The Pie Shell

There is a simple lesson from childhood we all remember quite vividly: It’s what’s inside that counts. Until you’ve had the chance to sample some of the delectable morsels available from The Pie Shell in New Bremen, you’ll never know how true that is.

Susan Krieg is the owner of The Pie Shell, and she is the whiz behind everything—from the flaky crust of one of her nearly 37 varieties of pies to the butter cream frosting clinging scrumptiously to one of the many kinds of cakes she whips up in her own kitchen.

Quite the opposite of what you would expect, Susan didn't always have a love for creating confections. In fact, she admits she wasn't too handy in the kitchen at all until after she was married. It was then that she discovered she had a knack for cooking and baking. Now finding luscious dessert recipes and recreating them are a daily event! She was still working as an orthodontic assistant when she started her business in August of 2005. In her spare time Susan made and sold homemade pies, adding new possibilities to her basic list of cherry and apple as she experimented with new ideas and tried old favorites with a fresh-from-the- kitchen twist.

The trial and error was worth it. Her creations caught on, and soon her repertoire grew to include all kinds of pies from apple and peach to Oreo and Amish Cream. In July of 2007, she took cake decorating classes just for the fun of it, and was pleasantly surprised to find she was also pretty good at it. Before too long, as she shared her newly found skills with family and friends, the word spread and she started getting orders for special occasion cakes custom decorated for everything from retirements to birthdays.

Eventually, she was approached by a family friend who asked if Susan would be willing to make his wedding cake. She said yes with a little bit of hesitation, but the finished product was not only gorgeous but delicious. Over the past year she has made ten wedding cakes and is already booking dates into 2010.

Things were going so well, she quit her other job to devote her time to her booming “side” business and her family. Currently she not only fills custom orders of any size, but also contracts with different restaurants to keep them in supply of the sweet stuff.

She has managed to accomplish all of this while raising three children (Megan-6, Emma-5 and Tyler-3) with her husband Seb.

Because the place where Susan works is also the place where her heart is, a part of that homemade feel ends up in every creation. Each dessert is made with consistent care. All of her pastries and the fillings, cakes, frosting and even cookies are made from scratch—and to order.

She loves to make and create something that makes people happy, and she enjoys the flexibility a home office (or in this case, a home kitchen) has to offer.

The biggest benefit? The time she gets to spend with her kids. "I enjoy being home with my children, it’s where I belong and where I want to be," she says. "By making pies and cakes I can be home when I need to be, and still be there for my family financially. It really is the best of both worlds."

If you're looking for a tasty, decadent dessert to finish off any meal or add that certain something to an event or occasion, look no further than The Pie Shell. You can order pies, cakes, cookies or cheesecakes from Susan by calling her at the number above.

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