Every Day is Pie Day 

• Alex Springer

If you've read my food writing with any degree of regularity, you'll know that pie—both sweet and savory—is near and dear to my heart. Despite my propensity to write local pie roundups around March 14's Pi Day, this year it was time to spotlight a new bakery that has integrated pie into this dessert 2.0 model that we're seeing with cookies, cinnamon rolls and other fine baked goods. The bakery in question is known as Flake Pie Co. (1665 Towne Center Dr., Ste. 3, 385-342-2620, flakepie.com), one of South Jordan's newest additions.

I've been a regular ever since Flake opened—it's a place that specializes in personal-sized pies, hand pies called "Flakies," pots de crème and, more recently, savory pot pies. It's hard not to get a bit bright-eyed when you walk into their cozy SoJo shop and see a merry legion of fluffy merengues, glossy cream pies and glazed fruit pies staring up at you.

All the pie staples are there, but Flake likes to get creative on a seasonal basis. For instance, spring is all about their Strawberry Beret ($4.75), a strawberry cream pie served in an Oreo crust and topped with whipped cream and a chocolate-covered strawberry. It's sweet, fresh and creamy, but does have a tendency to crumble into a pie pile if you decide to take it out of its cute little tin.

The pies made with Flake's signature pie crust have a little more structural integrity, as well as the buttery flavor and flaky texture responsible for the bakery's name. You can't go wrong with the Apple of My Pie ($4.75) or the She's My Berry Pie ($4.75) if you're a fan of traditional fruit pies. The apple pie is traditional in nearly every way—Granny Smith apples baked in a golden caramel sauce creates an evocative experience for anyone even remotely nostalgic about apple pie. The Berry pie is tasty to be sure, but it doesn't quite pack the punch of the apple. Still, getting one of these warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream—which Flake totally offers—will leave any pie fan satisfied.

While I'm a staunch believer that Flake's strength comes from that delectable pie crust, I think their creative ambitions are admirable for a place that's just starting out. Like the clever strawberry pie, Flake's more unconventional pie offerings are what makes the place unique. The Peanut Butter Is My Jam ($4.75) currently lives at the top of my list, since it's a mainline of pure childhood joy for me. I doubt I'm the only one who harbors a special place in their heart for the flavor combo of dark chocolate and creamy peanut butter, but there's something about this pie that takes me right back to scarfing down peanut butter cups after a night of trick-or-treating. The pie itself is far superior to any packaged snack, but the primal sensation of being gobsmacked by these two intense flavor soulmates makes you remember the thrill of a pre-adolescent sugar rush.

I also have some nostalgic affection set aside for the B-A-N-A-N-A-S pie ($4.75), since my dad's love for fast food banana cream pies made them a fixture at the Springer house growing up. Flake's rendition of this classic swaps out the mounds of whipped cream for a tuffet of toasted merengue, which I thought was an interesting call. Typically, a banana cream pie is good because it consists of pudding-like textures layered into one another. This one maintains that formula, but the addition of a slightly marshmallowy merengue keeps this pie from drowning in one-note textures.

Flake's recently expanded savory pie menu has been the real treat of having this place so close to my house. I'm always on the lookout for anything akin to a pot pie, meat pie, pasty or any other form of buttery crust stuffed with meat and gravy, so this addition was a big deal to me. At the moment, Flake is serving up three options: The Hey Pig Spender ($6), the Boom Chicka Licka ($6) and the Greece is the Word ($6). Hands down, the Chicka Licka is absolutely dynamite. It's everything you'd hope for in a chicken pot pie, from its thick, savory sage gravy to its tender chicken. The Pig Spender is filled with juicy pork slathered in barbecue sauce which will rival any pulled pork sandwich on the block—though I'd like the sauce to be a tad less sweet. The Greek pie harnesses the strong flavors of feta cheese, paprika and nutmeg for something quintessentially Mediterranean. I hope the savory pies will stick around for the duration, because they're awesome, and it's easy to hold one in each hand.

From sweet to savory, Flake Pie Co. has asserted itself as a specialty bakery that has the talent to serve up the goods. They understand the cultural importance that pies have for those of us with mouths and taste buds, and they use that understanding to create offerings that are quick, tasty and good to the last bite.