Handy & Hot Resumes Its Hand Pie Collaborations

Back in March of this year, chef and PBS TV personality Vivian Howard kicked off what was planned to be a series of hand pie collaborations at Handy & Hot, her grab-and-go bakery and coffee shop on Wentworth Street. First out of the gate was a pastry filled with Szechuan ground pork, Sea Island red peas, and smoked cheddar that was created in collaboration with Shuai Wang of Jackrabbit Filly.

More collaborations were meant to follow, but the bakery put the project on hold due to staffing challenges. “Like a lot of things this year, our well-intentioned plans didn’t go as planned,” Howard said in a statement. “We had so much fun working with chef Shaui Wang on his hand pie and our customers loved it.”

Here October, Howard says, things “feel a little closer to normal,” and the hand pie collaborations are back starting today. First up is a pie created by chef Jill Mathias of Chez Nous that is stuffed with roasted pear, blue cheese, toasted almonds, thyme, honey and arugula—a combination inspired by an early autumn roasted pear dish she serves at Chez Nous. The hand pie costs $7 and will be available through the end of November.

Chef Jill Mathias of Chez Nous has created a roasted pear and blue cheese hand pie for her collaboration with Vivian Howard (Baxter Miller)

Howard has an impressive slate of collaborators lined up for future hand pies, too, including chefs BJ Dennis, Juan Cassalet of Malagon, Jacques Larson of The Obstinate Daughter and Wild Olive, and acclaimed whole hog cook Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott's BBQ. So we’re guessing some spicy, smoky pork for that last one?