I've only got pies for Three Babes Bakeshop. I love supporting local businesses, especially when female and BIPOC led businesses on which their claim to fame comes from a stand at a local Farmers Market. The success of Three Babes Bakeshop belongs to the steadfast loyalty of owner Lenore Estrada, who remains the last of the three co-founders still remaining with the company, as they have been around since 2011. Estrada has taken her love of baking pies as a child to a whole new level after graduating from the Ivy League and experiencing a stint in the tech, the concept of turning a passion of pies seemed like the impossible dream, but it has now become the dream fulfilled as they have storefront in the Mission neighborhood for online ordering and pickups in addition to walk-in orders, and of course their signature stand at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market every Saturday afternoon. Run by the nonprofit Foodwise, what makes these highly popular farmers markets stand out is that they proudly showcase some of the best local and sustainable farms, food makers, and restaurants from throughout the Bay Area. Yes, vendors drive from far and wide just to open their stand every week here at the epicenter of San Francisco transportation and tourism, as the ferry terminal entrance overlooks the Farmers Market and the Embarcadero subway station is mere blocks away. You'd be surprised at the energy that the Embarcadero has on any given weekend, as the rays of the sun beats down on people walking and riding their bikes, there is literally an energy that cannot be beat.
That's why I was so glad to see Three Babes Bakeshop still having their covered booth at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. You can't miss them, as they are located on the backside of the Ferry Building on the right hand side as you make your way towards one of the ferry piers. What makes the presentation at Three Babes Bakeshop so nice is that they have all of the pies that they are selling on any given day on their table as examples of what they have to offer. The slices are 8 dollars per slice, which of course is not the most affordable pricing, but is realistic what things are being sold for in our current times. I liked that they grouped up their pies in terms of texture and toppings, as all of their cream pies were lined up in front, their traditional pies were in the middle row, while their nut based pies like pecan and peanut butter were listed in the back row. I ordered a slice of their Banana Cream Pie and a slice of their Samoa Pie. With a total of 16 dollars before gratuity was added in, I was out the door in no time flat with my two compostable cartons filled with a slice each. The staff made sure to mark every new pie that they were cutting into to make sure that inventory for next week would be replenished with the appropriate amount of pies that they bring out to the Farmers Market to sell.
When I got home I decided to eat their Samoa Pie first, as it was their special limited time only pie is modeled after the beloved Girl Scout cookie, and is a combination of Guittard chocolate, salted caramel, toasted shredded coconut, topped with fresh organic Straus whipped cream all, served on their homemade chocolate graham cracker crust. This pie, although delicious, was a little on the sweeter side. Their Banana Cream Pie is filled with vanilla bean pastry cream and freshly sliced bananas and then is topped with fresh organic Straus whipped cream and dark chocolate served on a traditional baked pie crust. This pie proves why Three Babes Bakeshop is such a revered local institution as the pie came with organic pastry ingredients, in addition to ingredients that were so thoughtfully assembled as they source from local farms, many of which are very well-known including Old Dog Ranch, Hidden Star Orchards, Yerena Farms, Balakian Farms, Tory Farms, Frog Hollow Farm, and G.L, Alfieri, among others. I do wish that they were participating at more Farmers Market because getting to their storefront in the Mission can be a challenge, which is exemplified by a lack of updates on their social media channels. But the fact that Three Babes has grown from a tiny pop-up into San Francisco's most popular purveyor of artisanal pies is something we should all be celebrating, so here's to hoping their storefront is just the beginning of their success story. read more