Customers would come from far and wide, eager to take home something sweet or savoury, and always comforting. Victoria Pie Company was a beloved fixture in the Victoria Public Market, but its charm and customer base were threatened to be lost for good when the public market closed its doors in June 2025 after a sale to Loblaws. But Victoria Wan, a local baker who called Victoria Pie Company home for two years, was determined to not let that happen. “Even when I first started working for them, I recognized how special this local business was. I loved my job. I love making pies. We didn’t close because we failed, we closed because circumstances failed us,” she told Victoria News. “Marie has been relentless in her support and encouraged me to give my own business a try. I figured, if not now, when?” Wan started Indigo Bakes and is bringing the Victoria Pie Company’s recipes with her, with the blessing of previous owner, Marie Takahashi. Chicken Pot Pie, Mushroom Gruyere and Apple Pie are on the menu, with plans to add more options as the venture grows. Fans of the pies will be glad to know that the popular recipes are remaining the same. “There’s a reason the shop survived as long as it did and I’m not going to mess with a good, and delicious, thing,” Wan said. The pies – with both an Indigo Bakes logo and a Victoria Pie Co. one – are now found in the frozen section in HOB Fine Foods, The Market Garden and Kid Sister Ice Cream with fresh pies available in Peppers Foods. Pies can also be ordered online from South Island Farm Hub. While Wan’s current pie selection is small, she hopes that the love and support for Victoria Pie Company will eventually lead to another brick-and-mortar location. The company has been in business since 2013. As for Takahashi, who purchased Victoria Pie Company in 2023 as owner of Two Crows Craft Foods, she is on her own journey; she got herself a camper and is currently driving cross-country, seeking beautiful views and good food, Wan said. Takahashi said all the customers who have reached out to her since its closure have shown her how important Victoria Pie Co. was to the city. Knowing she wanted to keep the business alive in some form, when Wan reached out, it was the right fit. “Victoria was our primary pastry maker and is incredibly passionate about baking,” Takahashi said. “One of the hardest moments of my life was looking at my son and saying we had to close our business because we couldn’t find a space. But we roll with it. In the meantime we’ve got Victoria carrying on the pie traditions, and I couldn’t think of a better person to do it. She’s a self-taught chef and everything she does turns to magic.”
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