Who is This “Pie Lady” We’ve Heard About?

Many of the readers of the Stillwater Patch will connect with the story of Sara Hayden of Oak Park Heights.  Over the summer she earned the name “The Pie Lady” from the fellows at Lift Bridge Brewery, and most recently she’s been baking out of Chris Aamodt’s kitchen at the orchard.

Telling her story through video has truly been a privilege, and I’m confident many viewers will see themselves in Sara.  Though she had big dreams as a young adult, she did what many of us do, put her creativity on hold for a while, got married and began to raise a family with her husband Chris.  Life of course loves to take us down paths we never anticipated or planned for, and the same is true for Sara.  She is now the proud parent of five children, including triplets and a daughter with special needs. 

As many of us do as parents and caregivers, Sara “lost who she was.”  She came to the realization that in order to do the best she could for her husband and children, she also had to do something for herself.  In Chris and Sara’s case, that meant prioritizing their health and going on a carb free diet.  In the interview I recorded, she illustrated it with the instructions we get before our plane takes off for a sunnier climate… in case of emergency, put your oxygen on first, then you can help others.  By applying this principle, she’s been able to discover herself once again. 

The great thing for us as a community, is that she also rediscovered the passion she had as a young adult, baking for people!  In looking to find a way to earn some extra money, a good family friend, Dave Michaud of Fresh Fields invited her to work in his kitchen and hone her pie baking skills.  With her mother’s traditional crust recipe in hand, she decided to try to build this special talent for creating delectable deserts into a small business, and started Rustic Pies of Stillwater.   Her creativity blossomed when she discovered her first pie recipe which called for beer!  After some trial and error, she came up with a pie she was proud of and then “cold called” the guys at Lift Bridge.  It was a marriage made in pie heaven!  Her recipes have evolved to include Kieran Folliard’s 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey and St. Croix Valley Vineyards wines. 

The icing on the cake… OK, PIE for her was when Chris Aamodt invited her to bake in his kitchen and sell her unique creations during the busy harvest season.  Sara has not only provided Aamodts with her Lift Bridge Chestnut Hill Apple Pie, but also created the unique "Pie Pal", baked in a mason jar, and "Tipsy Cookies"… wonderful little pies in a large cookie form.  If you haven’t made plans for your Thanksgiving desert, there’s still time to get your hands on some of her wonderful works.  You can order from Sara any time of the year by visiting RusticPiesofStillwater.com or calling 651-208-4247.  It’s a pleasure to support small business owners whose passion for what they do comes across in every item they produce, or client they serve.  That’s something you only get when you “Tour Main Street!”