Kate Carter Anderson is aware that most people assume her hand pie recipe was something she inherited, passed down through the generations. “I wish it was!” she laughed, explaining that her “non-fussy” pies were born from her own go-to recipe—one that she developed after graduating from the culinary program at Metro Community College and working as a culinary instructor at No More Empty Pots. A veteran of The Boiler Room and Archetype Coffee, Anderson was no stranger to creating food that people want to eat.
“Every culture has a hand pie or something like it,” she said. “Kolaches, pockets, and even dumplings are a type of hand pie.”
The business started as a project at the Omaha Farmers Market in 2019 when Anderson and Sarah “Rye” Ryan, a friend with whom she worked at No More Empty Pots, sold hand pies. The project quickly morphed into something more as the duo frequently sold out their offerings. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the women began taking orders remotely and dropping them off at customers’ front doors, which allowed the business to grow despite restrictions. They tried doing some pop-ups before eventually deciding to procure a dedicated location, which they named Carter & Rye, a riff on both their names.
Nowadays, Anderson has a brick-and-mortar store on 35th and Center streets. Despite limited hours, the shop typically has customers lined up to get their hands on the next interesting flavor Anderson introduces. “People are willing to try new flavors,” shop employee Missy Nissen said. “They’ve learned to trust the crust.”
That’s because Anderson doesn’t shy away from bold, unusual flavors. Her kimchee sausage hand pies, for example, delighted customers, even those at the farmers market who exclaimed, “What is that?” to which Anderson always replied, “Trust me, if you like stuff that’s a little spicy, you’ll like this.”
“Now kimchee sausage pies are one of our best sellers,” Anderson marveled. She personally prefers savory hand pies, using ingredients like pot roast, sweet potatoes, and squash in the winter. Her biscuits and gravy hand pie is one of her favorites to bake. “I feel like a lunch lady!” she said, adding, “It’s fun to make, and people get excited.”
The best hand pie Anderson ever ate was on a road trip to California. She stopped in a mining town in Nevada and ate a ground beef, potatoes, and rutabaga hand pie from a restaurant that had the motto, “One’s a Meal!” She said that hand pies were commonplace in mining towns because the pie is “delicious, not fussy, and approachable.” Miners would pack a hand pie and eat it as a quick meal before returning to work.
But Anderson’s love for savory hand pies doesn’t stop her from offering some sweet treats, like peach hand pies during summer, for which her customers clamor. She also enjoys playing with sweet and savory combinations, like blackberry jam and sausage.
“Kate kind of flies by the seat of her pants,” Nissen said. “She chooses the flavors each week by inspiration. We have the trust and confidence in her to know that she knows what she’s doing.”
Anderson and her team of four revel in not only creating hand pies that the community covets, but also for offering a friendly, welcoming shop for customers. “Everyone is just so happy to be there,” Nissen said. “We’ve created a little safe haven of joy in the community. This is a little safe spot to come and interact with people. We have this little pie shop, and it’s the place where everyone who walks through the door feels welcome. Our pies fill you with the best childhood memories wrapped in a buttery crust.”
Anderson and her team still sell at the Omaha Farmers Market in Aksarben Village during the summer months, largely because they enjoy the experience. Anderson has been known to wander off to peruse the offerings from the other merchants and frequently returns with ingredients for the next week’s hand pies.
She’s been approached by coffee shops that want to source her hand pies, to which she has thus far declined. Her plan for Carter & Rye’s future is to “establish deeper roots in Omaha.” For now, though, she is enjoying her spot among successful female business owners in Omaha.
For more information about Kate Carter Anderson’s hand pies, visit carterandrye.com.
This article originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
