Aunt Netter's Cafe home-made pies land fourth overall for USA Today 10Best competition

LECOMPTON — The key to making a good pie is making it from scratch.

Annette Nally, co-owner and head baker at Aunt Netter's Cafe, 340 Elmore Street in Lecompton, said she makes all her pie crust from scratch along with the pie fillings. In ownership alongside Annette Nally is her husband, Jamine Nally.

"I think that's a huge, huge deal is a lot of people go to places and get pie and it's canned pie filling," Nally said.

Nally's handmade crust and fillings pushed her to earn the fourth-place spot in the USA Today's 10Best Pie Shops category of its Reader's Choice Award, which were announced Wednesday. Pie Junkie in Oklahoma placed third, My Sugar Pie in Indiana took second while Stockholm Pie and General store in Wisconsin was awarded first place.

"I was just thrilled to be nominated in the first place," Annette Nally said. "So, from little ole Lecompton and then our community has always been super supportive of us. So, ending up fourth place in the nation is pretty cool."

10 years in business at Aunt Netter's Cafe is all about community

Aunt Netter's Cafe has been in business for 10 years and they remain open because of the community, the Nally couple said.

"I grew up here, my family grew up here, and so just being a part of the community and interacting is a huge deal," Annette Nally said. "And then it's almost like a family. People support you, like a family."

"They have stuff going on. Help reach out you want. When you need something, they'll reach out," Jamin Nally said. "So that's the big one I've always tried is to be part of your community, not just in your community."

With top selling pie flavors like coconut cream, peanut butter chocolate or caramel apple pecan, the community is always eager to spend time in the cafe. The cafe is also prominent on its cinnamon rolls along with breakfast and lunch options.

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'Homey' atmosphere at Aunt Netter's Cafe

Haven Simnitt, a Topeka resident, said she enjoys Aunt Netter's because it's a "homey and quaint" atmosphere.

"It definitely has that feel of even if you don't know the people behind the counter, they still have that feel as if they know you," Simnitt told The Capital-Journal.

"It could be a brand-new face but they're still going to interact with you as if they've seen you 1,000 times and that kind of familiarity just really provides you with a level of comfort that you just don't get at a chain restaurant that's just trying to get you in and get you out," Simnitt said.

The restaurant has a seating capacity of 48. Business is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.

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Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Aunt Netter's Cafe rank fourth in USA Today's 10Best pie competition