaling its products to other retailers.
The company maintains a large baking facility in Southern California where the pies are assembled, frozen and sent to the retail locations for final baking. Sanders' facility has a sizeable rotating oven where the pies are slow-baked exuding homey scents throughout the space.
Savory pies have likely been around since humanity's first bakers grew tired of their daily bread, and infused meats, vegetables and fruits into bread dough. Almost every Western cuisine has some version of a savory pie.
Our own version of pot pies Ñ frozen, aluminum-plated doughy affairs Ñ is but a poor cousin to the rich luxurious savory pies that have been popular in England since the time of Henry VIII.
As Brits upgraded their cuisine and taste buds over the past two decades, the savory pie slid to a less-than-desired gastronomic position in the English diet. Then, about three years ago, several new savory pie companies emerged around London. Their pies are filled with today's flavors and textures, making the delicacy suddenly very trendy.
The Los Altos Cravery offers pies filled with chicken, pesto, mushrooms, pepper steak, turkey, pulled pork, spicy chipotle, vegetable curry and Thai chicken curry. The pies have enough filling to satisfy without overloading the stomach. The pastry is flaky and buttery and can be eaten with knife and fork or just with fingers: One might choose a pie for late summer picnics or for starving teens as a snack.
The pies can be reheated in the home oven, microwaved or consumed at room temperature. In addition to the pies, The Cravery offers eight salads and a variety of soups by the cup, bowl or quart. Combination plates are presented for under $9.
Then there are breakfast pies, available all day for just over $5.
"I love breakfast any time of the day," Sanders said, "and it's apparent many of our customers do too."
The menu lists a half-dozen breakfast or brunch possibilities such as vegetarian eggs Florentine, eggs Benedict, huevos rancheros or a simple spinach quiche.
To allow diners to end with something sweet and creamy, Sanders added a gelato case with nearly a dozen flavors to keep patrons cool and smiling during these warm days.
The Cravery also travels off premises, catering for weddings, banquets, business luncheons and other special gatherings.
The cafe itself is cozy with ample room for eating, perusing the newspaper or plugging into the free Wi-Fi network. Besides dining tables, there are comfortable padded chairs and sofas for relaxing and conversing with friends over a glass of wine or beer.
When I thought of savory pies before visiting The Cravery, my mind leapt to old English pubs, flagons of ale, and steak and kidney pies. Now, I think of a golden pastry filled with tender chicken and creamy potatoes, crisp vegetables and tangy spices. What a lovely reinvention.
