Uplifting others at every turn, the multitalented Stephanie Jeter Duckworth enjoys her day job as a physical therapist, entertains audiences as a musician, and especially delights in crafting eye-catching and palate-pleasing pies through her baking venture, Honeyshine Pies.
Stephanie Jeter Duckworth, founder of Honeyshine Pies, with one of her creations.
Originally from the small town of Elizabethton, Tennessee, Duckworth has been a physical therapist since 2009. She briefly lived in New York City before returning home for a spell and eventually relocating to Lexington in 2012.
During her time in the Big Apple, she began contemplating ways to reconnect with her Appalachian South roots. “I rediscovered my culture, I guess, or learned to appreciate being from the Appalachian South when I was so far away from home,” she said.
Upon returning to Tennessee, Duckworth explored various cultural activities such as singing, playing autoharp and bass with the Empty Bottle String Band, and performing as part of the country music duo, Rose and Vine, with her husband, Andy Duckworth. She also learned clogging and flatfootstyle dancing.
Determined to master cooking one great dish from scratch, Duckworth decided to start with pies. “I thought, ‘Apple pie! That is the perfect thing to start with,’” she said.
With no pie expert to consult, she taught herself by researching recipes and tips online, combining the ones she thought would work best to create her own modified recipe. When her mom tried it, she was genuinely impressed, which encouraged Duckworth to keep at it.
During an outdoor lunch break in downtown Lexington, Duckworth noticed a sign for a Fourth of July event featuring a pie contest with scratch and semi-homemade categories. She entered her raspberry cream pie in the scratch category and her apple pie in the latter. She won first place in both categories.
Honeyshine Pies offers a variety of pies, from traditional flavors to those made with unique ingredients.
Encouraged by her success, Duckworth began entering and frequently winning or placing in pie contests throughout Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, and nationally. She named her business Honeyshine Pies, with her friends, coworkers, family, and music audiences being the fortunate recipients of her practice pies.
Officially obtaining her LLC designation and business license last November, she now accepts custom orders through her website, stephaniejeter.net, and conducts periodic workshops. Since January, her pies have been available through the newly reopened Wilson’s Grocery and Meats, where she also does her commercial baking.
Owner Matt Bastin, who favors the Moscow Mule Pecan variety, said of Duckworth’s pies: “It’s a great fit for Wilson’s. I’m fortunate to be part of her process and grateful to know her. People are impressed with the thoughtfulness and quality of each pie.”
Duckworth enjoys experimenting with unexpected ingredients to create new and delicious flavor combinations. For example, she loves making sweet pies with vegetables, such as a bean pie with navy beans, said to have originated with the Nation of Islam. She’s also made pies with chickpeas, pinto beans, and even parsnips on occasion.
“I feel you can go anywhere and get apple pie, cherry pie, pecan pie, but a Honeyshine Pie is always going to have something that makes it stand out.”
Her personal favorite is a lemon meringue pie, while a variety she doesn’t personally favor as much is cherry pie. Currently, her spicy peach pie with habanero and Tajin seasoning is the most popular among customers.
She decorates her pies with intricate latticework, perfectly crimped crusts, cut-out flowers, leaves, and even animals. Some pies even feature homemade foodsafe colorings.
A straightforward pie like pecan or butterscotch takes her about 90 minutes, she said, but elaborate designs, like the colorful diamond lattice pie that won first place in a style contest at the University of Kentucky, can take her the better part of a day.
Duckworth’s top tip for piemaking success is to apply a pie wash before baking any doublecrust fruit pie, using a pastry brush to apply cream, milk, egg whites, or a mixture of whites and yolks to achieve a beautiful golden finish. “If you put a pie wash on there, it really makes it stand out,” Duckworth said.
Her yet-to-do list is extensive. She aims to write a cookbook, own her own shop, can her specialty pie fillings, win more awards, and conduct more workshops.
The creativity involved is what keeps Duckworth motivated and always thinking of inventive recipe ideas and designs.
“I feel you can go anywhere and get apple pie, cherry pie, pecan pie, but a Honeyshine Pie is always going to have something that makes it stand out,” she said.