Apple Picking, Rides to the Pumpkin Patch and Homemade Pies 
Stevens Bakery: a Special Destination for Autumn Goodness and Family Fun 

By Shelly Calvert

THACKERY - Picking fresh apples—either right off of the tree or choosing from the farm market bin—couldn’t be easier or more fun than it is at Stevens Bakery and Orchard in Champaign County.

   The family-run operation has been in business for 24 years, growing a wide variety of apples and pumpkins as well as scratch-baking their own regionally famous homemade pies.
 

   Owned by Chris and Sharon Stevens, the orchard and bakery is located at 7344 Thackeray Rd., just off of State Route 55 near Thackery. Both of their adult children and all six of their grandchildren help out at the family business. In fact, one of them will likely be driving the farm wagon that gives guests a ride back to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch during their busiest months of the year in September and October. It’s a beautiful little ride that not only makes picking the fall crops easy as pie, but also allows visitors to enjoy a nice glimpse of the five acres of fields, orchards and farm outbuildings that create this beautiful setting and support the business.
 

   The orchard was planted at the onset of the pie-baking business with the idea that the Stevens’ would grow the filling for their own fruit pies. According to Sharon, the master pie baker, that plan changed when her pies quickly began outselling the amount of fruit she and her husband could possibly grow. They began sourcing fruit from other growers, so they never use canned fillings or anything with artificial ingredients.
 

   Sharon said they use about 200 pounds of apples per week and that they will make 3,500 pies for Thanksgiving alone. To do this, the family uses a spotless industrial kitchen that they added on to their house. It has the capacity for a three-person staff to make large amounts of pie crusts, process fillings, bake multiple pies at once and store all of the ingredients and finished pies in large cooler units.
 

   The pie business has far exceeded the hopes and dreams of the couple who, in 1998, made a big shift in their livelihood. 
 

   After consecutively winning a blue ribbon and grand champion honors at the Champaign County Fair for Sharon’s pecan pie, the Stevenses decided to make pie-baking their family business.
 

   “My husband had to travel for work all the time and he hated it. His last trip was to Argentina, after which he came home and said, ‘I’m not going to do it anymore,’” Sharon recalled, adding that the couple thought of a lot of different ideas to make a living by staying at home, but decided to farm and bake.
 

   Two decades later, Stevens Pies are a favorite in the region, and the delicacies can be found in farm markets and grocery stores from Springfield to Dayton to Columbus and little towns in-between.
 

   “They are all made from scratch and we don’t use any preservatives,” Sharon said, noting that her big baking days

are Wednesday and Thursday. 
 

   All pies from the bakery must be ordered in advance and scheduled for pickup. They do not keep extra pies at the bakery. Each day, all the pies are delivered or picked up. They do, however, offer curbside service. 

   Sharon said the system of running pies out to customers’  vehicles began during the pandemic in 2020. It’s now their standard protocol, which makes customers even happier with their pie pickup, she said.