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Subject: Gulliftys Coconut creme pie
From: Luke
Date: 12/5/2018, 4:57 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
On 12/5/2018 12:02 PM, Luke wrote:
Hello Uncle Phaedrus, my name is Luke and I'm looking for a coconut creme pie recipe
from a restaurant named Gulliftys. It used to be in the squirrel hill neighborhood of
Pittsburgh PA. My parents went to it after they bought their engagement rings, and my
mom loved the coconut creme pie so I wanted to find the recipe for her. It closed in
2013, and although there are some articles from local newspapers saying the brothers
that owned it were looking to open a desert business nothing has happened yet it seems.
I found one of the owners on facebook, but they haven't been active in years and didn't
respond to my message.
I'm sorry it's not much to go on, but if you found it I'd be eternally grateful.
Thank you
Hi Luke,
I'll say right off that I did not find this recipe, but I did find some information
about Gullifty's and the pie.
First, a little history: Gullifty's was a chain, with restaurants in several locations,
including one in Bryn Mawr, PA and one in Camp Hill in Harrisburg, PA. All are now closed
except for the one at 1149 Lancaster Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA - Gullifty's.
The restaurant at Squirrel Hill was owned by two brothers, Mark and Matt Hastie. The last
day of the Squirrel Hill's restaurant's operation was August 28, 2013. One of the chefs
at Gullifty's Squirrel Hill was Michele Kirwan, who is now owner and head chef at a
deli/restaurant called Kristopher's Place at 4239 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh. Matt Hastie
seems to have dropped from sight, but Mark Hastie is the owner and operator of three
dining locations on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus – The Underground in Morewood
Gardens (1060 Morewood Ave), The Zebra Lounge in the College of Fine Arts, and Seiber
Café in the Software Engineering Institute. See: Carnegie Mellon Dining
I found the menu from Gullifty's Squirrel Hill at: Gullifty's Squirrel Hill
On that menu, the coconut pie is listed as:
Ultimate Coconut Cream Pie:
Coconut macaroon crust, vanilla custard, Chantilly cream and toasted coconut.
Even though Gullifty's was a chain and there is still one open at Bryn Mawr, I don't think
that will help you much. In an interview, Matt Hastie said that the various locations of
Gullifty's did not use the same recipes, particularly not for desserts, and the "Ultimate
Coconut Cream Pie" was strictly a Squirrel Hill creation.
The Bryn Mawr Gullifty's does have a coconut pie on their made to order menu, but it is
almost certainly not the same. See their made to order menu:
Gullifty's Homemade Whole Desserts
To wit:
Coconut Cream Pie:
Fresh coconut cream filled pie crust topped with whipped cream and coconut
Luke, your best bets for getting that pie recipe would seem to be direct personal contact
with Mark Hastie, perhaps at one of his restaurants, or direct contact with chef Michele
Kirwan at Kristopher's Place. I did not see any evidence that coconut cream pie is served
at any of Mark's restaurants or at Michele's restaurant.
Both Matt Hastie and Mark Hastie have Facebook Pages, and Mark's restaurants may each
have a facebook page and/or a web page. I note that Matt's and Mark's Facebook pages give
foreign addresses, but they might actually reside in Pittsburgh.
I wish you good luck, but I can't offer you much hope that any of those people will give
you the pie recipe. My experience of almost 20 years is that most restaurateurs and chefs
never give away their recipes, not even years after their restaurant has closed. Perhaps
you are more persuasive than I. If they won't give you the recipe, perhaps Mark Hastie or
Michele Kirwan would make a pie for you to give to your mom.
Luke, I also searched for a coconut pie recipe with those ingredients of coconut macaroon
pie crust, vanilla custard, Chantilly cream, and toasted coconut. I had no success.
I'll post this for possible reader input.
Phaed
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