Aurum Hand Pies Closes Its Jamaica Plain Restaurant
Of all the small eateries tucked in Jamaica Plain, none whipped up eclectic, Syrian hand pies like Aurum. You’ll have to keep an eye out for those bites elsewhere, though: the Hyde Square restaurant has closed its doors to focus on wholesale, catering, and pop-ups. Owner Matthew Virzi broke the news on social media with the help of San Diego’s favorite news anchor.
“I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate your patronage over the last three years, but I have decided to focus my energy on my growing catering and wholesale businesses,” he wrote on Facebook.
The company isn’t calling it quits, though. While prioritizing catering, Virzi also hinted at selling his hand pies in stores, as well as popping up across New England this spring. That may not come as a surprise to regulars, since the brand has popped up in the area, and the restaurant itself played host to many a fermentation workshop with Jeremy Ogusky, aka the Boston Potter, and was where the Parlor Ice Cream Co. debuted.
Aurum has built a following around its small sandwiches that sit somewhere between a pita and a calzone. While growing up in Shrewsbury, Virzi was exposed to a number of Middle Eastern-style pies available in the Worcester area, he told the Boston Globe when Aurum first opened in 2014. He brought that concept to Boston with a more American approach, with pies like the Whiskey River, with chicken, scallions, and barbecue sauce; breakfast options with egg and cheese; and dessert pies filled with banana and Nutella. The restaurant also served a selection of flatbreads, stir fry bowls, and vegetarian-friendly plates.
Those dishes once net it an appearance on the Food Network. Many of those pies and small bites are still available to order online for New England patrons. Virzi could not be reached to confirm his plans for more wholesale and pop-ups, but no matter what his next chapter holds, his fanbase seems to be behind him.
Aurum isn’t the only JP company making moves: Chilacates debuted a second taqueria on Centre Street over the weekend.
377 Centre St., Hyde Square, Jamaica Plain, 617-522-3377, aurumjp.com.
