O’Donnell got the pie bug early in life, baking alongside her grandmother at her grandparents’ farm in Humboldt County. She honed her skills in a number of Northern California restaurants,
including the Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford and Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
Opening in the fall at 16th and G streets, Real Pie Company will feature fruit-focused pies, galettes, tarts and cakes, as well as a handful of savory items such as chicken pot pies and quiches.
O’Donnell, who founded the Sacramento chapter of Slow Food USA, also has a unique partnership with the Felix Gillet Institute (http://felixgillet.org), and will be offering a number of pastries featuring
very rare heirloom fruits sourced from historic Gold Rush-era mining camps and abandoned homesteads.
The shop will offer limited indoor and outdoor seating, and an area offering customers an array of local small farm resources, including farm trail maps, farmers’ market schedules and information
about CSA (community-supported agriculture) programs.