Pilot Point’s allergen friendly vegan bakery is under new management.
The Little Piglet, located on Main Street directly across from the Development Services building, changed hands but has not changed in the service it looks to provide.
“On our grand opening date on Jan. 4, we had a customer who was recently diagnosed with celiac disease, a little girl,” Emily Simon said. “I’m not vegan and don’t have any allergies to food so don’t have that tie to needing or wanting to keep it, but when I met Hazel and heard her story, it sparked my heart towards wanting to keep it that way.”
Simon and her partner Melissa Govea are both full-time employees of the Mustang Special Utility District, and it was at work that the two cooked up the plan after Govea and her husband checked out the possibility of purchasing the business on their own.
“I thought it would be way out of my realm or I wouldn’t be able to afford it and email her and it was not,” Govea said. “My husband and I came and looked at it, but I was like, ‘I don’t want to take this on, all this stress.’” She continued. “I was up talking to another girl in our department and Emily asked what we were talking about,” Govea said. “I could tell her mind was spinning then [I] go downstairs and she texts me that [she and her husband] are going to go look at it. I was like, ‘hold on a second, would you be interested in going in halfsies.’” Neither cook vegan or allergen friendly at home, so both spoke about the learning curve after taking over.
“We have had to do some research to figure it out,” Simon said. “Kailey [the previous owner] did a great job handing everything over down to a list of ingredients and brands she buys to ensure we aren’t changing anything for anyone who is accustomed to what’s being provided there.”
Simon also praised the staff they inherited.
“We have four employees that came from when Kailey owned it, and they’ve been so important to our lives because they’re truly teaching us,” Simon said. “If it wasn’t for them, we probably still wouldn’t be open yet.”
As the pair continue to get their feet under them, they plan to grow the business. Govea spoke about utilizing the adjacent greenspace to host community events, while Simon mentioned reaching customers via social media and farmers markets.
“We’re still getting our feet on the ground, but our goal is to be a little more forward facing on social media and at farmers markets, pushing the catering side and doing more parties to bring income and balance what’s going out versus what’s coming in,” Simon said.
She further shared The Little Piglet has special menu items in mind.
“We’ve talked about expanding outside of the allergen friendly items but aren’t totally onboard with that yet,” Simon said. “As we look towards different holidays, we’ll try to bring items that are specific to that holiday. For Cinco de Mayo, I’m thinking about trying to make gluten free conchas, bringing those items in for special occasions.”
Both new owners are mothers and wives in addition to their careers with Mustang and their new business venture.
“I’m a mom of three and firewife, moved up to Dallas from Corpus Christi as a Chickfil- A manager and office assistant so my customer service and heart for the community started as Chick-fil-A,” Simon said. “Now I work at Mustang as the development manager, so I’m always busy with that but just love to be with community and with my family. We’re very outdoorsy.”
Govea expressed gratitude to the community for welcoming her last year when she moved from Aubrey and to the school district for similarly welcoming her daughter.
“Pilot Point has been life changing for her,” Govea said. “She struggled with depression ... but Pilot Point welcomed her, so being a part of this community has changed her life.”
Though Govea and Simon explained they don’t see themselves quitting their day jobs in the near future, they said the bakery has worked its way into their thoughts even at the water district.
“I love waking up in the morning and going to the bakery,” Govea said. “It would be amazing if it was something we could do every day, but financially right now, it’s nice to not have to worry about if the bakery is okay.”
The Little Piglet is open 4-8 p.m. Thursdays, 4-9 p.m. Fridays, noon-9 p.m. Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
“I’d love to get big enough where we can open a second location or move to a bigger location, but baby steps for now,” Simon said.
