“We help women heal— one pie at a time!”
After decades of low self- esteem and an abusive marriage, Tara Royer Steele longed to find a way to heal her heart— and the hearts of others like her. And she found the way to do it was as easy as pie!
Tara Royer Steele gazed at the building before her, her heart soaring as she turned the key in the lock. For years, the Texas native had worked at her family’s Round Top café, known for its delicious pies. But after a lifetime of body image issues, an abusive marriage and financial turmoil, the family business felt like more of a hiding place than one she could call home.
But in 2011, after she got divorced and remarried to her new husband, Rick, Tara found herself with a chance at a new start, buying a building where she planned to start a pie shop and bakery of her own. And as she got her business going, Tara realized she had another dream in her heart: to share that opportunity for a fresh start with employees coming from a tough place in life like she had.
“I want this place to be a haven for them,” she mused to Rick. “That’s what we’ll call it: Royer’s Pie Haven!”
With a plan in place, Tara began hiring a team of “Pie Chicks,” a group of women who had experienced the pain of divorce, single motherhood and abuse. Ranging from a 31-year-old single mom battling depression, to a girl of just 17 struggling with bulimia and a history of being bullied, Tara welcomed women (and some men) from all walks of life.
And as the team grew, Tara noticed something incredible happening—the Pie Haven was working its healing magic on her employees too.
“I feel safe here,” one worker, who had been fighting through health issues, told her. “I can provide for my family but also take the time I need to rest.” Another thanked Tara for taking a chance on her after years of self-doubt.
“Now, I know I love to bake and love people!” she beamed.
Soon, the love and grace the Pie Chicks showed to one another began to trickle down to their customers, who would stop by to share their struggles over Tara’s famous apple or original recipe “junkberry” pies. But as the Pie Haven grew in popularity, Tara, who many affectionately call the Pie Queen, knew she had to spread the love to even more people.
She started with her devotional and recipe book, Eat. Pie. Love, and when the pandemic hit, the Pie Chicks used their commercial kitchen to make meals for those struggling to feed their families.
“That’s what it’s all about: helping others and loving ’em like Jesus does!” Tara smiles. “It’s the key to joy: to love people for who they are and encourage them to find their joy!”