Pouch Pies Bring Comfort to Peachtree Corners

During this difficult time, when we are all looking for a little comfort for our families and ourselves, we need not look further than our own community. We can find it in the walks we take, the neighbors waving hello to us on the street, but especially in the meals we share with our loved ones.

That comforting feeling can be found in delicious Pouch Pies, made locally in a Roswell facility by an entrepreneurial Peachtree Corners family. Now that the holidays are fast approaching, it’s hard to imagine how we will make this season feel “normal.” Perhaps if we can’t be with the people we love, we can still eat the foods that bring us a sense of nostalgia.

The Pouch Pies’ Malcher family saw the value in bringing families together, when the two daughters, who were living in South Africa at the time, convinced their parents, who were living in Scotland, to move to the United States to be closer to extended relatives.

A taste of home

Once they made the move, they quickly grew homesick for a certain kind of dish that most other countries around the world have their own version of. “Pies,” as they lovingly refer to them, are not the same thing as the sweet, fruit-filled treats we have here in the South. Latin countries have the empanada, India has the samosa and Jamaica has the beef pattie. Even George Washington used to make some version of it; in fact, it was his favorite dish.

But when it comes to this common food, the closest thing the U.S. has would be the pot pie, which isn’t handheld and convenient. “The U.S. had it, then somehow lost it. Now we’re bringing it back,” said Dave Malcher, the ‘father’ of Pouch Pies.

In 2015, the family — they call themselves the “pie”-oneers! — decided to open up a small shop in Athens, Ga., where they lived, and spent six months perfecting their recipes and trying new, exciting combinations. Using fresh, high-quality ingredients, they forged on to handmake each pie from scratch.
It was a hit! Not only did they get a ton of business from the local university students with late-night munchie cravings, they also started to notice something far more touching. Expats from all over the world would drive for hours and hours to their little shop in Athens — just to get a taste of home.

Finding more mouths to feed

Three years ago, they decided to close up the shop in Athens and move into a factory in Roswell, Ga. Once there, they expanded the operation, hiring more chefs and distributing to boutique stores and markets all over the country.

Now they ship all over the nation using cooled containers, while still keeping the tradition of hand-making each pie individually. It eventually caught the eye of some prestigious culinary awards and earned the Flavor of Georgia Award in 2019.

Once the pandemic hit, the Pouch Pies family worried about how their special little company might survive. “We learned not to take anything for granted,” said Dave, speaking about the ability to stay quarantined with his family and still see them every day. “The way I see it, you can either adapt to it, or stop your life right there.”

And adapt they did. In addition to distributing their pies to businesses, Pouch Pies started hipping directly to customers, even providing free local deliveries to members within the community. Now families of Peachtree Corners — and all over the country — can enjoy a homecooked meal on nights when they’re exhausted from virtual learning, housebound kids or COVID-burnout.

“It was local businesses that first kept us going,” Charmaine, one of the sisters, recalled. “Now we love being able to help out the community during this difficult time.”

Familiar flavors

I, myself, was “coerced” into a taste test. (Yes, it’s hard being a writer, sometimes!). After sharing with my family, I asked what they thought.

My mama’s favorite was the Spinach and Feta, and she pointed out that while most American pot pies are mostly gravy, Pouch Pies are full of meat and vegetables. My husband’s first response was that one of the pies — Beef, Bacon and Ale — reminded him of his mother’s fabulous brisket. And that’s what it comes down to, isn’t it?

This holiday season, even though we can’t physically be with our loved ones, we need to do all we can to find the comfort of the many holiday meals we’ve shared with them. Thank you, Pouch Pies for giving us a taste of home this holiday season.

As an exclusive perk for magazine readers, Pouch Pies is offering a 15% discount on their site — just order through their site at pouchpies.com and use the code PTCmag when checking out. You can also call at 470-545-3895. The offer will be valid until January 31, 2021.

Use the discount for the seven- or nine-ounce pies. Pouch Pies also plans to offer mini sausages and sticky toffee pudding, and they’ll roll out a new flavor — Beef Bourgeon — for the holidays.