A Little History about The Blue Owl
Our story THEN- Mary
With the love and support of my wonderful family and friends, “from the Kitchen of Mary” was established in August of 1983. Creating an assortment of pastries, cookies, cakes and cheesecakes became a challenge as I attended craft shows on the weekends and the demand for our baked goods continued to increase. My dream was to have a location with commercial equipment and a few employees to help. In May of 1985, I first set eyes on The Blue Owl Restaurant. I decided to give it a try and dreamt of people waiting in line for at a table at the Blue Owl. That dream became a reality. In August of I hired 5 employees, set a goal of serving 30 guests a day and nervously opened the doors. Today we serve over 300 guests in a day and our staff has grown to 75.
There have been challenges and highlights. The Great Flood of 93 was a threat to the entire Kimmswick community and caused the evacuation of The Blue Owl. We were saved by the gallant sandbagging efforts of thousands of volunteers and the national guard who built an earthen levee outside our back door. This miracle birthed our Famous Levee High Caramel Apple Pecan Pie which was created in honor of the levee that saved Kimmswick. Since then, the Levee High pie has been featured on the Food Network, The Travel Channel, The Today show, and in 2011 as one of Oprah’s favorite things! People visit the Blue Owl from all over the world as a result of our national exposure.
In August of 2022, I decided it was time for me to retire and pass the legacy I created onto the next generation, which is my daughter Kim and her Husband, Dan. I am so excited to be able to spend time with family and friends and especially my husband Jerry that so patiently supported me for 38 years!
Mary Hostetter
P.S. And yes… dreams really do come true!
Our Story NOW- Kim Byerly
In 1997, I joined my mom at The Blue Owl working in our bakery as a professional pie slicer. I had so much vision for our amazing desserts so when the time came, I was able to grow our business outside the town of Kimmswick. Our online website launched, we introduced a line of wholesale desserts, and we began shipping our desserts nationwide. In 2011, I was able to move our bakery off site to create The Blue Owl Bakery, in House Springs, MO. There we began our wedding business and opened a retail donut shop. Our bakery operation employs 25 people that bake all the delicious desserts we serve in Kimmswick. In 2015, I began to see my life a little differently and realized I had dedicated it to working instead of raising my children. I was able to find a program called Celebrate Recovery which is a 12 step program for hurts, habits and hang ups. It was there, that my life changed and I was able to trust God with my life instead of just pursuing my own will. In May of 2022, I married my amazing husband, Dan Byerly and a few months later in August of 2022, my mom made the decision to retire. We took ownership and my Husband has now joined me in working full time at our Restaurant and Bakery. Our passion to help people In recovery has allowed us to bring the ministry into our business and employ people that are in recovery as well. We are so excited to see where the future leads us and to follow all the opportunities God has for us!
Dan and Kim Byerly
Isaiah 40:31
Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.