ELLSWORTH – Rachel Love Gentry is living a lifetime dream. It’s not a fancy mansion on the beach or a penthouse in the city. Her dream is to operate her own pie shop, a goal she accomplished when she opened the doors to Amma’s Pies on Jan. 1.

Amma’s Pies is located at 246 N. Broadway St. in Ellsworth’s East End, directly across from YB Urban? Aroma Bar. She “bakes with love,” confirmed by the deliciousness in each homemade bite and the stickers on her products.

Amma’s Pies features made from scratch pies of all kinds, homemade soups, pot pies, coffee and tea. Her granddaughter Willow calls her Amma, and the name stuck. It’s the inspiration for her new adventure’s name.

Gentry, a Minnesota native, moved to River Falls in 2010 where she raised her four daughters. She now lives in Ellsworth and works at Just Kas Cocktails & Cuisine. She has always loved to bake and share her goodies with friends.

“My grandma, she was a farm lady and everything was from scratch cooking,” Gentry said. “Victoria Hines taught me her crust recipe. She helps every Monday to put crusts together. I have always loved baking and cooking in general.”
She attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts for a short time but quit when her dad became terminally ill. School work wasn’t for her anyway, she said. She wanted to get her hands dirty and bake, not keep food journals and do written assignments. Some people do better to learn by fire. She scratched the baking itch by sharing her food with friends around Ellsworth.

However, everything changed when she saw a Facebook post on the Ellsworth Community Happenings page from Sawyer Joe’s owner Nicole Mischler, who asked “What does this community need that isn’t here?”

“That inspired me,” Gentry said. “That post was so awesome. What can I do that isn’t here.”

She was also inspired by her time working at South Fork Café in River Falls. She thought about opening a café called Rachel’s Kitchen but thought about what Ellsworth doesn’t yet have. The stars aligned when Village Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Brad Roy told her the East End space was available and connected her with the property owner. She had been praying for direction at Bible camp, and Roy called.

“I wanted this to feel like you come in here and you’re at home, or a relative’s,” she said.

Gentry said her kids are proud of her, not only for opening the shop but for maintaining her sobriety. She is open about struggles she had with alcohol. Her logo includes a Bible verse from Matthew: “You will know them by their fruits.”

“I told my kids, you’re just going to have to watch and build your trust when you’re ready,” Gentry said. “I quit drinking in November (2024) and turned my life around. My coworkers at Just Kas have been just amazing, supporting me through sobriety and the changes I’ve made in my life. I’m so lucky.”

This past weekend, Gentry sold every single slice of pie she had, along with open-faced turkey sandwiches and mashed potatoes. She likes to feed people more than just sweets and said she can’t keep her chicken pot pie in stock.

“I’ll see how this goes, but I feel like in the next couple of years I will probably outgrow this space,” Gentry said. “I’ll be front and center for Cheese Curd Festival.”

She’s already planning on how to make enough pies ahead of time for that weekend, when thousands of people swarm the Cheese Curd Capital.

“I’m hoping to get a dough sheeter,” Gentry said. “I sold 13 pies in one day. They just go out the door as soon as I make them and I’m just so grateful.”

Gentry’s relationship with God is a cornerstone of her new life and her new business.

“I just feel like as much as He’s done for me, I can’t be ungrateful anymore. I have to pay it forward with kindness and give to people. I just can’t get over how grateful I am. Every day is a beautiful day,” she said. “You get to choose how to feel each day. I’m grateful and thankful that I can do it. He’s making me strong enough to take care of this instead of complaining about it. I’m not planning to make a million dollars; I just wanted to make my girls proud. And I definitely wanted to pull the community in.”

Amma’s Pies is open Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Follow Amma’s Pies on Facebook for daily specials and updates.

“I really want to thank this community and the friends that have supported me, people that I didn’t even know,” Gentry said. “I’ve never put down roots anywhere; I have a gypsy soul. I love this place.”