Pastry chef Aly Lyng at George’s at the Cove in La Jolla survived COVID by selling her home-baked pies on Instagram.

She sold 200 pies a week for four months with her husband helping her deliver them from Escondido to Chula Vista, and anywhere in between.

Her side business has become such a hit, that Lyng’s pies are now regularly featured on George’s special Thanksgiving menu. They also are now a mainstay on the dessert menu at George’s sister eatery, Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters, at 2259 Avenida De La Playa in La Jolla Shores. Her pie flavors on Sandpiper’s menu are rotated regularly.

As part of George’s Thanksgiving dinner, for the third straight year, Aly’s whole pies – honey pumpkin, apple-cranberry crumb, and Bourbon black-bottom pecan – are being pre-sold for the holiday.

Lyng, a pastry chef at George’s since 2016, began there as an intern while still at culinary school at Grossmont College. She talked about the necessity for taking a chance in the pie-selling business, and how that has positively impacted her life and culinary career.

“We (George’s) were closed in March 2020 and I didn’t know how long I was going to be furloughed until we were up and running again,” she said adding it took her only a “couple of days” to want to be “back in the kitchen.”

Though she hadn’t been baking pies much, Lyng said her game-changing idea was that she could create her own home-grown business because baked pies were “transportable and had that heartwarming touch.”

Lyng noted George’s management was impressed by her culinary skills and business acumen. So much so that, when they converted Galaxy Tacos into Sandpiper in La Jolla Shores, she was surprised to be told: “We want you to make pies there, and we’re going to put your name on the menu.”

Lyng’s pies typically can serve eight to 10 people “depending on how you slice it,” she said. She added she likes to create seasonal pies, like peach or nectarine during summer, at Sandpiper. “They are so fun to design and there are so many different variations you can do with pie,” she pointed out.

Lyng pointed out a pastry chef’s work is rarely dull. “You get to make interesting things for special occasions,” she noted adding, “I’ve been asked to write certain things with chocolate on plates: It’s just really cute. I did a gender reveal (for a newborn), and they found out by cutting into a dessert.” Concluded Lyng: “People look forward to seeing a special dessert.”

Aly’s Thanksgiving pies can be ordered on Explore Tock: exploretock.com.