Kate has seen customers tear up while eating her hand pies, and the warm, nostalgic feelings tied with that buttery, flaky crust are indeed powerful. Stuffed with either sweet or savory fillings, her hand pies have transformative powers. Kate and I talked about how she's constantly coming up with new variations, how Carter & Rye grew from a side hustle in her full-time gig, the value of growing a business slowly versus rapid expansion, and more!
🥧 Learn more about Carter & Rye:https://carterandrye.com/
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Timestamps:
00:00:00 – Intro: The Hand Pie Revolution
00:01:02 – What Exactly Is a Hand Pie?
00:02:20 – How Hand Pies Compare to Empanadas & Samosas
00:03:15 – Why Hand Pies Feel So Nostalgic
00:04:10 – Watching Customers Get Emotional Over Food
00:05:00 – Kate’s Childhood Pie Memories
00:06:20 – The Brown Sugar Cinnamon Connection
00:07:10 – How Carter & Rye’s Menu Changes Every Week
00:09:05 – Keeping the Business Simple & Seasonal
00:10:05 – Creativity Through Constantly Changing Flavors
00:11:40 – Why Customers Follow Every Weekly Menu Drop
00:12:20 – The Science (and Chaos) of Pie Dough
00:13:40 – Power Outages & Extra-Flaky Dough
00:14:10 – Best Selling Hand Pie Flavors
00:15:00 – Announcing the “Brekkie Cubano” Hand Pie
00:16:15 – How Dan Inspired a New Flavor
00:17:10 – Kate’s Favorite Story Behind a Hand Pie
00:18:10 – Collaborating with Lazy Buffalo & Local Farmers
00:19:15 – Why Carter & Rye Loves Collaborations
00:20:00 – Creating Community Through Food Pop-Ups
00:21:30 – The Dream Hand Pie Kate Wants to Make
00:22:30 – Inspired by Ramen: Pork Belly Hand Pie Ideas
00:24:00 – “We’ll Never Make All the Hand Pies We Want To”
00:25:05 – Why Carter & Rye Still Loves the Farmers Market
00:27:10 – The Labor Behind Every Hand Pie
00:29:00 – Scaling Without Sacrificing Quality
00:30:05 – The Rise of Small Specialty Bakeries
00:31:10 – Why Scarcity Created Massive FOMO
00:32:20 – The Origins of Carter & Rye
00:33:15 – Starting as a Side Hustle at No More Empty Pots
00:34:10 – Why Hand Pies Became the Perfect Business
00:35:30 – The Convenience of Frozen Hand Pies
00:36:30 – Their First Ever Pop-Up in 2019
00:37:45 – Losing a Business Partner & Going All In
00:39:30 – Taking the Leap Into Full-Time Entrepreneurship
00:41:00 – The Uncertainty of Running a Business During COVID
00:43:00 – Comfort Food During the Pandemic
00:45:20 – Opening the Carter & Rye Storefront
00:47:00 – Why Their Tiny Shop Actually Works
00:48:15 – What’s Next for Carter & Rye?
00:49:40 – The Power of Organic Business Growth
00:51:10 – Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
00:52:20 – “I Still Love Making Hand Pies”
00:53:20 – The Joy of Making Food for People
00:55:00 – Dan on Why Carter & Rye Is So Special
#RestaurantHoppen #CarterAndRye #HandPies #OmahaFood #FarmersMarket
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