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New Pie Maker bakery, cafe to open in Cortez

Pie makers Tim Stubbs and Shani Winer are opening their new shop Saturday in Cortez with a Valentine’s Day meet-and-greet.

This Valentine’s Day, a new business is hoping to warm hearts and fill stomachs of dessert- lovers in Cortez as it opens its doors to the public for the first time.

The Pie Maker, a labor of love by Mancos couple Shani Winer and Tim Stubbs, will host a community meet-and-greet on Saturday featuring coffee, samples and a limited selection of their signature baked goods for sale at their new Harrison Street location in Cortez.

Winer, an East Coast native and 10-year Mancos resident, has been baking as the Pie Maker in Montezuma County for the past two years, working out of leased kitchen space from the Farm Bistro on Main Street. Stubbs, also an East Coast native, moved to Mancos 10 years ago, and met Winer while he was working as a ranger at Mesa Verde National Park.

“We’ve been here a decade now and really fell in love with this place,” said Winer.

The business model has primarily been wholesaling for local restaurants, including the Farm Bistro.

Last year, she and Stubbs branched out to farmers markets in Cortez and Durango and had a bit of an epiphany – they wanted more customer interaction.

“I want to interact with the people I’m selling to, and that was kind of the impetus for this counter,” Winer said. “As a wholesaler, I’m not the one that gets to talk to customers, so it’ll be great to receive feedback and get to know people buying.”

The farmers market also let Stubbs and Winer get a good idea of what customers wanted, and what would work in a cafe-style concept.

Aside from Winer’s signature pies, items such as breakfast sandwiches, homemade artisan bagels and pastries proved to be popular and will be featured at the new Pie Maker bakery.

Other additions to the expanded Pie Maker menu include an array of organic, fresh-baked scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls, bagels, hand pies, as well as a variety of cookies, brownies and desserts such as flourless chocolate torte and white chocolate cheesecake.

The bakery also has partnered with Fahrenheit Coffee Roasters of Mancos to provide coffee beans, which will be roasted and brewed fresh daily.

“Our mission is keeping everything fresh, as locally sourced as possible,” said Stubbs.

On Saturday, the Pie Maker will feature several Valentine’s Day treats for purchase, including white chocolate cheesecake slices, strawberry cream puffs, coconut macaroons and chocolate flourless torte.

The Pie Maker is the latest locally based food concept to set up shop off the Main Street strip in Cortez, a movement Winer and Stubbs are proud to contribute to.

“We’ve gotten to know people, and have watched as this downtown area grows and changes, it’s really exciting to be a part of,” she said.

The Pie Maker is at 17 N. Harrison St. in Cortez. The Valentine’s Day meet-and-greet begins at 9 a.m.



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