4 minute read
The Gracious Lady - Who also Bakes Pies
Before I met Kim Karn, I heard Baxter talking in the hallway. “Awwww . . . waiiiiit!” is what I thought I heard him say. I pictured a little child lagging behind Mama. Cute, I thought to myself smiling, remembering those bygone days of going places with my grandson who was so much slower than my 80-something mother who used a walker. Then one day I met them. Kim, a slight, cheerful person that lights up the room when you talk to her, and Baxter, her beloved Yorkie who also lights up the room just because. The two are going through a lot together and you’d never know it by the light in their eyes.
Kim has a background in commercial art but as a career woman, she was a recruiter, also known as a headhunter. She started out finding placements for professionals in the medical and dental fields and ran a recruiting office in the cities for over a decade. She then transitioned into the recruiter position for Caribou Coffee finding district managers nationwide. At the time she loved the work despite it being a high-stress environment. Then things changed.
BY THE GRACE OF GOD
The stress of the job along with the turmoil of ending a marriage of 13 years took its toll on Kim’s health. She had been living with a rare type of diabetes since her teen years and now with compounded stress, her heart gave out. Because of the additional health issues, Kim needed extra care for recovery from the heart attack. She and her daughter moved to Brainerd where she could be cared for by her mother and sister.
Kim considers that she has been kept going only by the grace of God. “He lets me know when something is about to go wrong,” she said, speaking of her health. In addition to her heart condition and diabetes, she’s constantly on the lookout for bouts of cellulitis. Because she is basically in renal failure, her home dialysis machine is a daily companion. Kim has had to overcome episodes of sepsis and regular trips to the doctor are a fact of life. Some would break under these circumstances, but not Kim.
WHEN LIFE THROWS YOU A LEMON . . .
Kim’s health issues left her unable to return to work, but ever the industrious person, she turned to her faith and her creativity to help her through the days. Throughout her neat apartment is evidence of her artistic ability. The foyer is painted in bright colors with a giant gecko peering down at you as you walk in. One wall is covered in pale bricks. They look realistic, but Kim hand painted them.
A woman of several talents, Kim has supplemented her income with various artistic endeavors. She paints, makes pottery and enjoys making jewelry. She works in semi-precious stones and is adept with the wire wrapping technique known as Viking knit. “I just like working with my hands,” she says with a bright smile.
Right before the Fourth of July 2019, Kim made a strawberry pie for her mother. One of her neighbors noticed the pie and asked her if she would bake one for him. Kim, being the kind hearted person she is, said yes. Around the same time, she had received news of needing a kidney transplant. She also is slated to receive an insulin pump to replace her faulty pancreas, but these procedures are expensive.
Kim discussed the matter with her sister, Michelle, over the strawberry pie. That’s when Michelle had the inspired notion Kim should sell pies to help with the cost of the operations. By word of mouth, and with the help of a Facebook posting, Kim’s pie baking took off like wildfire. Within two days she had orders for over a hundred pies.
AND THE REST IS HISTORY – IN THE MAKING
From that one strawberry pie for her mother, Kim started a pie baking business that has landed her local customers like Valeri Ann’s in Merrifield and throughout Minnesota including a catering company in Duluth. Kim has a cottage license to bake her pies and right now, time, space and health limit her capabilities. That does not, however, keep her from baking a dozen or more pies in a day every now and then to fill a request for a party or banquet.
- Dr. Patricia Atherton
If you are curious about how the pies taste, Dr. Patricia Atherton can attest to the flavor of Kim’s cherry pie. After receiving one for her New Year’s celebration, she served it as dessert. “I’ve never had a pie quite so delicious, and you know,” Dr. Atherton continued, “my favorite is cherry, so I’ve had a few.”
Dinner guest Kathy Hoffman agreed, “You can taste the love!”
Kim uses the freshest ingredients to make her pies. During berry season you can find her and the grandchildren picking strawberries, raspberries and blueberries at the various berry farms. In addition to berry, apple and rhubarb pies, Kim has experimented with cheese producing gourmet Havarti and smoked Gouda cheese pies, decadent enough to be dessert, and savory enough to be an appetizer or entrée.
It’s amazing how she keeps going despite her daily challenges. “You know, I love baking. I love feeding people and for me baking is therapy. I enjoy making people happy and the financial part is just a perk. That’s just God’s blessing.”
Kim Karn takes a break from pie making to snuggle with her dog, Baxter.
Susan J. Smith-Grier, mother, grandmother, writer, storyteller, blogger, and Reading Corps tutor of early elementary kids, enjoys the changing seasons of Minnesota lake country. She lives for those moments when the possibilities light up the eyes of her awesome school kids and delights in the power of words and story.
