Simple Simon Pies

For more than 40 years, Bob Whitworth has been baking up comfort with Simple Simon Pies.

What began as a kitchen experiment is now a Calgary institution with flavours like Swiss chicken and mushroom, butter chicken and donair.

Simple Simon Pies

Bob Whitworth figures he’s sold about 15 million of his pies since starting Simple Simon Pies more than 40 years ago in Calgary. While they all have a following, one of the most popular is the Swiss chicken and mushroom, which started as a mistake in the kitchen. “I thought, oh shucks, what am I going to do with this?” he recalls.

Then he tried it. It was so good, he thought he’d see if he could sell a few. “I sold 100 of them by noon that day,” he says.

That was in 1990. Flash forward to now and it’s still his number one pie.

But don’t miss his other pies: butter chicken, Jamaican beef curry, donair (yes, donair pie) and the shepherd’s pies. There are 21 kinds to choose from.

And last year, Whitworth branched out the business to premade meals (yes, sometimes they, too, feature pie.) Sales have tripled since Christmas and he’s looking to expand the lineup. He’s adding a variety of sausage rolls soon, and he offers gluten-free options, too. Order online for free delivery around town.

Simple Simon Pies | $6.50 for a four-inch diameter pie, $25 for a nine-inch pie.