KENTUCKY — In a staggering culinary trick of fate, a young woman’s small-town bakery is drawing thousands from across the country for her “earthy, rustic” mud pies. Tourists describe the taste as “natural” and “deeply grounding.” Few realize the pies are made from actual mud, filtered creek water, and earthworms, with rocks carefully removed to protect dental integrity.
The bakery, named Soil Sweets, began as a drunk joke when owner Lacey Ann Barton baked a pie from backyard dirt during a power outage. After posting it online, it went viral. Within days, lines formed around the block, filled with influencers pretending to understand the “humble terroir of Appalachian loam.” Most gag after three bites but post five-star reviews anyway.
Lacey refuses to hide the truth. The menu lists ingredients plainly: topsoil, worms, molasses, and a single decorative dandelion. Urban visitors assume it’s ironic performance art. Locals know better. Trailer park regulars eat three at a time and claim the pies “cure gout, loneliness, and atheism.” One man swears it helped his dog speak.
Health inspectors arrived once, tried a slice, and quietly walked into the forest. The FDA emailed something about “undefined organic hazards,” but Lacey never opened it. Her lawyer says if Gwyneth Paltrow can sell scented candles named after body parts, then worm pie should be legally protected as folk healing.
Critics call it performance poison, but sales continue to climb. There’s talk of a Netflix docuseries and a possible mud pie IPO. Merchandise includes tote bags that say “Eat Dirt, Heal Spirit.” Incidentally, scientists are testing the pies and finding mild psychedelic effects. Lacey just smiles, wipes her hands on an apron, and says, “A little dirt never killed anyone except maybe the ones who didn’t believe.” The waitlist is now four months long.
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