Ry’s Pies ‘N Cobblers blends fresh ingredients, Southern baking traditions, and nearly 100 years of family history into desserts that feel like home.
Photos By: Ashlee Glen
Some family recipes are written on stained index cards and tucked into kitchen drawers. Others live entirely in memory.
For Delilah White and Ryan Davis, the team behind Ry’s Pies ‘N Cobblers, preserving Grandma Nellie Belle’s baking legacy meant spending two years translating decades of instinct, observation, and tradition into written recipes.
“It literally took me two full years to write down all of Grandma’s recipes that had lived only in my head,” said Davis, who serves as head baker of Ry’s Pies. “Every pie crust, cobbler, and dessert was learned by watching her hands, standing beside her in the kitchen, and hearing her say, ‘You have to feel it.'”
That legacy began long before the bakery itself. Some of Davis’ earliest memories involve gathering ingredients alongside cousins and family members. When the grandchildren wanted dessert, Grandma Nellie Belle had a simple response.
“If you want something sweet, go pick the berries and I’ll make it for you!”
The children would spend hours in the blackberry patch before returning home, where those berries became warm cobblers shared around a crowded family table. Today, those lessons still shape the business.
“We still believe in using fresh, quality ingredients, and we use fresh-picked fruit in our desserts,” Davis said. “More importantly, we strive to create the same feeling Grandma created around her table—a sense of comfort, connection, and love in every bite.”
That commitment to craftsmanship has earned recognition well beyond Southern Virginia. Among the bakery’s accolades is a win in the King Arthur Flour Harvest Competition for its Caramel Apple Crumb Pie. Another memorable moment came when a customer shared that a representative from Nothing Bundt Cakes had recommended Ry’s Pies ‘N Cobblers instead.
Yet awards are only part of the story. The bakery remains deeply rooted in the traditions that inspired it, from classic Sweet Potato Pie and Blackberry Cobbler to seasonal desserts that celebrate Virginia’s agricultural heritage.
If there is one dessert that captures the heart of the business, Davis points to the Sweet Potato Cheesecake. Built on Grandma Nellie Belle’s sweet potato pie recipe and paired with a homemade cream cheese filling, graham cracker crust, and signature Brown Suga Glaze, it represents both preservation and innovation.
“In many ways, our Sweet Potato Cheesecake is Ry’s Pies ‘N Cobblers on a plate,” Davis said. “It’s rooted in family history, handcrafted with care, and creatively reimagines tradition while staying true to the flavors and values that started it all.”
Visitors can find Ry’s Pies ‘N Cobblers each Saturday at the Lynchburg Community Market, where Davis and White continue sharing desserts inspired by nearly a century of family tradition. Whether it’s a slice of pie, a cobbler, or a cheesecake, every dessert is designed to offer something more than sweetness.
“We hope they’re experiencing a little piece of those summer afternoons in Grandma’s blackberry patch and the sweet moment of gathering around the table with the people you love.”
